Joined by the notoriously talented drummer Niclas Campagnol and former bass player in Big Fat Snake, Asger Steenholdt, these three musical masters make up the up-and-coming and genre-shaking psychedelic trance rock band, Electric Shaman. A new promising trio on course to take the rock genre by storm to inspire and encourage an entire generation to find and pursue their dreams.
What’s special about Electric Shaman is their music's transpersonal, mythological and shamanistic roots and depth. Three things that to most people are shrouded in mystery.
In this interview, we’ll be chatting with guitarist and lead singer, Jacob Moth,
to demystify some of this mystique surrounding the origin of his bands’ music. The hope is to get closer to the core of the bands’ history and message, and find out exactly who and what
Electric Shaman is – and why you need to keep them on your radar.
Who is Electric Shaman?
Before we dive further into the mystery, let’s start off slow. How would you describe Electric Shaman in one sentence?
“Now that’s difficult. According to my friends and family, I’m not exactly a man of few words.
If I had to describe Electric Shaman in one sentence, I would call it a human and musical chemistry. And I have to explain that.
When I’m with Niclas and Asger, I experience a musical and spiritual freedom, I haven’t experienced before. I feel that I’m part of a team, where everyone is able to freely explore and express musical universes in a completely open space. What this means is that from a musical level we experience a cohesion that allows us all to improvise freely. Everyone is onboard. There’s a technical well-foundedness and a form of consensus about where we’re taking the music. We’re not playing jazz. We’re not playing funk. We’re playing psychedelic trance rock – and there’s no confusion or doubt about that between us.”
What is a shaman?
Today’s interview is about shamanism, as it is one of the main sources of inspiration for Electric Shaman – Can you explain to anyone not familiar with shamanism, what it is?
“Yes, of course. Let me explain it like this.
Shamanism is an ancient spiritual practice, which has existed virtually everywhere on the planet since the dawn of time.
A shaman, on the other hand, is a person with access to non-ordinary states of consciousness, who opens up the mind to spiritual insights and inspiration. At the same time, shamans also have the capacity to help their fellow people enter these non-ordinary states of consciousness for the purpose of healing, transformation, guidance, and articulating their life’s search.
Then the question becomes – What do we people seek the most?
Here, a handful of modern depth psychologists explain that human beings' biggest drive is the search for what Abraham Mazlow calls peak experiences. That is, oceanic experiences of oneness with the Universe, Nature and Mankind. And it is exactly these kinds of experiences that the shaman can help facilitate in his fellow humans.”
WHY OUR NAME IS ELECTRIC SHAMAN
How does all of this relate to your band? Why are you called Electric Shaman?
“Well, the role of the shaman is not just to bring his fellow humans into non-ordinary states of consciousness. The shaman is also society’s storyteller – and what he conveys is what is called the Monomyth.
The Monomyth is the universal story that you find in all great stories: from Star Wars to Harry Potter to The Lord of The Rings, and even Hans Christian Andersens famous fairy tales. It’s a story, which encourages us to become the hero or heroine of our own adventure. And this is where the connection to Electric Shaman is. Like the shamans of the past, we see ourselves as musical storytellers, encouraging our audience to become the hero or heroine of their own lives.”
WHAT THE MONOMYTH TELLS US
Can you tell us more about this “Monomyth”, and how it is connected to your own message?
“The most important message of the Monomyth is that we receive what we ask of the Universe. That the world in the most mysterious manner appears to favor and assist people, who take their destiny into their own hands. That when you find out what your true dream is, and start pursuing it actively, the Universe will welcome your effort with open arms and guide you toward your goal.
This mysterious connection between mind and world might not even be as mysterious as it appears. Modern sciences like quantum physics and depth psychology have repeatedly shown that there’s a connection between what takes place in our mind and what takes place in our physical surroundings.
What the myths tell us, is that we don’t exist as individuals separated from a dead world. But that, despite our modern beliefs, we’re all profoundly connected to each other and the world around us – and that this world is imbued with more soul than we know. In other words, our psyche is intertwined with the Cosmos.
It is from this perspective – and based on our own personal experiences, of course – that we through our music want to encourage people to find and pursue their dreams.”
HOW SHAMANISM COMES TO LIFE IN OUR MUSIC
This is really an extraordinary background story for a rock band. How does shamanism come to life in your music?
“Shamanism comes to life in our music through the simple fact that the primary tool of the shamans was music and sound technology. Today, we don’t have shamans. Instead we have rock and pop stars. And it is these people, who in a way have taken over the function of the shaman in our society. Back then, it was the responsibility of the shaman to help people enter ecstasy. Today you see it happening at festivals during grand concerts and shows.
Think about it for a second: why do we go to huge rock concerts next to tens of thousands of people?
To experience a moment of pure ecstasy, right? To let go of our mind and experience a feeling of oneness with the music and the rest of the crowd. To go beyond ourselves. As modern people, we seek this experience more or less unconsciously. But we undoubtedly seek it.”
A LIFE INSPIRED BY THE PATH OF THE SHAMAN
This is very thought-provoking. Do
you mind me
asking you, how shamanism is expressed in your everyday life?
“Not at all. You see, Albert Einstein encouraged the psychologist Carl G. Jung to seriously study how people are connected to their environment and the Universe as a whole. The same urge to explore, an existential longing, and desire to experience as enhanced a life experience as possible have pervaded my entire life.
As young, I was a spiritual seeker in every sense of the word.
In my search, I’ve had several psychedelic journeys, which have helped me embark on my own personal Hero’s Journey. These experiences gave me a very clear direction in my life.
I’ve described this 16 year long self-discovery journey in great detail in my book, which features a preface by the world’s leading consciousness researcher, Dr. Stanislav Grof. It’s a journey which culminated in the creation of The Magic Garden, a modern temple and state-of-the-art film and music studio in Fredensborg, Denmark. (The title of the book is Land of the Nocturnal Butterfly - An Inner Journey).
That sure sounds like an adventure. So it’s safe to say that you’re actually living what you’re preaching?
“Absolutely. And we don’t shy away from it. As modern people we think that happiness is found in a new car or a better salary. What we really seek is a transcendental peak experience, which opens up the possibility that each of our waking moments can be lived in spontaneous ecstasy. And these peak experiences become possible, when we start taking responsibility for our lives and dreams. When we shift our focus from the outer world and connect with the inner world. That is the kind of shift we want to see happen. That is Electric Shaman. And supreme rock-music, of course.”
Now that’s a message that is truly relevant to all of us. Thank you so much for your time, Jacob. It was a pleasure getting to know you and Electric Shaman.
“The pleasure is on my side.”
Calling all rock fanatics
To celebrate the release of our first single, Into The Night, we’re performing an official Electric Shaman live online concert – and you’re invited!
It all goes down on April 14 at 8 PM, and the concert will be streamed both here on Facebook and our website.
Oh! And did we mention that the concert is free for everyone to watch? W
Well it is
So tell your friends and family. Get your speakers ready. And prepare to take off into a night of psychedelic trance rock with your one-and-only Electric Shaman.
Hear the Album: Happy Man
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