The «Ceramic Session» by Fai Baba is a series comprising six songs from his newest album «Veränderet»: live, solo, acoustic. The performance was recorded and filmed by Paul Märkli at the «goodlife ceramics» studio of the ceramist Ursula Vogel (Swiss Design Prize winner 2022).
Every time I entert hat studio and meet Ursula in her world, I am overcome by a comforting feeling of wamth. Surrounded by clay and porcelain, carefully placed, prototipes, works, objects – art, that brings joy in using it every day. The material of my music and the material of her works resonate with each other so to speak.
Fai Baba
Accordingly, the recordings depict the neo-folk musician from Zurich in an intimate and fragile way, inspired by vintage filmed recordings of artists such as Townes Van Zandt, Lightnin Hopkins and Elizabeth Cotten. These present the performers using mainly one camera setting which additionally reinforces the atmosphere of the live experience. The instruments used are reminiscent of these blues, folk and country luminaries:
I play two acoustic guitars, that accompanied my songwriting for the album «Veränderet»: on one hand a 1941 Martin 000-18, whose long life and history is not only audible but also palpable. On the other hand, an unusual Gibson j-50 from 1966 with two pickguards instead of one. Originally purchased as a left-handed instrument, Matthias «Matz» Pulfer, my guitar maker, has brought it back to its primary condition. The additional pickguard however stayed, and therefore the guitars special history remained.
Fai Baba
Fai Baba is a Swiss musician. After tours all over Europe including two appearances at the legendary radio station KEXP and seven albums released on the Basel label A Tree in a Field Records.