Sator have been ”disappeard” for a while but it seems like they´re never gonna give up and that´s luck for us.  They release their new record Basement Noise on their own label in april 2006 and here have Chips take his time to answer some questions in february 2006 between recordings and some other things. 

You have a new album out soon, tell us?

- It comes a new album which is named Basement Noise. It is released on our own label Planet of Noise Records but it is being sold through Bonnier which have the distribution. We started to record in 2004 already but it took some time to find some more studiotime which sas suitabable for everyone.  So we recorded it really fast anyway. It was only very long time between the times. We mixed 14 songs this autumn and 13 of them is coming on the album. 

Is it the same members as before?

- Yeah, it´s the same members. Vi have one new, it´s Heikki Kiviaho on bass. He have been in the group for about 3-4 years now but it´s the first Sator-album he is part of.

How does it sound, is it punky?

- You could say that it´s a mix of our four first records. From Slammer to Barbie-Q-Killers. Not so experimental as the latest Musical Differnces. We have a hard rule this time and it was if a song not can be played live so couldn´t we record it. So the sound is really near how we always have sounded live.

When does your second part comes with of your punkcompilation of unknown songs comes? 

- Some of it is already recorded for BBQ 2 and all songs are already chosen. So it will surely be the next record. First it was the meaning that this would be the next record but it felt more fun to do an album with own songs just because that it was so long time since we did an album with new things. 

What have you done between during the time that Sator have been down?

- We have had a lot to do anyway. We have done some gigs now and then and we have recorded a lot of song to some compilations. We have surely recorded enough songs for 2 album the latest years. Kent had Speed of Sound Enterprise for a while and have produced a lot of records. He have also recorded som songs in Swedish (which haven´t been released yet) and he a lot of gigs with his coverbands.

I have produced a lot of records and toured with White Flag and Thåström(which also Heikki have done). I and Heikki had a band called Wild Kings as a hobbyband together with Robban from Hellacopters and Markus from The Republikans. Micke played with RPM 45 but they don´t exist anymore. 

Will we see you tour now also?

- Yeah, we will play out much more. We haven´t wanted that before just because of the fact that we haven´t a new record out. We must have some new material in the set and you can´t do too many new songs which people haven´t heard. We have played 3-4 new songs every night the latest 2 years but there´s the limit. It´s some festivals this summer and a clubtour in the autumn.

What happened between the first record and Slammer, how could your music change so dramatic in the way it did

- For us it wasn´t so big step which it maybe seems to be for people outside the group. The Sator Codex record came too late. It was a sum of the years 82-85. The most of the songs was really old. Björn Clarin have already decided to quit the band when we started to record the record. We was finished with gothrock. When the record came we get a lot of gigs and then we continued to play the songs for a year to get some experience. Then we throw away all the songs and started all over again. We had a vision about doing something completely new.

Wand the name Codex?

- It was the mark the new start, We should have taken away the name Codex when we released Crusade/Scales to skin single. It was the new start for Sator. We were a little bit of cowards and we didn´t dared to something completely new which was a little bit of nerdy when we have the key in our hands. But as far as we come then we hadn´t come then. 

I´m reading the book about Freddie Wadling ”Freaks”, have you read it? Is he so wild as it seems to be?

- The most of it´s true. There´s other stories which not isn´t suitable in the book. It was an interesting time. We moved to Gothenburg 1986 and the following 5-6 years Gothenburg was Swedens best town. The whole scene around Radium was the only one who reminds us about the scenes in New York or London in the 70´s. The city was filled of illegal clubs so it was a fucking lot of places to play in. When the police decided to crush the illegal clubs it take some of the culturelife in the same time. After that I moved to Stockholm because it died a lot in Gothenburg.

One of the reasons why we moved to Gothenburg was that the city was far more interesting that our capitalcity then. It was also an anti-thing. All the other people moved to Stockholm but we didn´t. 

Tai Shanghai was the place we were in, I was often there and you too, what was the best with that place? 

- It wasn´t the food you were there for, even if it was OK. It was necessary to start the night there. You went don there around midnight to get the information about which clubs which was the thing just that night. And often the clubs open around 1-2 so you were on “Taian” til they closed. And then you “clubhopping” until 7-8 in the morning. And it was as I said a really happy time.  .

Is there any good bands in Sweden today? And outside Sweden?

- Swedish bands becoming better and better all the time. I think the swedish bands are as good as the American ones and definitely better than the English. We have bands like The Hives, The Hellacoptera, The Nomads, Sahara Hotnights, Captain Murphy, Sacred Sailors, Randy, The Republikans, Millencolin, Billy pilgrims, Villa Nova Junction, Do-its, Sewergrooves, The Bones and so on. You can do the list as long as you want. There always some good bands outside Sweden but I haven´t found any new favourites the last time.

How do you think that punk is today?

- It´s difficult to say. I have a little bit hard to get the punkuniform when you buy the whole kit. Leatherjacket, boots, spikes, Exploited, GBH on the back. It must be boring to base their whole life on something which happened 25 years ago.When we was punks we thought that the mods were pretty boring which did a thing which was over 15 years old but it was other times then. It was very important to find an own style then. It was no book of rules how a punk should look like. It came around 1981-82. I haven´t so much in common with todays young punks more than the music. .

What does punk mean to you you, is it only a word or is it a lifestyle?

