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| MSJ: I understand you guys have done something very unique with your upcoming album in regards to a VR experience. What can you tell us about that? |
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| This is probably the most thought out and biggest release we have ever done. A lot of thought went into the ideas for the artwork, the idea of the Kybalion, and the dedications to Steven Hawking and Owsley Stanley. The amazing artist, Batu, really went deep into the Kybalion, to bring the artwork to a higher level. For those not familiar with the Kybalion, it was a book published in the early 1900s, which mixed Egyptian and Greek Hermetic philosophies to try to better explain the world we live in and not involving gods (which don’t exist, by the way!). The Kybalion is broken down into seven principles: Principle of Mentalism, Principle of Correspondence, Principle of Vibration, Principle of Polarity, Principle of Rhythm, Principle of Cause and Effect and the Principle of Gender. It is very interesting and we have enjoyed putting our music into the context of this and the dedications.
The album comes with eight different highly detailed paintings that combine the esoteric of the Kybalion, Stephen Hawking, Owsley Stanley and symbolism with cosmic imagery, each one contains different portals into the world of Kybalion. From choosing the songs through interactive Emerald Tablets of Thoth (in the gatefold sleeve or CD poster) these become portals into virtual worlds. It is really amazing. See the video that demonstrates this.
https://youtu.be/QxNtMmvWx4E
It is our collaboration with Cyber Rabbit (https://www.cyberrabbit.co.uk/osc-cyberdelic-album) in the UK that has made this all possible. Batu, one of the owners, has been a fan of the band for years and suggested that we work together on creating a totally unique and first in the world, LP/CD experience. They specialize in trying to create psychedelic experiences without drugs. They have created a very cool web page about the record and a video that demonstrates some of what you will be able to do. The full experience will not be ready until January, I think.
We have created a number of web sites to help to promote the records.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cyberraabbit.oscc (You can download the smartphone app here for Android phones)
https://www.cyberrabbit.co.uk/osc-cyberdelic-album
http://spacerockproductions.de/OSC-Kybalion/
https://oresundspacecollective.bandcamp.com/album/kybalion |
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| MSJ: That new album is your 30th, right? Is that a milestone you are paying attention to, and what does it mean to you? |
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| Yes. Our 30th release, which includes studio albums and live albums. This does not include the limited edition Picks from Space CD-R series, of which there were 12 or any of the DVDs. I would not say it is a specific milestone for us, but I am proud that I (and the great musicians involved) have kept this project alive and running and the fans keep supporting us, so we can afford to keep making more records. I suspect we will reach 50 one day. |
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| MSJ: It's been a few years since we did an interview for Music Street Journal. What (besides the things we already mentioned) has been new in your world? |
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The biggest thing for me is that I no longer live in Denmark and have moved to Portugal and am retired. I no longer work for anyone, only farm, run the record label, make and play music. Despite the distance, ØSC still plays some festivals and does a small tour every May. I am also recording synthesizers for quite a few other projects (Joy with Dr Space, 3rd Ear Experience, Albino Rhino, and Deep Space Destructors.) I have also made three solo albums (next one due out in April 2019). I also have made seven records with Black Moon Circle, So I keep busy. |
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| MSJ: What's the best thing that's ever been said about your music? |
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I don’t recall the exact quote but someone once said that our music transports them to another place and time. There are some fans out there that have said we are their favorite band (Hubert!) in the world. This means a lot. We have a lot of really dedicated fans that buy everything and download all the shows from www.archive.org, where you can hear every one of the concerts we have ever played, for free! |
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| MSJ: What's ahead for you? |
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Kybalion is released Dec 19th on vinyl and CD with the special virtual reality experience if you have a smart phone and download the app. We will also release a 3LP/2CD set by ØSC meets BMC (Black Moon Circle) – Freak out in the Fjord with fabulous artwork by Ed Unit sky (www.edunitsky.com ). This is due out in May. We will do a week long tour in May and also play for the first time ever in the UK at the Sonic Rock Solstice festival over the summer solstice weekend. We are also trying to get to play in Estonia in 2019 as well. I suspect the band will also play in Portugal. We get mails from our fans about coming and playing in the USA, but logistically this is extremely difficult. It really has to be a big festival that has the budget, otherwise I just can’t see it happening, sadly. |
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| MSJ: What was the last CD you bought and/or what have you been listening to lately? |
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| Latest to arrive is the Marillion - Clutching at Straws deluxe 5CD/DVD set. This is my favorite album by Marillion. I also recently bought Domboshawa LP (Sweden), Kikagaku Moyo - Masana Temples LP (great!), Automaton - Talos, Agusa - In Concert LP, I buy a lot of music still and have the luxury to hear about eight hours of music a day (thanks to a great wife and having the time). |
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| MSJ: Have you read any good books lately? |
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I read a lot of books. In the last month I have finished Elvis: The Last 24hrs, J.G. Ballard - Concrete Island, Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow, Rhapsody in Black: The Life and Music of Roy Orbison and the Little Book of AC/DC (came with Classic Rock Magazine). We also get Classic Rock and Prog Magazine each month, and I try read every article. |
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| MSJ: What about the last concert you attended for your enjoyment? |
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Sadly, there is not a lot of music going on here in the countryside, but I travelled up to Porto to see my friends in Elder and also I jammed with them for two songs. The last concert for pure pleasure was on my birthday we went to Braga and saw Seun Kuti and Egypt 80. We had front row center seats in a really cool old theatre. That was a great night.. This weekend is the Mad Farmers Liberation Front, an interesting local band we saw last year. |
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| MSJ: Do you remember the first concert you attended? |
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Very much so.. Ted Nugent and Angel at the Long Beach Arena in California, Sept 4th, 1978. I was a huge fan of the Double Live Gonzo record and was so excited to see Ted. I was only 15. My tennis buddy, his older brother took us to the show. I was practically deaf the next day. My ears were ringing so loud in the morning I could hardly hear what my mom was saying to me at breakfast. The ringing lasted five days. Ted was known for being loud and I had never heard anything like that. |
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| MSJ: Have you come across any new gear recently that you love? |
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No, but I recently pulled out my old Nord Lead 2 synth, which I had not played for like five years and found some very interesting sounds that appear on a number of tracks on my next solo record. I also had my OSCar repaired so now I can play it again. What a great synthesizer! |
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| MSJ: Are there any closing thoughts you would like to get out there? |
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| Thanks to people like you who continue to support us and write about us. Thanks to all our great fans who buy the records, come to the shows and inspire us to just continue our musical journey. Playing totally improvised music will always make us a niche band. I don’t expect we will ever break out of the underground and not sure we want to. We make music that foremost makes us happy and we are glad to share. ØSC will continue to create music for your mind… Have a great 2019, everyone and hope for the best in this crazy world. Peace, love, no war.. . |
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| MSJ: This interview is available in book (paperback and hardcover) in Music Street Journal: 2019 Volume 1. More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2019. |
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