Vinyl50 Interview

Thanks Vinyl50 for asking about my favourite vinyl. Of course it's never possible to limit myself to 5 albums so I chose the albums and artists who influenced me for producing Saxify.

English:
5x favourite vinyl of Susanne Alt

Saxophonist Susanne Alt recently released her album Saxify, with contributions by more than 30 guest musicians, amongst them a lot international funkateers who previously worked with James Brown, Earth, Wind & Fire, Tower Of Power, The S.O.S.Band…
For Vinyl50 she tells about haar relationship with sound carriers.
“Here are some of my favourite albums I discovered after 2007 (or which came out later) and inspired me directly for my album Saxify. Also I have a column on my website; I try to introduce a vinyl album from my collection every wednesday.

Parliament - Funkentelechy vs. The Placebo Syndrome
I chose this masterpiece from 1977 as an example for the oevre (until now) of George Clinton. The tunes are orchestrated in a rich way and full with extensive vocals parts, you hear the horn arrangements of Fred Wesley and Bernie Worrell, the lyrics are filled with reference jokes and wordplay, in fact you sometimes hear whole choirs and orchestras. P-Funk in top shape.
My P-Funk understanding has reached when I finally saw George Clinton & Parliament live with good sound. Before that, in concert halls with difficalt sound it sounded chaotic to me compared to other bands, but this band is definitely not chaotic. It’s hard to amplify rich orchestrated music, especially the mix of 4-5 guitars, horns, vocals, keys, who all play very differentiated parts.

Dam Funk - Invite The Light
This album is a special piece of art with the typical synthesizer sounds of Dam Funk, just like earlier albums. In 2015 this album has been released, not as a double, but a triple album!
I discovered Dam Funk when I heard the cult track “Hood Pass Intact” (2009). This track and the instrumentals of Dam Funk’s “7 Days Of Funk” I often use when performing with dj’s.
“Invite The Light” consists of three discs of beautiful white vinyl and a mirrored sleeve. The music is reaching out to the past using vintage synthesizer sounds and the funkyness which remembers of “Computer Games” by George Clinton. At the same time it sounds futuristic because of the almost exclusive use of synths and voice. No horns, no band, but features of guests Junie Morrison, Q-Tip, Flea, Snoop Dogg and others.

D’Angelo And The Vanguard - Black Messiah
More contemporary funk: D’Angelo’s release from 2014. He let his fans wait for so long that it seemed almost unlikely that another album would come out. I gave up hope and was actually happy with “Voodoo”, “Brown Sugar” and the many bootleg of his live shows. All of a sudden the album dropped, first the tune “Sugah Daddy” was on internet. The LP followed in spring 2015. D’Angelo already performed “Sugah Daddy” during his live shows in 2012.
The flugelhorn section on “Black Messiah” is by Roy Hargrove, contributing in shaping the typical D’Angelo sound, just like on “Voodoo” and Roy’s own RH Factor albums.
I am very curious about the future adventures of this man with a very own sound vison and i am still a fan.

The J.B.’s - Hustle With Speed
This album is from 1975 by the James Brown horn section lead by Fred Wesley who also wrote the horn arrangements. It is sometimes bigband-like, like in “Transmograpfication”. As a saxophone player, this mix of funk and jazz is very appealing. Fred Wesley is still touring the world and travelling genres. Deep respect towards Mr Wesley. Jazz, funk, hiphop, klezmer, as long as it’s funky. Next to James Brown, Fred Wesley is one of my biggest musical heroes.

Roy Ayers-Wayne Henderson - Prime Time
Jazzy funk with a lot of great horn arrangements, the funky trombone of Wayne Henderson and of course the soulful vibraphone of Roy Ayers. This album from 1978, my birth year, helped me finding the drum sound for Saxify. When I heard this album in the record store I know I had to buy it. I listened to it over and over again, also for the sound. The drums sound so nice. I love dry drums. You can hear every hit but it doens’t get in the way of horns of vocals. Often acoustic drums are problematic, you want the live drums sound, but not predominating. My understanding of drum recording sound reached when I heard this album. I discovered this album in the record store and probably wouldn’t have discovered it digitally. That’s the beauty of real record stores, you stumble upon something by coincidence.