- You cannot call yourself a punk when you have gone over 40 years old but much of my opinions is the same as it ever have been. Even if Sator isn´t a punkband so are we deep coloured by the first years 77.81. We felt not that we had so much in common with the Swedish punkscenein the 80´s even if we liked and played with a lot of the bands as Asta Kask and Strebers. We wanted to further. But private so listens I to punkrock every day 

Which is the most important swedish punksong?

- Must be some Ebba Grön song. ”Va ska du bli” maybe? The best swedish punksong ever is ”Jag skall aldrig dö” with Dr Zeke from 1979

Which is the bigegst band you ever have played with, and have been supprot act to and had as a supprot act? 

- We were support Act to Toten Hosen in Germany. They played in arenas which have more than 10.000. Otherwise we haven´t been support act so many times. We ere always the main band from the beginning. Sator Codex would be the support act to Cult once in Karlstad but they check out the place and took all booze and went away. We became the main band instead and we get all the bears they left. It was the first time we got beers backstage so we were satisfied. I don´t remember all support act we have had bu some of the bands who have played with us is White Flag, The Zeros, Winnerbäck, The Souls is some of them.

How do you think it is to live in Sweden today? 

- It´s OK I think. I have never lived anywhere else so it is difficult to say something about that. I would like to test Berlin for a while.

You lives in Stockholm today, do you do that all of you, why did you moved to Gothenburg first and then Stockholm

- It´s only me who lives in Stockholm. Heikki lives in Eskilstuna.

Micke, Hasse and Kent in Gothenburg. Why I moved to Gothenburg have I already answered.

Your lyrics have I never been really wise on, what inspires you lyrically?

- The lyrics is important but we have never had any rule what they shall be about. The most important is that they´re meaning anything to us. You cannot stand and sing a lot of nonsense. Almost all of our lyrics is based on happenings in our lives or on people that we know. They mustn´t be selfexperienced always. We have an ambition to tryu to avouid the worst clichées. You don´t let through fire-higher or night-fight if you can avoid it. It must be a feeling that the lyrics belong to the music.  It´s a sort of wholeness you´re after. I can like a lyric even if I don´t understand everything. It can be about create tunes too. When you get everything together and says something  in a new way then you´re satisfied. If you can confuse anyone and get someone to think a little so isn´t it wrong either.

Who writes the best lyrics in Sweden?

- It´s hard to say but when you talk about lyrics in swedish so Thåström, Plura, Stefan Sundström ,Thomas Öberg and Johan Johansson done a lot of good things.

Politics and music, does it goes hand in hand?

- Not always of course but the best rockmusic and also hip hop must be seen as political. The rockmusic have been a little more toothless in the latest years. We´re more musicians and songwriters than politicians but it never hurts to say what you think is wrong. We have some lyrics which could be seen as political. We try to avoid to much pointers. Think for yourself and question everything. That´s our message. 

You had a hit with Oh Mama for the broad masses, how did it felt for you when you do that with a cover and have struggled with your own music for while?

- It didn´t felt so from our point of view. Slammer have already sold a lot and we were on our way up. Oh mama was released as a fun thing. We used to listen to hat on our parties and we thought it was a really effective popsong. A little bit like old Chinn and Chapmans hits with Sweeet and so on. We recorded it on a remaining time in the studio and did a really hard-tosell-cover. Everything to do it as hard as it could but it didn´t help.  It became a hit anyway. We ere in USA when it was released. When we came home it was on the charts to our big surprise. We played it live for a while until we were bored with the joke.

What did Lili and Sussie said about your version?

- They liked it and they sang it together with us on Ritz in Stockholm one evening in front of a really confused audience. It was fun.

Which are your five favouriterecords today?

- Just today. The Byrds-Younger than yesterday, The Ramones-Leave home,

The Posies-Frosting on a beater, The Adverts-Crossing the red sea and

Cabaret Voltaire-The voice of America. Tomorrow it is some other records but Leave Home is always there.

First, last and most expensive record ever bought?

- The first record I bought for my own money was Ramones Rocket to

Russia.

The first record I got except Junglebook and those stuff , was Burken

Live. That was some year before. I wasn´t interested of music until the punk came. I wanted to be an astronomer. And then I heard ramones, Damned and Clash and then it went bat out of hell. The latest thing I bought was an album with The Sights. Really good powerpop from USA. The most expensive I don´t really know, but I bought an album from 1980 with Y Trwynau Coch from Wales for 900 swedish krona. I have looked after that in 20 years. So it felt veryu good for an old recordnerd. Otherwise I don´t pay so much. Everything is coming up now and then if you have some ice in your stomach.

The most emvarrasing record in your colection?

- I don´t know, I sell a lot of records all the time så there isn´t so much I´m ashamed for. We Papa girl Rappers single maybe or Chipmunk punk LP?

The best record to have sex to?

- It isn´t functional to have sex when you listen to music. I cannot stop listening. 

Futureplans for the band?

- New record 19th of april. Gigs this year out. Then were minus 2 records which must be done. After that we will see. We´re not plan so long before.

And for yourself?

-Except Sator there is a lot of records which will be produced in the future. Which it is isn´t decided yet but I go to Iceland to produce an album with Brain Police in april. Eright now I`m doing a record with Captain Murphy and in the future I will do a solorecord too. When I get some time over so it will take a while.

Wisdomword?

- Tighten up!

Something to add?

- Come and check us out when we play. We will have crocodiles , fireworks in our caps and give out presents to everyone in the audience. Maybe anyway. Will you be the one who missed that if it´s true?