Fox Reviews Rock

Introduction

If you want music that allows you to rest your mind, this is for you. The music will let you be fully immersed and heal your soul while you’re at it. Suzan Köcher’s Suprafon blend many genres but the end result is musical bliss. If you are wondering what they describe their sound as it is “Indie Psych Dream Pop“. They discuss their upcoming appearance at Orange Blossom Special Festival (OBS) and so much more in this interview!

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Interview

I think we need to ask the most important question… What actually is a Suprafon? We have been searching for a while and returning nothing of note. Except for many Overtone in Romanian?

We actually get that a lot! For me it always sounded like a brass instrument somehow — but it’s not. Vinyl collectors might recognize the label “Supraphon“ from Czech records, like those by Karel Gott.

We visited Prague in 2018 and were really inspired by the name. We just liked how it sounded, so when we were choosing a band name, we paired it with mine and even though it’s pretty long now, I still really like it.

I like to think of a Suprafon as a kind of magical gramophone that only Julian, Dale, Janis, and I can get running together. It definitely feels like that sometimes.

You have an excellent song called “Camera” . I would love to know if photography is a passion of yours? If so, what camera do you have? Finally, do you prefer colour or black and white photographs?

I had my first camera when I was a kid — I wanted one so badly and finally got one for my sixth birthday or so. The photos are hilarious. I did a whole photoshoot with my toys and siblings. I’ve always been fascinated by capturing a moment. Sometimes a photo can bring back the exact feeling you had when it was taken and I absolutely love that.

I didn’t own a camera for a long time but we recently bought a Fujifilm XT-5 as a band and I’m obsessed with it. I love taking it to casual hangouts and capturing people in their true nature — the atmosphere, the small moments.

I’ve also started exploring film photography. I used to think ISO and aperture were hard to master but honestly, it’s not as complicated as it seems. Sure, there’s a learning curve but you really learn by doing. I just wish I’d started earlier.

As for colour or black and white, I honestly can’t choose. They each capture something unique that the other can’t.

Would you mind letting us know who is in the band and what instruments they play?

Janis Rosanka plays bass.

Dale Lohse is on drums.

Julian Müller plays lead guitar — he’s also my songwriting partner and our producer.

I play rhythm guitar, synths and sing.

If I was to make you the perfect burger what NEEDS to be in it? Meat/Vegetarian, the choice is your just let me know your order and i’ll fire up the grill!

I make a killer kidney bean patty that even the “I need meat” crowd can’t resist! Toasted brioche buns (in butter, of course), burger sauce (just mix mayo and ketchup with finely minced pickles), caramelized onions (a must) – cheddar, lettuce, tomato. And a big mountain of fries on the side, please. Thanks! When’s it ready?

Your sound is really tricky for us to put into a genre , I would love to know how you would describe what you sound like? Or maybe some similar artists?

That’s true. Not just for you, but also for us!
We usually call it Indie Psych Dream Pop but there are elements of krautrock, disco, and even soundtrack vibes in some of our songs. I know that sounds like a lot but there’s always a common thread tying it all together.

Visions Magazine once said: “The most amazing thing about Suzan Köcher’s Suprafon is their ability to simply ignore stylistic boundaries within a given framework.” That felt very accurate.

Artists who inspire us include Fleetwood Mac, Alvvays, Mazzy Star, The War on Drugs or Françoise Hardy.

I am intrigued where did the name for the 2024 album “In These Dying Times” come from?

At first, we wanted to name the record „Maybe I’m A Lemon“ (like the second track) but once the songs and artwork were in place, we realized it didn’t quite capture the tone. It felt too ironic, too playful.

When we switched to naming it after the opening track, I was a little hesitant about the word “dying” – it’s heavy and might put people off. But ultimately, we felt we had to call things by their name. These times are scary, depressing and often full of hate. We wanted to make something meaningful – an artistic expression of both despair and hope.

There was a fairly large 5 year gap between the new album and your previous outing “Suprafon”, was this by design or did you originally want to release something earlier and things got in the way?

