Jussi Lehtisalo | Interview | New Album, ‘Electric Catapult’
Jussi Lehtisalo (Circle, Pharaoh Overlord, Steel Mammoth) is a 52-year-old musician from Pori, Finland.
He also runs the Ektro Records label and shop. ‘Electric Catapult,’ his new solo album, is a dense and poetic sonic collage. It contains frenetic, all-over-the-place, and eclectic compositions but never feels aimless or too chaotic. It shows a sense of purpose and direction.
“Electric Catapult is an abstract record where catchiness is stripped down to a bare minimum”
‘Electric Catapult’ is a great album. If I would ask you: what kind of album is ‘Electric Catapult,’ what am I listening to when I listen to ‘Electric Catapult,’ what would you say?
Jussi Lehtisalo: ‘Electric Catapult’ is an abstract record where catchiness is stripped down to a bare minimum and whistling to the theme tunes is rendered difficult. It’s an album of one comprehensive idea where the music blunders on, providing more questions than answers.
This album is different from your previous work, more “open.” Why is that, you think?
I have nothing to win or lose in my solo career, so I’m making music with an open mind as much as I can, doing what I want whenever I want, and I will then take a look at the bigger picture later. The more versatile and inconsistent it turns out to be, the wider and happier my grin will be.
Which music inspired you to make this kind of music?
Lately, I have been listening to a lot of Grateful Dead and The Dead C, so they may have somehow had an influence on ‘Electric Catapult.’
Is this improvised music or are these compositions?
The music can be labeled as improv, recorded in my home studio.
The starting point was a noisy basic rock trio where The Hikari Instruments Monos CV plays the bass lines through an octaver and Ampeg bass amp, and a hundred-year-old prepared zither keeps thrashing its own patterns through a distortion pedal, looper, and Marshall JCM-800. When the combination of these two is working properly, I turn to the drum kit and play very freely along with the drums, also bringing along some processed vocals. So the recording was mainly done live by one musician, namely myself.
I overdubbed some more zither and singing through effects depending on the song. I did the album all by myself.
What does the title ‘Electric Catapult’ refer to?
‘Electric Catapult’ is an excellent portrayal of uncontrollable, stagnant, stiff, strenuous, and uncertain movement of an electrically amplified ancient mechanical catapult.
Do you see your music as psychedelic?
I can’t say whether the music is psychedelic or not, but it is definitely meant to inspire the listener and it is completely free from all prerequisites and expectations.
What are you currently listening to?
Suburban Lawns, Manilla Road, Fugazi, My Dad Is Dead, High Speed And The Afflicted Man, Long Knife, Sonja, Barkmarket, Sonny Rollins…
What’s your all-time favorite song?
Led Zeppelin: ‘No Quarter’
Which song always brings you back to your childhood?
Trio: ‘Da Da Da.’
What’s your favorite air-guitar song?
Loop: ‘Collision.’
What’s your favorite shower sing-along song?
Camberwell Now: ‘Speculative Fiction.’
Tell me about a song that people wouldn’t expect you to like?
Christopher Cross: ‘Sailing.’
Joeri Bruyninckx
Headline photo: Aino
Jussi Lehtisalo Bandcamp / YouTube
