Auf der Jagd nach russischen Soundtracks und sowjetischem Vinyl
pendelt Andreas Kraus jahrelang zwischen seiner bayerischen Bergheimat und seiner damaligen Wohnung am Kosmonauten-Boulevard in St.Petersburg hin und her. Andreas ist zuständig für alle Tasten im Spaceport-Tower. Der Drumcomputer läuft zu selbst eingespielten Percussion-Loops. Ornamentale indische Tonfolgen gehen eine Symbiose mit minimalistischen Basslinien ein. Tabla, Ghatam, Maultrommeln, Kalimba, Vibraphon, Dulcimer, Harmonium, Bandecho und Hallspiralen. Am Studiohimmel hängen Geigen: keine Sammlerstücke - alles wird auch intensivst genutzt.
spaceport ganesha

Das „Orkestra“ braucht in seinem Studio vor allem für eines immer wieder Raum: Bassfrequenzen aus den Urtiefen des Dub, die auch die Fensterscheiben von King Tubby und Prince Far I zum Scheppern gebracht hätten. Dazu ein tiefer Griff in Tobias Ott‘s Sample-Schatzkiste - Resultat musikalischer Expeditionen nach Indien und Afrika. Vor Jahren spielte Tobias als DJ in München übrigens in erster Linie Dancehall-Reggae. Seine Faszination für gebrochene Beats entwickelte sich schließlich in den 80er Jahren nach und nach durch Konzertbesuche von HipHop-Veteranen wie Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five, Whodini, Kurtis Blow...

Spaceport Orkestra Of Benares machen keinen Allerwelts-Abtanzsound mit modischem Indien-Touch. Das indische Element bei „Spaceport“ hat Substanz: Tobias hat 15 Jahre lang nordindische, hindustanische Klassik (Tabla) bei Shankar Lal studiert. Auf dem Karnataka College of Percussion, Bangalore, bildete er sich in südindischer, karnatischer Klassik (Ghatam) aus. Den Brückenschlag zwischen Benares und Breakbeats kann er bestens erklären: Die 16 Knöpfe seines Analog-Sequencers entsprechen nun mal den 16 Zählzeiten der beliebtesten indischen Tala: Teental.

Ehe Tobias seine weiten musikalischen Umlaufbahnen zog, unter anderem auch am Schlagzeug einer Trip-Metal Band oder bei Embryo, Oregon und Chris Karrer (Amon Düül), spielte er zehn Jahre lang die abendländische Geige. Nicht bloß fahles Zitat mit bisschen Klassikeinschlag: beim Spaceport Orkestra wird der Introitus zu Mozarts Requiem zum neuzeitlichen Tribut an die ersten Helden des Weltraums. Futuristische Folklore für alle, die den

"We are very proud to present the Spaceport Orkestra Of Benares. With the „Ganesh Beat Club Sessions“ the spaceport pilots Tobias Ott and Andreas Kraus have delivered a real masterpiece. A CD full of surprises and energy, which –in this intensity- should be nearly nonrecurring. And it is not less impressive that they are both from Bavaria – although normally it is rather different regions of this planet which claim the „fat beats“ for themselves. In the form of a band several live shows will take place in Germany next year. And one can be really excited about Tobias Ott treating his Tablas live, alongside to the beats from the samples. But just read and, above all, listen to this...

Benares, paving of time-honoured traditions and at the same time the gate for journeys into space is a mental place of the Spaceport Orkestra Of Benares, which, in its legendary “ganesh beat club sessions”, has put together Kraut electronics across all genres. Futuristic folklore for everybody who wants funded ethno. The initial points can all be found in the Southern-Bavarian borderland. The “Orkestra” had its basis on a factory site which was situated in the so-called “Hammerau”, between memorabilia of a bygone Industrial Age. The next basis was situated in a labyrinth of a historical brewery in the city-centre of Traunstein, and eventually at a farm in the village of Rossdorf.

Spaceport Orkestra Of Benares are Andreas Kraus and Tobias Ott. Looking for Russian soundtracks and Soviet vinyl Andreas was oscillating between his Bavarian home and his flat on the Cosmonauts’ Boulevard in St. Petersburg. Andreas is responsible for all pushbuttons in the Spaceport tower. The drum computer runs alongside percussion self-recorded loops. Ornamental Indian melodies enter a symbiosis with minimalist bass lines. Tabla, ghatam, jew’s-harp, kalimba, vibraphone, dulcimer, reed-organ, Tape-echo and Hallspiralen. Violins are dangling from the studio’s sky. They are no collectibles, everything is being used intensively. Especially for one thing “Spaceport” again and again needs space in its studio – for bass frequencies from the indigenous depths of dub, which would have made King Tubby’s and Prince Far I’s windowpanes jangle. Plus a deep snatch into Tobias’ sampler treasure chest – a result of musical expeditions to India and Africa. Years ago Tobias Ott worked as a DJ in Munich, and he mainly played dancehall-reggae. In the 80s, due to visiting concerts of hip-hop veterans such as Garndmaster Flash & The Furious Five, Whodini and Kurtis Blow, his fascination for breakbeats evolved.

Spaceport Orkestra Of Benares do not create a trivial ethno-dance with a modern Indian touch. Spaceport’s Indian elements have got substance. For 15 years, Tobias studied North Indian Hindustani classical music (Tabla) with Shankar Lal. At Karnataka College of Percussion, Bangalore, he qualified in Southern Indian, (carnatic) classical music (Ghatam). He can optimally explain the bridging between Benares and breakbeats. The 16 buttons of his analogue sequencer comply with the 16 counting times of the favourite Indian Tala: Teental. Before Tobias drew his broad musical orbit, for example with playing drums for a trip-metal band or for Embryo, Oregon and Chris Karrer (Amon Düül), he played occidental violin for ten years. It’s not just a sallow excerpt with a little classical impact. With the Spaceport Orkestra, the introit of Mozart’s requiem becomes a modern tribute to the first heroes of space..."