THE DEVIL'S MOUTH PODCAST Vol. 141: ten rounds with Kavus Torabi

A very special journey through the career of the psych/prog legend

One of the absolute highlights of Roadburn 2024 was one of the commissioned pieces - though always exciting for their unpredictability, these have normally been a kinda hit-and-miss affair, with some hitting the bullseye entirely and a couple of others not really quite living up to the usual expectations created. But this one, you could tell from a mile away that it was going to be awesome, and awesome it was: Kavus Torabi’s Lion Of The Lord’s Elect was a transcendental piece of music, a veritable exploration of the senses, and at the time I was fortunate enough to be able to conduct a little interview with Kavus himself when he was still preparing it. Though conscious of the responsibility that lay before him, you could tell that the man was incredibly enthusiastic about what he and his bandmates for the occasion were building, and after witnessing their mind-expanding performance a couple of months later we could understand why. You can go back to that chat of about a year ago if you’d like to discover a bit more about it and missed it at the time, it’s right here still:

Naturally, an idea started brewing right there and then at the dark heart of The Devil’s Mouth - given the untold riches that populate this gentleman’s career, as a founding member of crucial names for the scene such as The Monsoon Bassoon, Knifeworld or The Utopia Strong, as well as an important presence in the lineups of legendary acts like Gong or Cardiacs, not to mention the fantastic records he releases under his own name and his activities as a radio broadcaster, DJ, artist and author, all of them featuring his own distinctive, yet constantly chameleonic imprint, it seemed silly to invite him for a “regular” Ten Rounds. No, what someone like Kavus demands for his artistic genius is a self-Ten Rounds, and that’s exactly what we challenged him for - to pick ten songs from his own catalogue and present us with his own take on them, his memories, insights and little stories. Because he is also a super nice dude, he said yes, and we are very proud to have him as the guest on our newest episode. Oh, and among many other unmissable things he said during our long chat, you will be happy to know that one of the main things on his agenda for 2025 is getting that amazing Roadburn piece, Lion Of The Lord’s Elect, properly recorded and released. We can’t wait!

Listen to the full podcast on Mixcloud, clicking here or on the image up there.

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