In Profile: Saâda Bonaire
The story of Bremen band Saâda Bonaire. The 80s synth-pop project fronted by Stephanie Lange and Claudia Hossfelh, standing singular from their fellow German new wave contemporaries with a unique fusion style: husky female vocals, Eastern instruments, dub and African music aesthetics, drum computers and synthesizers.
Bringing new life and roots-driven funk to the motorik music in Germany at the time, Saâda Bonaire's most distinguishing feature was the diverse combination of cultures underpinning their sound. Although centred around Stephanie and Claudia, Saâda Bonaire was a band, involving a stream of around twenty session musicians discovered at Bremen's local immigration centre by DJ Ralph Von Richtoven, who started the project whilst organising a Musik Aus Bremen vinyl compilation. A melting pot of conflicting musical backgrounds (punk, jazz, ethno, disco, krautrock), finding a common thread of communication between French, German, Turkish, Kurdish and Arabic. This was pop music for Germany unlike anything else, and during their peak time of recording, their sound was considered too bizarre for 1980's record label standards.
In 2013, esteemed indie label Captured Tracks compiled Saâda Bonaire's recordings between 1982 and 1985 into the now cult-classic double self-titled LP Saâda Bonaire, recorded by dub master Dennis Bovell at Kraftwerk’s Studio “N”. To this day, Saâda Bonaire remain to many as an underrated, not to be forgotten gem and essential listening for fans of new wave. A worthy album to join our Rough Trade Essential range, we are excited to introduce the Rough Trade Essential Edition exclusive repress, including a bonus flexi disc featuring a rare reworking of Free's All Right Now.
A full package repress, this expanded vinyl includes an original reissue insert with features never before published photos and four in-depth interviews with vocalist Stephanie Lange, founder/manager Ralph Von Richtoven, Rüdiger Grunwald (drums and percussion for the band) and dubmaster producer Dennis Bovell.
In celebration of our new Essential Edition Saáda Bonaire, we revisit the interviews of vocalist Stephanie Lange and Dennis Bovell, conducted to lend context to the project and share the band members' perspectives years later...
All interviews were done in the summer of 2013 by Andy Grier.
INTERVIEW N.02: STEPHANIE LANGE (Vocalist and Songwriter)
Tell us about your background.
I was born in 1961 in Bremen. I met Ralph when I was seventeen. He became my boyfriend. I also met Claudia Hossfeld around this time. We wanted to start a group. I never played in a band before. I was influenced by Nina Simone, Billie Holiday, and the Velvet Underground.
Do you remember the sessions with Dennis Bovell?
Dennis was an amazing musician. He was very open-minded. He liked our songs and gave them an experimental touch. Then Charlie Mariano, this old saxophonist, arrived to play. He got everything down in the first take. He was brilliant!
Was it difficult to share vocal duties with Claudia?
No. Everyone on the project, we were all friends. It was just a lot of fun.
Can you tell us about your little Greek tour?
It was an amazing time. We did some radio interviews there, but my English was horrible. Our shows were in Athens and Crete. It was only Claudia and I on stage. We had no band. Just a playback tape. We only played four songs. I just remember how futuristic their lighting equipment was.
Can you tell us about your lyrics and about the songwriting process?
I wrote about my dreams or what I thought about things. We developed our songs very fast. We were using the first digital studio with a 32-track recorder. Ralph and I had a very creative relationship. We are still friends to this day.
Your lyrics seem to be about nightlife. Is that the case?
In the night I was often out dancing and drinking. There were a lot of dramas around. Drug stories. But Bremen was always a very special city. Free minds. Many great artists. Also romantic.
On the sleeve of the original single you dedicated the song “You Could Be More As You Are” to Simona O. Who was she?
Simona was a girlfriend of mine. She was very young. She even tried prostitution. She died very young. You Could Be More As You Are was a song about my thoughts at that time. About what happened to her. She was so intelligent but died living in this decadent environment. There were some very stupid guys around her. I won’t say more.
"Saâda Bonaire’s style was way ahead of its time. Its fusion of disco with classical Turkish instrumentation and the seductive vocal tones of the vocalists, occasionally subjected to dub treatment, made it totally unique. The musicians were of premium quality and I got to work on the SSL desk in the studio where Kraftwerk recorded. Ironically, the record was well received in Greece considering its saz riff by a Turkish musician and the political confusion surrounding the two countries at the time. I suppose they just saw two blond German girls and let the barriers down!"
From interview N.04: Dennis Bovell (Producer of the EMI single)
To go fully behind the scenes of the making of this cult classic album, read the full four in-depth interviews with the band members included within the 2024 Captured Tracks reissue.