Visor (Köln/Cologne, Germany)
www.tomlab.de

VISOR is a one-time collaboration between Jörg Follert (Saucer, Motel, Wunder), Jens Massel (Genf, Kandis, Senking) and Tom Steinle (founder of the label Tomlab). Visor is a tribute to Talk Talk's last album "Laughing stock". Each of the three members contributed two tracks, with each contributor's cuts intersequenced with the others'.

The music is ambient and uses several samples from Laughing Stock. I once sent Lee a copy and he liked it a lot. Visor has just been re-released and can be ordered from www.tomlab.de where you can listen to RealAudio exerpts of some of the tracks.

Interview with Visor
by Henrik (Within Without)

Visor was meant as a tribute to Talk Talk's album Laughing Stock. How did you get that idea?
Jörg: One day we realized that we all had been so much inspired by this record and it was around Christmas. So  we thought it would be a fine idea to do sort of a "tribute to"  for this loved album. We were all at the beginning still with doing music on electronic equipment. The only rule was to do music in the spirit and inspiration we felt the Laughing Stock had given us. For keeping it very intimate, we decided to do just 100 homeburnt copys. But the were sold within a week, so Tom decided to do a regular release with, I think 500 copies. We had a great response on it.

What's so special about Laughing Stock in your opinion?
Jörg: To me it is the strong and incredible intensity  and the high dynamics the music is transporting. It seemed so much like one of these very seldom and worthful moments where people had created something that´s bigger than themself.
Tom: It is music that is true and very intense - I can only agree with Jörg.

Where did Visor name come from?
Tom: The title VISOR goes back to Jens - he saw that in a (fictional not documentary) tv series about people living in Alaska and they used this visor thingie, a kind of glasses that are emitting bright light and that people wear to avoid getting depressed in the long winters in Alaska...in a way this is what the release is about.

Do you see any similarities between Talk Talk's music and your ambient music?
Jörg: The interesting point on this work was that we all did the tracks seperated of each other, but, as we thought they were fitting so well together in the end. So, it seemed that there´s been somthing like a hidden spirit we all were sharing through the music of the LS.

I'm ashamed to admit but my copy is not a legal one. Will I ever be able  to buy one?
Jörg: No problem for me about the copy. I think Tom is doing a Rerelease now.
Tom: There is a rerelease coming out through Digital Narcis in Japan. Also there will soon be a Tomlab sector at www.atrecordings.com where you can by our releases online and listen to the full songs through streaming... [Visor was re-released in April - Ed.]

What else are you listening to when you're not making music?
Jörg: Recently I fell in Love with Pierre Barouh who is a french chansonier and labelowner of SARAVAH. I also have listened to a lot of music by Cesaria Evora. And there's sort of a little comeback of Drum and Bass in my home.... Other Music I do like a lot: Shuggie Otis, Billy Holiday, Joao Gilberto, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Hoagy Carmichael, Ahmad Jamal Trio, Slint, Morricone...
Tom: A lot of contemporary and electroacoustic music from Cage, Morton Feldman to Rafael Toral, Robert Ashley, Christoph Heeman, Walter Marchetti, Charlemagne Palestine...and quite sometimes my all time electronic favourites Oval, Basic Channel, old Sähkö releases..

Any current projects?
Jörg: I have released a record last December called "Wechsel Garland"   on Morr Music. Another Album is following in April or May which will be very different because of it´s more song oriented character.