Zone Six is a cosmic séance where fuzzed-out basslines and untamed synth squalls summon the ghosts of underground past, present, and future.

Forget “song structure” — they melt it down, turn it into a puddle of liquid psych, and let it seep into your skull for 40 minutes straight.

Their live shows feel like getting sucked into a black hole with a lava lamp for a tour guide — you’re not coming out the same. This is freeform anarchy with pedals, knobs, and a collective refusal to play it safe. Press play on ‘Full Mental Jacket’ and suddenly your room’s a spaceship, your headphones are the cockpit, and your destination is nowhere you’ve ever been.

Back in August 1997, Dave Schmidt — better known to many as Sula Bassana — got a concert request for his band Liquid Visions. But with the band unable to make the date, Dave did what any cosmic-minded sonic explorer would do: he built a whole new beast from scratch. That beast was Zone Six. The plan? No plan. Just raw, unfiltered, trance-inducing space-rock improvisations with no limits, no rules, and no turning back.

Fast forward 27 years, and Zone Six is still bending minds and warping time with a sound that’s darker, denser, and more electrifying than ever. Their latest album is a monster. The foundation was laid during the first three days of March 2022.

“We mostly improvise”

Your journey with Zone Six began in 1997, evolving from a spontaneous project to a longstanding endeavor. What has been the most rewarding aspect of maintaining this project over the past 27 years?

Dave: It was just my vehicle for improvised space rock/acid rock over all the years, with constantly changing line-ups — especially for live concerts. We haven’t met in the “studio” often. And with that minimal input, it was always nice to see the great reaction of the crowds. Those moments are priceless!

The recent release, ‘Full Mental Jacket,’ carries a distinct dark and powerful tone, influenced by the events surrounding the Russian war on Ukraine. How did these external factors shape the creative direction of the album?

Dave: All external input influences mood — and so, the music.

Bernhard: Exactly. We discussed the events in Ukraine during the album-making process, as well as the global situation.

Manuel: The influence of the war, which had just begun at the time, wasn’t direct. But, of course, it influenced our mood. I guess subconsciously it drove our music toward minor chords and dissonant intervals. But to be honest, it’s not just this war that reminds us how messed up mankind actually is. Each of us observes the news daily, and so much has been going on for years. Even if we’re sunny-bright guys, there are shadows on our hearts.

We personally are not able to change much. To deal with this kind of paralysis, music becomes our emotional outlet — consciously and unconsciously. “There cannot be a right life amidst wrongs” is an often-cited proposition by Theodor W. Adorno, and I guess that crisis-overarching perception shapes at least my musical output.

<a href="https://zonesix.bandcamp.com/album/full-mental-jacket">Full Mental Jacket by Zone Six</a>

‘Slingshot,’ spanning the entirety of the A-side, features ghostly guitar sounds from Rainer Neeff and soprano saxophone by Gottfried Klier. Could you delve into the collaborative process behind this track and how these elements were integrated into the larger sonic landscape?

Dave: We recorded this long song with jam parts as a three-piece of our core band, and there was a lot of space left for overdubs. I met Gottfried (the sax player) in a jam group of old freaks from my area. We meet on Wednesdays to talk, jam, and space out together. I instantly liked his playing and tone, so I asked him if he’d like to improvise an overdub — and he did.

I also wanted to include at least some overdubs from our longtime guitar player, Rainer Neeff (from The Pancakes), who left Zone Six due to health problems years ago. I asked him if he could send me some overdubbed sounds for this part, and he did. As usual for Rainer, he sent some ghostly stuff.

Just to explain our main problem: We all live very far from each other. Bernhard (Pablo Carneval) is in Vienna, Austria. Manuel is in Tübingen, southern Germany. Rainer is near Pforzheim, also in southern Germany. I live in a small village between Marburg and Kassel, more or less in central Germany. So it’s rare that we meet up to record or rehearse together.

The album’s playing time is notably tied to the year 1954, offering an intriguing historical connection. Could you elaborate on the significance of this reference and how it intersects with the album’s themes or compositions?

Dave: It was totally by surprise and not intended, but Manuel figured it out and looked into what happened in 1954. It turned out to be a very interesting year in history.

Manuel: 1954 was especially known for the “Communist Control Act” in the US, spearheaded by Senator Joseph McCarthy. It marked the peak of the so-called “McCarthy era,” where conservative people in the US believed that communists were everywhere — especially in arts, science, and culture. It was a kind of conspiracy theory, and the believers were really paranoid.

Isn’t it funny that we have a similar conspiracy theory today, everywhere in the Western world? The far-right and capitalist-libertarian groups believe there’s a “cultural Marxist” conspiracy — in Germany, they call it “linksgrün” — which supposedly aims to replace the white population or establish “socialism” (among other absurd theories). More and more people fall for this and elect anti-humanistic politicians and parties that aim to confine liberal societies and shape them in their hierarchical way.

Isn’t it crazy? History repeats itself, but in more and more absurd ways. You can only stand there, watch, and facepalm. The playing time of the album sparked this reflection.

Zone Six has experienced lineup changes throughout its existence. How has the current lineup contributed to the evolution of the band’s sound and creative output?

Dave: Every musician involved shapes the sound. I went back to bass a while ago, and Manuel brings in some heavier tones, which fit perfectly with the state of the world. Things have become darker and heavier out there — and in our music too.

Manuel: As Dave already mentioned, I’m the new kid on the block. Coming from post and black metal, my sound is already a bit harsher. And, obviously, I feel troubled by human history and the present, which darkens the sound too. Space is a dark and cold place, so why not express that in our space rock?

Your debut CD emerged from a spontaneous jam session, leading to subsequent studio albums, live recordings, and collaborations. How has the band’s approach to improvisation and composition evolved since those early days?

