The Serengeti must not die – and it actually flourishes in Stephan Stephensen’s new project. You may already know him from the Icelandic band Gus Gus. ‘Project’ is actually a fitting term for what Stephensen aka President Bongo and his Emotional Carpenters have created: a sound and image installation crafted together with acoustic and electronic instruments, based on an eclectic foundation of African rhythms, krautrock, jazz and club music. There are dozens of artists behind Emotional Carpenters, with whom Stephensen has worked together over the last 20 years and who, as a loose collective, have each contributed to the meandering long tracks. It sometimes goes into a percussive frenzy, then wafts around minimalistically, has electronic impulses and creates a trance-like mood. Each piece has a plethora of contributors and never gets boring. Together, these pieces create a spectacle that moves into different directions without losing course, thanks to mastermind Stephensen on the mixing console. He got this idea when he got out of his tent one night on his journey in the Serengeti and looked into the stars – and on listening to the musical result of this epiphany, you get the impression it must have been influenced by something cosmic.