on 28/05/2016

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My latest mix is now online. Venus Tunes Sessions is a monthly mix by Susanne Alt on Freak31, aired every first Sunday of the month at 19:00h. In addition, earlier Venus Tunes Sessions shows are repeated every Friday between 20:00-21:00 and Tuesday 21:00-22:00.Freak 31 has around 250 daily listeners (less during the week, more in the weekend) and a total of +10.000 listeners every month. In addition to Mixcloud and Hearthis, all mixes are also available as podcasts on Deezer and iTunes.It was in 2015 when I had my first official dj gig and since 2016 I started to perform regularly. This took place in Amsterdam's Skyybar, Floor17 and The Harbourclub Zuid... bit by bit, other places like Momo and W Amsterdam followed, leading to club bookings as a dj and festival bookings with Venus Tunes Live in the Netherlands and abroad. All of this in addition to my normal life as a musician. I love dj'ing as it adds another facet to my musicianship.Listen to all editions of the Venus Tunes Sessions where you like; choose your platform: Venus Tunes Sessions is a monthly guest mix by Susanne Alt on Freak31, aired every first Sunday of the month at 1900h. Streaming Dance, straight from Amsterdam. - Thanks Vinyl50 for asking about my favourite vinyl. Of course it's never possible to limit myself to 5 albums so I chose the albums and artists who influenced me for producing Saxify.English:5x favourite vinyl of Susanne AltSaxophonist Susanne Alt recently released her album Saxify, with contributions by more than 30 guest musicians, amongst them a lot international funkateers who previously worked with James Brown, Earth, Wind & Fire, Tower Of Power, The S.O.S.Band…For Vinyl50 she tells about haar relationship with sound carriers.“Here are some of my favourite albums I discovered after 2007 (or which came out later) and inspired me directly for my album Saxify. Also I have a column on my website; I try to introduce a vinyl album from my collection every wednesday.Parliament - Funkentelechy vs. The Placebo SyndromeI chose this masterpiece from 1977 as an example for the oevre (until now) of George Clinton. The tunes are orchestrated in a rich way and full with extensive vocals parts, you hear the horn arrangements of Fred Wesley and Bernie Worrell, the lyrics are filled with reference jokes and wordplay, in fact you sometimes hear whole choirs and orchestras. P-Funk in top shape. My P-Funk understanding has reached when I finally saw George Clinton & Parliament live with good sound. Before that, in concert halls with difficalt sound it sounded chaotic to me compared to other bands, but this band is definitely not chaotic. It’s hard to amplify rich orchestrated music, especially the mix of 4-5 guitars, horns, vocals, keys, who all play very differentiated parts.Dam Funk - Invite The LightThis album is a special piece of art with the typical synthesizer sounds of Dam Funk, just like earlier albums. In 2015 this album has been released, not as a double, but a triple album! I discovered Dam Funk when I heard the cult track “Hood Pass Intact” (2009). This track and the instrumentals of Dam Funk’s “7 Days Of Funk” I often use when performing with dj’s.“Invite The Light” consists of three discs of beautiful white vinyl and a mirrored sleeve. The music is reaching out to the past using vintage synthesizer sounds and the funkyness which remembers of “Computer Games” by George Clinton. At the same time it sounds futuristic because of the almost exclusive use of synths and voice. No horns, no band, but features of guests Junie Morrison, Q-Tip, Flea, Snoop Dogg and others.D’Angelo And The Vanguard - Black MessiahMore contemporary funk: D’Angelo’s release from 2014. He let his fans wait for so long that it seemed almost unlikely that another album would come out. I gave up hope and was actually happy with “Voodoo”, “Brown Sugar” and the many bootleg of his live shows. All of a sudden the album dropped, first the tune “Sugah Daddy” was on internet. The LP followed in spring 2015. D’Angelo already performed “Sugah Daddy” during his live shows in 2012. The flugelhorn section on “Black Messiah” is by Roy Hargrove, contributing in shaping the typical D’Angelo sound, just like on “Voodoo” and Roy’s own RH Factor albums. I am very curious about the future adventures of this man with a very own sound vison and i am still a fan.The J.B.’s - Hustle With SpeedThis album is from 1975 by the James Brown horn section lead by Fred Wesley who also wrote the horn arrangements. It is sometimes bigband-like, like in “Transmograpfication”. As a saxophone player, this mix of funk and jazz is very appealing. Fred Wesley is still touring the world and travelling genres. Deep respect towards Mr Wesley. Jazz, funk, hiphop, klezmer, as long as it’s funky. Next to James Brown, Fred Wesley is one of my biggest musical heroes.Roy Ayers-Wayne Henderson - Prime TimeJazzy funk with a lot of great horn arrangements, the funky trombone of Wayne Henderson and of course the soulful vibraphone of Roy Ayers. This album from 1978, my birth year, helped me finding the drum sound for Saxify. When I heard this album in the record store I know I had to buy it. I listened to it over and over again, also for the sound. The drums sound so nice. I love dry drums. You can hear every hit but it doens’t get in the way of horns of vocals. Often acoustic drums are problematic, you want the live drums sound, but not predominating. My understanding of drum recording sound reached when I heard this album. I discovered this album in the record store and probably wouldn’t have discovered it digitally. That’s the beauty of real record stores, you stumble upon something by coincidence.

Vinyl50 Interview

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