Dave: There hasn’t been a real change. We mostly improvise, and if a nice collaboration happens, it happens. We’ve had the good fortune to include some interesting people in our live concerts, like Nik Turner or Huw Lloyd-Langton of Hawkwind—or was it Huw who came on stage with my old band Liquid Visions? Not sure, hahaha. Nik definitely joined Zone Six a few times in the late ’90s. But we’re not actively chasing that. It happens, or it doesn’t.

Manuel: The core of our songs is still 100% improvised. But in a three-piece band, there’s a lot of space to fill, so we have plenty of options for overdubs. These aren’t always improvised because it’s great to have some intentional influence on how the songs turn out. Sometimes the overdubs, like lead guitar or synth parts, are composed to push that improvised core in a specific direction, adding catchiness or weaving in new layers.

Beyond music, Zone Six has embraced visual elements, evident in album artwork and live visuals. How do these visual components complement the sonic experience of your music, and what role do they play in shaping the overall aesthetic of Zone Six?

Dave: When we started, we always had one of our light shows with us—Lucifer’s Sun Dream from Babelsberg (near Berlin) or Kosmik Klaus with his Solar Sea Slideshow when we played further south, and there were several others. This was always an important part of our concerts. Sadly, we don’t have a constant one at the moment. Well-paid concerts are rare, and no one wants to put in so much time and effort for free. We’re all getting older…

You’re all involved with different projects. Feel free to share as much as you like about other projects that we should check out.

Dave: My main project is, of course, Sula Bassana, with the debut LP released in 2002, followed by many other releases. Since last year, I’ve been playing live with my new band, which feels great!
Bernhard (Pablo Carneval), Sergio Ceballos (Mohama Saz, ex-RIP KC, Melange), and I play in Interkosmos, releasing music and doing live concerts—though rarely. New material is in progress!
I’m also part of several projects with Steffen Moddrow, a legendary drummer from Kassel. One of those is LS&D, where I play bass, and Lex Waterreus from Seedy Jeezus is on guitar. A proper power trio. We’re planning to record something later this year and play another concert.

There’s also Moddrow/Bassana/Sobotta, with Uli Sobotta on multiple instruments (like I do in this project). It’s a nice experimental kraut project, and we hope to do more in the future.

Bernhard: As Dave already mentioned, we’re both in Interkosmos, and it’s always fun to be on tour with Sergio and Dave.

Manuel: I play guitar in a six-piece post-metal band called Yanos. We just released our second album—60 minutes of fully composed music. With three guitars, we can create an orchestral feel. It’s also quite technical in a progressive way. Our new singer has incredible screaming and growling skills. If you’re into bands like Isis, Cult of Luna, YOB, or 2000s-era Opeth, you might like it.

Oh, what about gear and other equipment in Zone Six? What do you use?

Dave: Live, I play a Squier Jaguar short-scale bass with an effects board, a Roland SE-02 synthesizer, and a loop station. In the studio, I use whatever I need or whatever the track calls for.

Bernhard: I play a standard three-piece shell kit and a Roland SPDS.

Manuel: I use a Gibson Les Paul Studio Deluxe from 2010. It runs through either a 100W Roost SR22 (a bit like a Hiwatt DR103—endless volume and low end) or a 60W Laney Klipp 60 (which has more mid-punch, comparable to a Marshall Plexi). I also have a pedalboard with fuzz that changes from time to time, an Ibanez Weeping Demon Wah, a Strymon Blue Sky reverb, a Death by Audio Disturbance modulation, and Boss DD-3 and DD-7 delays. My secret weapon, though, is a self-built Acapulco Gold (based on the original Earthquaker Devices design). It has one knob that goes from “unsocially loud and aggressive” to “unbelievably unsocially loud and aggressive.” I use it for lead boosts and droned-out soundscapes.

Reflecting on your discography, Zone Six has journeyed through various sonic landscapes across albums like your debut self-titled release, subsequent studio albums, live recordings, and compilations. If you were to guide listeners through your musical evolution by highlighting one album from each phase of your career that best captures the essence of that period, which albums would you choose and why? Additionally, how do these albums collectively represent the overarching sonic identity and thematic progression of Zone Six throughout your discography?

Manuel: For the current phase of Zone Six, you’ll have to check out ‘Full Mental Jacket.’ It’s definitely different from the earlier releases.

Dave: We haven’t released that many official albums, so it’s pretty easy to break down.

There was the Mk1 lineup with founding members Claus Bühler, Hans-Peter Ringholz, and me. By the end of 1997, we also had Rusty on keyboards and Jodi Barry on vocals. That lineup lasted until 1998, when Jody left. Martin Schorn (Modulfix) joined on synthesizers.

Releases from that lineup include the self-titled debut CD (featuring Jodi’s vocals) and the 25 Years Anniversary 10” ‘Beautiful’ (which also features her vocals). Plus, there are the instrumental albums ‘Any Noise is Intended’ and ‘Psychedelic Scripture,’ which I still like a lot. The debut is a great starting point, especially the instrumental version released 20 years later on vinyl.

The second lineup featured Julius K on guitar (replacing Hans-Peter) and Walt Jahn on drums (replacing Claus), with Modulfix still on board. We played live a lot, but unfortunately, we didn’t release a proper studio album between 2004 and 2009. Still, ‘Live Wired 2004’ (CD and 2LP) is a good one!

From 2010 to 2020, the lineup had several changes. I switched to guitar or drums at different times, Komet Lulu played bass, and Rainer Neeff (The Pancakes) played guitar. Albums to check from this period are ‘Kozmik Koon,’ ‘Love Monster,’ and ‘Live Spring.’

Since 2022, we’ve had a fresh lineup with Bernhard and Manuel. ‘Full Mental Jacket’ is the latest one—and what a killer album it is.