ABOUT VALID BLU

​​​Valid blU is a five-piece art rock band from the Wolfsburg area. Originating from a rock-pop project, the band members of different ages and backgrounds have been playing together for several years. Four years ago the mutual love for progressive sounds led to the decision to create a new project and Valid blU was born.

​Untypically for the genre, the band consists of three-fifths female members from East and West and different generations (X,Y,Z). The own studio is located on the former death strip of the wall. To top it all off, Valid blU shine with not just one, but two female vocals:
New Progressive Rock ! 

MODERN PROGRESSIVE ROCK
WITH SPECTACULAR
MULTIMEDIA LIVE SHOW!

​​Valid blU stand for an extremely high production quality. This applies to the live show as well as to the sound carrier. For three years Suzen (lead voc), Peter (guitars), Anni (back voc), Dennis (drums) and Lena (bass) worked on their concept album. Through the songwriting, the arrangement of the songs and the two striking female voices that harmonize perfectly with each other, they have created their very own sound - progressive, genre-spanning and socially critical. The sounds are spherical, a mixture of modern, analogue synthesizer sounds and a Gilmour-style guitar that nestles up against the elaborately arranged vocals like another voice. The songs show many musical facets, which are skilfully put together like pieces of a mosaic to form a complete work.

NEW ALBUM
"THE MISSING LINK"
JUNE 30

MUSICIANS

VALID BLU Suzen

SUZEN

​Suzen ist Frontfrau und Gründungsmitglied von VALID BLU. 

Neben der Band ist sie Vocal Coach, betreibt eine eigene Gesangsschule und führt Coaching Programme für SängerInnen durch. 

Auch als Moderatorin steht sie bisweilen auf der Bühne und vor der Kamera. 

Außerdem liebt sie Sport und Metaphysik.

HISTORY

Coming soon...

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SOUND (all the nerdy stuff)

#SONGWRITING

LIVE SETUP

GUITARS

2 pc ML Factory Costum Stratocaster

AMPLIFICATION

- Kemper Amp, powered Rack Version
- Harley Benton 1x12" Greenback driven speaker

BOARD

- RJM Mastermind MIDI Controller
- M1 Controller Pedal
- T.C. H9 Pedal (MIDI Controlled)

I love Synthesizers!

​Synthetic sound generation has always fascinated me. Unfortunately, as a GDR child, I never had the opportunity and/or the money to play with such equipment. With a bit of luck you could even smell an organ. 

It was only after the reunification that I was able to turn to this equipment a little more seriously. I once had a Casio "table horn" that made extremely terrible sounds. But I found them so cool that we built them into the songs. And we thought it was extremely cool! 

Only later, when I worked in a music store, did I have the opportunity to deal with this technique more intensively. However, I'm not a piano player (in the studio it's always Lena or Dennis who have to play it) and then I had to deal with sequencers - at that time Emagic Notator on the Atari. But unfortunately we were still stuck in the midi world back then and it was all a bit too synthetic for me. 

It wasn't until I had my first experiences in the recording studio (Heavens Gate Studio) in the mid-nineties and realized that you could synchronize a sequencer with tape machines that the topic became really interesting again. In said studio I fell in love with the Akai S1100 and spent a whole summer sampling while all the other kids were playing on the beach :-) 

The more you deal with the subject of synthesizers, the more you realize how little you understand about them. Somehow this hobby has something in common with opening the Pandora box. I take my hat off to the people who really know how to plug together modular systems or solder around in the boxes. Today the little boy is a bit older, bigger and heavier. And now I can now and then buy one or the other instrument - thank God. 

But one thing has remained the same over the years - the fascination for this wealth of technical ideas. Thank you Uncle Moog, thank you Jean Michelle Jarre! 

The only thing that I don't think has been invented or built to this day is a decent keyboard stand...

Emagic Notator

Emagic Notator - My first sequencer for Atari ST

Alesis BRC

With the BRC we synced Adats to the  computer ...

Emagic Unitor for Atari

For that we needed that expensive Dongle

Akai S1100

​This device ruined an entire summer for me...

Hardware Synthies

​I​I like the sound of the analog cars. Over time we bought some synthesizers: a DSI Prophet16, a Moog Sub37 and an ASM Hydrasynth. 

I like to use the Ashun for textures. In the You can really get lost in the modulation matrix and you don't even notice how the Time flies. The synth makes all the filler sounds that you would otherwise get from a Rompler, only they sound a tad different and unusual. I think the hydrasynth is completely underrated in the scene and really deserves more attention. 

There really isn't much more to say about Moog. Switch it on, turn the knobs and have fun (seat belt not forget!) I like to use the Moog for bass and biting lead sounds. 

In addition to its sound, the DSI has another special feature for me: When playing with my favorite software synthesizer, namely the Twin2 from Fabfilter (now Twin3) has built a sound, you can close it one transferred to the DSI. This makes sense especially for sounds with “responsibility”. Ok, the effects department at the DSI isn't the coolest, but I have it I still have the DAW with all the plugin

Music2records synthesizer
Fabfilter Twin3 Slate Ana 2

Software

​​​When it comes to software synths, two favorites have emerged for me. On the one hand the Twin from Fabfilter and the ANA2 from Slate. 

The twin is always my first choice and if I get stuck, I take the ANA2. However, the ANA2 still requires a lot of editing. In my opinion are all the presets are always a bit too greasy or overloaded with effects. 

I also like to build crazy effect chains in the DAW with the Fabfilter plugins or with HOFA System. Sometimes these develop Also construct random sounds or start vibrating on their own or to rock up. Then I just press record and look for them afterwards best passages and use them as a texture.