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Cape Town - While most people will remember Basson Laubscher as the guitarist for the Afrikaans band Zinkplaat, he has now cemented a name for himself as one of the greatest guitarists in SA.
Having shared the stage with SA legends such as Gerald Clarke (Delta Blue), Rory Elliot (Plush), Albert Frost, Dan Patlansky and many more, he also served a stint in the Valiant Swart Band and did session work on Valiant’s award-winning album Horisontaal.
He released his first EP, titled Shakedown, with his band The Violent Free Peace in 2014, and now he has officially released his debut album, titled Testify.
We chat to Basson about the new album below, check it out:
How does it feel to eventually release your debut album?
It’s amazing!! It has been a long process of just getting this album out, we finished tracking at the end of March so I’m really excited to finally bring this album to life!
What was the most challenging part of making the album?
Mmmmm, I guess to keep the balance of a produced but yet organic sound and letting the music breathe. I am like a kid in the candy store in the studio, I mean there are so many options and things you can do so I think the toughest part for me always is just letting go and saying to yourself that it is done now. I still listen to albums today and think what if I added another guitar line or vocal harmony or keyboards here. So definitely the hardest part is going, ‘okay the song is done now stop tinkering’. Hahaha!
The new album is a mixture of blues, rock and country – which genre is your favourite and why?
I have been very lucky do grow up in a house with very diverse musical tastes from Pavarotti, Jimi Hendrix to Willie Nelson so I love all kinds of music. Anything that is made with passion and honesty I can dig, but that said, the blues will always be a big part of me. It’s the music that first connected with me because of the raw emotion and honesty and that led to the glorious gospel of rock and roll! So I would say blues-rock but I love all kinds of music and love when bands can kind of move around in different genres and keep it fresh.
What’s the one thing you want people to take away from this album?
Mmmmm, I’d love for the music to make a connection with the listener. Like the old days when you put headphones on and just let the music take you away to another place. Whether it wants to make you laugh, cry, dance or air guitar, I would love for my music to make a connection with whoever is listening to it :) I would love that for this album :)
Do you have a favourite song on the album, and why is it your favourite?
That is very hard… I kinda have a special place for all of the songs as they all become part of you in a way. So I can't really think of a favourite right now but I am super proud of how they all came out. It’s always the most satisfied feeling when the sounds in your head, the way you imagine the songs when you write them, comes to life and it is exactly like you pictured it which for me definitely happened on this album.
What’s the one thing no one knows about you?
Mmmmm, I guess the one thing no one knows about me is I’m actually a very shy introverted person, but when I play music something else takes over. It’s a compulsion, a kind of high like a drug so you gotta get on that stage and play haha! But at home I’m quite chill and relaxed.
Where can people catch you live?
In and around Cape Town and Stellenbosch. Check my social media platforms and website out for details. The big launch is this Saturday the 28th at the Drostdy Theatre in Stellenbosch, which is going to be amazing. We have all the folks that played on the album (Riaan Niwenhuis, Mabet Van Wyk, Lise Swart, Rob Nagel, Jess Van Der Merwe) and special friend Pierre Theron ( x Mr Cat & The Jackal) join us on stage for a great evening!
Then the 10th of November we are at the Rabbit hole in Durbanville, 18th November at Alma Cafe doing an acoustic gig with Dave Furgason and the 25th we will be in Hermanus for the Snorjol festival with Ann Jangle.
Basson's album is available from iTunes and Google Play.
For more info on the launch event this Saturday, click here.
For more info on Basson Laubscher like his Facebook page or follow him on Twitter and Instagram.
