“I never have boundaries regarding the gear I use – my rule is simply to follow my ears”: Dirty Sound Magnet sound like Hendrix meets the Doors by way of Zappa – Stavros Dzodzos explains how analog adventurism fuels their psychedelic sound

Swiss psychedelic trio Dirty Sound Magnet have created a unique racket that’s both thrillingly expansive and potently evocative. On their fourth album Dreaming In Dystopia, they combine the sonic directness of Jimi Hendrix and The Doors with the leftfield innovation typified by Frank Zappa.

“I know it sounds old-fashioned but creative liberty in the ’60s and ’70s made music so rich and powerful,” says guitarist/singer Stavros Dzodzos. “We try to keep our music organic, and that’s why people might call it ‘vintage’. We’re not trying to create a big wall of noise with loads of compression and processing. It’s a matter of taste.”

For the new recordings, Stavros plugged his Gibson Les Paul Standard and Fender Telecaster into a Tone King Sky King combo amp to create base tones that he describes as warm and characterful. But it’s the wobbly and warbling modulation pedals in between that stand out for colouring much of his work on the album, notably on tracks like Lonely Bird and Insomnia.

“One pedal that really defined the sound of this record is my Boss VB-2W vibrato,” he says. “I started using it on one song and then ended up using it everywhere! For the solo in Insomnia I was lucky enough to get my hands on an original Mu-Tron Bi-Phase, which is the effect Zappa used on a lot his records.

“As well as my hand-wired Tube Screamer and Way Huge Supa-Puss delay, another really important pedal was the Electro-Harmonix Freeze – it allows me to create layers and texture that fill space, which is important for a power trio.” 

It’s the kind of analogue rig that provides plenty of options for psychedelic noises without taking up too much space. But given how technology is advancing, would he ever be tempted to switch over to a digital setup?

“We prefer more natural sounds,” he says, “but I never have boundaries regarding the gear I use. The equipment we have is simply a set of tools to express our artistic vision. My rule is simply to follow my ears.”

• Dreaming in Dystopia is out now via Wild Things Records.