Zeus Faber - Scubason

Working many late nights in the 2500 year old Swiss town of Basel, the two artists spun a creative tapestry of nautical sounds, electronic ambiences, and solid musicianship into a beautifully crafted album of journeys in the undersea world. Wanderer of the oceans, swimming peacefully for thousands of years. Between the continental shelf and sea level he changes color and pattern at will. Chameleon of the sea, this rare and beautiful fish leads a solitary life, wandering the depths of the world of Scubason...

Like many good things, ZEUS FABER began with an accident. When musician OLIVIER TRUAN took a tape by mistake from the house of his longtime friend TRISTAN FELDBAUER, he discovered a set of rough piano recordings and became excited by a sketch of the tune that became "Whaledance." What was this? The very next evening, over dinner and an excellent bottle of 1981 Brunello di Montalcino, Zeus Faber was born.

From its inception, Scubason was a labor of love. Feldbauer had been working on elements of the concept for two years, trying to bring together his long experience as a scuba diver with a desire to communicate the mystery and beauty of the undersea realms. Truan brought the experience of a seasoned professional arranger, producer, and jazz keyboardist, a wealth of associate musicians from the Basel scene, and (with David Klein & Niki Reiser) an up-to-date MIDI studio, Trizeps. Without a doubt, neither would have done this record without the other.

Over the course of a year, working many late nights on a quiet back street in the 2500 year old Swiss town of Basel, the two artists spun a creative tapestry of nautical sounds, electronic ambiences, and solid musicianship into a beautifully crafted album of journeys in the undersea world.

The title Scubason (sound of the deep) and the mysterious Zeus Faber - a deep sea fish that changes color to blend with its environment - provided the inspiration. The music strikes a distinctively European-styled balance between ambient atmospherics and the performance values of jazz. Virtuoso clarinet, soprano sax, flute, violin, and arco bass share the solo stage with Truan's superb piano, accordion, melodica, and sampler work, backed by Feldbauer's spatial keyboards.

And don't believe it when they say you can't get a foot in the door of a record company these days without a connection. Scubason arrived in an unsolicited brown bag with nothing more than a demo CD and a one paragraph cover letter. Were we interested? You bet! We couldn't stop listening to this record for weeks, and we continue to love it. Pour yourself a glass of Brunello di Montalcino and find out why...

 Credits

all music © 1993 Olivier Truan & Tristan Feldbauer / SUISA
produced by Tristan Feldbauer & Olivier Truan
recorded & mixed by Olivier Truan @ Trizeps Studio • basel 1992-93
samples, keyboard & drum programming, arrangements • Olivier Truan
nautical sounds • Tristan Feldbauer
additional mastering • Stephen Hill @ Hearts of Space • san francisco
special thanks • Dr. Didier Reinhardt, Tintin
cover photographs • Chris Newbert, Marine Life Photography, basalt, colorado
inside photo • Andy Pal
inlay photo • Markus Flubacher
art direction • Stephen Hill
design & production • Hilary Davis
image editing • Stephen Hill & Hilary Davis
film • Star Graphic Arts, foster city, ca

2-HOS-11039