The Comet Is Coming

Meet King Shakaba, Danalogue The Conqueror and Betamax Killer, aka The Comet Is Coming, a psychedelic jazz electro trio from London. Lauded as the spiritual sons of Sun Ra, their shows are an extraordinary experience in energy, and their sounds truly cosmic. I spoke to synth player Dan Leavers about how they met and what outer space means to them.

You’re signed to The Leaf Label who are well known for appreciating more eclectic sounds. How did you come to be signed?

We've all been aware of Leaf for years., I've got a bunch of their records so have always admired what they were doing as a label. They were our first choice to send our music to and thankfully the feeling was mutual.

You have some amazing pseudonyms - Danalogue The Conqueror, Betamax Killer and King Shabaka. There’s a transcendental quality to your music, look and identities – does it feel like a good escapism to make this music now?

I've carried the moniker Danalogue since DA-10's first EP The Future is Futureless on Wotnot back in 2011. I play exclusively analogue synths. Certainly we feel like we are moving into a new, darker chapter globally and sociologically, and it is a time that requires a level of strength of character to keep going, and to feel a personal and collective resistance against division and aggression. Our names have a warrior energy that describes how we feel about our music – it’s a powerful weapon. I feel like when you make music, you create a new space to inhabit, a kind of indescribable void that we all know and remember when we get there and does interesting things to your body, your mood, your emotions and your imagination. When we play, I see it less as escapism but more like we've arrived, back to where we came from, or where we ought to be - a reunion with a force.

Your album Channel The Spirits came out last year and was Mercury Prize nominated. Has that helped you since to get gigs and to get noticed more?

Definitely it has.

All your tracks are instrumental except for Lightyears. Why did you add vocals to that particular track?

We knew we wanted to work with Joshua Idehen of Benin City and Hugh. He has the explosive energy and tangible passion to elevate, levitate and bring the fire into the belly. We played him a lot of tracks and we recorded some other bits, but Lightyears stood out as the one we wanted to use. He recorded it in one take just like us. He actually also appears on Final Days of the Apocalypse on Prophecy EP too though.

How fussed are you about playing the songs exactly as they are on record when you play them live? That must be pretty hard as they are so complex.

We are not fussed at all. I see the live world and the studio world as something completely separate - what works for us on record doesn't necessarily translate live and vice versa. Live we want to create feeling of intense visceral energy and overwhelming waves of raw emotion - on the record there are elements of that but it’s sometimes a bit more controlled, and we add percussion which we don't have live.

How did you come up with the progression and story of the album?

The album honestly built itself, and while I agree there seems to be a narrative to it, we allowed it to assemble itself naturally and show itself as it it came together. There was no concept to start with, but we were open to it arriving.

Where does your fascination with outer space come from?

We are all here floating in space, so I guess it’s a fascination with being alive, and considering the macrocosm of our existence outside of the everyday surroundings that our regular senses are in touch with. Space is infinite so it makes you feel small, tiny like a grain of sand on the beach, and do you think a grain of sand is thinking “oh, I feel inferior compared to the grain of sand next to me”? That seems ridiculous. There is a perspective you get from space that we are all expressions of the same thing, originating from The Big Bang, and as far as we know we are the most advanced organic matter living within that space, so the universe holds us as both tiny and seemingly insignificant, and yet simultaneously the apple of its eye.

Dan and Maxwell, you’re also in an outfit called Soccer96. How did you meet Shabaka?

Shabaka used to come to our shows to check out what we were doing, and one night in Brixton he appeared at the side of the stage wielding his saxophone and kind of gestured at the mic in the middle of the stage and we welcomed him onstage, and as he blasted rapid fire, righteous notes at the crowd we noticed a levitation happening which was impossible to forget. We booked a recording session shortly after.

What’s the best thing about being a part of The Comet Is Coming?

It has allowed us to play with our imagination as a line of work. This I recommend in the upmost! Imagination is a portal. And work pays your bills. What could be better?

I understand that when you first recorded together, Neon Baby, your second track, came together as if by magic. Has it always been that easy hence?

Yes, that is true, we write very intuitively and we listen to one another when we jam, so Neon Baby came together out of nothing. It should be noted however that we recorded over six hours of material in that session and Neon Baby is only four minutes long, so it's a bit like panning for gold, or cutting the wheat from the chaff - we are only human, so there's a lot of chaff too!

How well do you have to be able to play instruments in order to improvise and freestyle would you say?

I've always said you only need to be able to play one note. There are improvised concerts at the Total Refreshment Centre in Stoke Newington, especially at Alabaster DePlume's monthly nights, and often the crowd is picked at random to play something. I'm always blown away by what a great sound a group of improvising non-musicians can make. Really really really - anyone can do it! Playing music is just another form of communication. We are trained at school to think that you need to be taught something academically to be able to do it, and you can certainly improve your motor skills and ear perception through training, but to improvise, man you just need ONE NOTE!

The Guardian described the band as the true heirs to Sun Ra. How do you feel about that accolade?

Sun Ra was an exceptional artist, so of course that is a great honour.

Is there lots of brilliant dancing at your gigs?

There is - we did a gig in Newcastle where a woman was gripping the stage and head banging, and then another woman came up randomly and they just started hugging and dancing together - it was such a beautiful moment. I spoke to them afterwards and they were strangers before but became friends.

Where in the world would be the ideal setting for a The Comet Is Coming gig?

We'd actually love to play in an observatory, or high on a mountain, or on a sea fort, or our biggest ambition is to actually play in space.

What can we expect from your show at Norwich Arts Centre in April?

It’s going to be LARGE. I'd usually recommend a change of t shirt.

The Comet Is Coming play at Norwich Arts Centre on 8th May. Tickets available from norwichartscentre.co.uk.