It wasn’t planned that way. When the pandemic hit we couldn’t rehearse for a while and it slowed everything down. On top of that we also had a lineup change, which took time to navigate. Luckily, Julian, Janis and I had a solid foundation but starting fresh is never easy. Dale joined at the end of 2023 and that really marked a new beginning for us. Suddenly the energy was back and we rehearsed the entire album within a few months. Everything came together very quickly after that.

From that record is a song called “Peaky Blinders” . Would you be able to tell us why you were so inspired by the tv show?

I loved the show Peaky Blinders mainly for the storytelling. The creators paid attention to every single detail — so much so that you almost forget it’s fiction. The atmosphere, the acting, the dialogue, the cinematography… it all came together beautifully.

One of the most surreal moments for me was when one of the show’s creators saw a poster of our new album in Berlin, checked out our music and reached out to say he loved it. That was a total full-circle moment.

If we were in Germany and wanted to order the best drink at a bar what should we ask for? Also can you include it in German so we can use it at the Orange Blossom Special Festival?

The weirdest thing to me is that other countries don’t really know Apfelschorle — it’s just apple juice and sparkling water. I know it sounds simple, but trust me, it’s way better than it sounds.

For something alcoholic, I’d recommend a Suzie Quiver – it’s made with Licor 43 (Cuarenta y Tres) and apple juice over ice, garnished with a mint leaf. I have no idea if I actually invented it (probably not) but it’s really good!

You can order them like this:

“Eine Apfelschorle, bitte.“

“Ein Suzie Quiver, bitte.“ (But only order it from me. No one else knows what it is)

Speaking of which you are playing the main stage on Saturday , what should we expect from your performance , and who else at the festival are you looking forward to checking out?

You can expect to be taken straight to the Psychedelic Dream Pop Disco – shimmering synths, jangly guitars and a touch of cosmic weirdness. I’ve planned a new, very glittery outfit for it which I’m really excited to wear. And we’ve added a new song to our set for the festival season.

The booking at OBS this year is phenomenal, so I’m hoping to catch as many other artists as I can. It’s such a special festival — feels like a big family gathering with really, really good music.

The OBS festival has an otter this year for their mascot… But if the band was to have an animal mascot what type of animal would it be and what would you call it ?

I asked ChatGPT, and it told me this: Suzan Köcher’s Suprafon as an animal = Köra the Red Fox — graceful, quietly clever, and always moving between light and shadow.

Haha, not sure if that’s totally right, but it’s kind of cute.

I’ve been taking a bit of a deep dive and the title track from your 2017 album “Moon Bordeaux” is a beautiful song! Would you mind breaking down the inspiration for the song?

I wrote that song after seeing a Blood Moon one night. It was the biggest moon I’d ever seen and still is to this day. It felt like a sign, arriving at just the right moment in my life.

The song became a love letter to the beginning of a very significant relationship. I listened to a lot of Baroque Psych music during this year which definitely influenced the sound. I wanted to write a dark, romantic song – and that’s exactly what came out.

Can you tell us something that as a band you have never told anyone else before?

We actually wrote a Christmas song about eight years ago but never released it because it never fit into our plans. I’m not sure we’ll ever finish or release it. I’ve kind of given up hope… but who knows.

I’m somewhat obsessed with “Poisonous Ivy” , it has nothing to do with the Batman Villain but in my mind it helps! I want to know if you were a supervillain, what would your power be?

I don’t really have villain energy to be honest! But if I did have a superpower, I’d want it to be the ability to make people feel exactly what they need to feel in order to grow. That would be amazing.

Finally if we bump into you at the OBS festival this summer what should we say so you instantly know who we are? Like a funny phrase that nobody else would know.

Just walk up to me and say:

“The fox has left the Suprafon.”

If you say that with a straight face, I’ll know you’re one of the cool ones – and probably give you a hug or a Suzie Quiver (or both).

All rights to the songs in this interview are retained by Suzan Köcher’s Suprafon. This site claims no rights over them. The photos for this interview were provided by Suzan Köcher’s Suprafon and taken by Nadia Wardi.