Getting to Know… Øresund Space Collective | Interview

In the 422^nd Q&A in our Getting to Know… series, we get the inside scoop from Denmark-based improvisatory space rock band, Øresund Space Collective. 

“We came up with Øresund Space Collective because we are a big music collective, and the band is different for every tour and studio session.” Intriguing, intriguing, intriguing. Regarding Øresund Space Collective, Dr Space asserts, “We play totally improvised music so, that is pretty unique these days. Not that many bands that just get up on the stage and jam for 3 hours with no songs. We have the same approach in the studio as well.” C-O-O-L, cool! We get the inside scoop on the improvisatory band’s genesis, goals, musical influences, and current, and future musical endeavors. So, without further ado, let’s jump right into Getting to Know… Øresund Space Collective: Interview No. 422!

For those who may not be familiar with you, what would you say makes Øresund Space Collective distinct or unique? How do you rock the audience’s socks off?

Dr Space: Øresund Space Collective, we play totally improvised music so, that is pretty unique these days. Not that many bands that just get up on the stage and jam for 3hrs with no songs. We have the same approach in the studio as well. We rock the audience by getting into a great groove and people are dancing, and we are having lots of solos, twists, and turns in the music. Every show is totally different. That makes us quite unique.

Okay, let’s explore some juicy backstories. How did Øresund Space Collective form, and what were some of your goals or visions early?

Dr Space: I started organizing jam sessions with my friends in the bands, Mantric Muse (Denmark) and Bland Bladen (Sweden). We were having so much fun and creating cool music. We had no goal at all when we started except to have fun. There was no vision at all, it was about having a party and making music but we needed a name for our first concert and we came up with Øresund Space Collective because we are a big music collective, and the band is different for every tour and studio session.

Let’s talk more about goals.  Have your goals or your perspectives changed since first starting? What do your aspirations or goals look like now?

Dr Space: I think that is still our goal today, actually. We want to continue to push the boundaries of our music and explore new territory. We are always looking forward and not backwards. Personally, my goal is to just make people happy with our music. If I get one guy who writes and says how much he loves the band, then I am happy.

Everybody is influenced by somebody else. Whom would you consider some of your biggest musical influences and how are they influential?

Dr Space: Musically, I am influenced by Alien Planetscapes, Hawkwind, Pink Floyd, Allman Brothers Band, Fela Kuti, Ozric Tentacles and many more. Alien Planetscapes was one of the first space rock bands in the USA and the leader, Doug Walker was an amazing synth player and inspiration. Hawkwind is one of my favorite bands and I have all their albums and love the spacey elements of the heavy music they created in the 70s.. Pink Floyd, they were pretty much the originators of space rock in the late 60s and true musical explorers and pioneers. Allman Brothers were just the ultimate jam band of the time and the great journeys they took you on in their music. Fela, the king of Afrobeat. He knew how to groove and deliver a message. Ozric Tentacles, truly original instrumental space rockers. They loved to jam before their computers and midi synths took over but still a huge inspiration.

Jonathan: For me, as a guitarist who plays violin, I’m influenced more by guitarists even in my violin playing—though of course there is some excellent rock violin playing in the early 70s Zappa world, both Jean-Luc Ponty and Don Harris for example, I really like in that context, but I can’t play like that! I’ve been influenced by many guitar players over the years, all of whom affect how I play, of course, the Hendrix/Page/Gilmour thing, but also Richard Thompson and Jerry Garcia has entered my ears and affected how I understand guitar soloing.

Ah, the fun stuff.  What’s your craziest tour story or the wackiest thing that’s happened during a performance?  Feel free to be creative.

Dr Space: Hum…. We not that crazy of a band but one of the most insane things was that when we played at Freak Valley festival in Germany, we arrived the night before (we were the first band on the next day) and our guitar player Nick, got so totally wasted and they threw him out of the bar that night. The next day, he had a long kaftan on and it was all covered in throw up and he was quite hung over. He thought he could just go on stage like that, and I told him, no fucking way, you have to clean yourself up, dude… He did and came on stage and just totally killed it with amazing riffs and solos… Far out…

To this point in your career, what would you describe as your favorite song you’ve recorded or performed live? What makes that song special?

Dr Space: That is a difficult question. I think “Ode to a Black Hole”, “Sleeping with the Sunworm”, and “Everyone is Evil” are 3 of my faves. They are all 60-minute pieces of music where the band just flowed and played amazingly. I am still blown away by them when I hear them.

Jonathan: Well, just now I’m into the “Skin Walker” track from Orgone Unicorn, that’s currently my favorite.

Is there anything else awesome, cool, or left-of-center we should know about Øresund Space Collective? Secret talents or surprising tidbits?

Dr Space: I love craft beer and collect the labels. Have been collecting beer labels since 1981!

Jonathan: I do a lot of different kinds of music outside of ØSC, solo albums of songs as well as weird instrumental and electronic albums. Hopefully, that’s not a secret! Also, Mattias Olsson and I recorded a whole ton of music for Hasse Horrigmoe in the past year, hopefully, that should see the light of day soon. We played one show of this material in Oslo this summer.

What is Øresund Space Collective currently working on or promoting that you can share? We love secrets, but there’s no pressure. 

Dr Space: We had our 44th album, Orgone Unicorn out in July this year. The next studio album, Alotta hella down in Estrella, will be out in March next year. We have a DVD from the Crescendo Festival in France 2022 coming out in October. In December, we should have the album, Relaxing in the Himalayas, on vinyl. It was previously a Bandcamp subscriber CD. We will also have a 20^th-anniversary concert in Copenhagen, Denmark on April 11-12th. This is going to be very special with lots of old members and a killer light show, special merch and poster display etc..

Thank you so much for sharing and taking the time to answer these questions, and best of luck moving forward. 

Dr Space: Thank you for this opportunity.

https://oresundspacecollective.com

https://oresundspacecollective.bandcamp.com

https://drspace1.bandcamp.com

https://doctorsofspace.bandcamp.com

https://www.spacerockproductions.com

https://auralhallucinations.bandcamp.com

https://estudioparaisonasn.wixsite.com/my-site

Getting to Know… Øresund Space Collective: Interview No. 422 (2024) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Øresund Space Collective; Clker-Free-Vector-Images, Królestwo Nauki, OpenClipart-Vectors, Pete Linforth, Tumisu from Pixabay]