Suggah.
A game within the game.
Suggah on Ultra Boy, childhood consoles and the contrast that gives bass its impact.
In conversation with Suggah
A game-over sound from Super Mario World opened up an idea Suggah is still exploring: bringing childhood video games into conversation with new sounds. Ultra Boy turns it into a world to travel through, imagined as the soundtrack to a game that never existed. Ahead of the 5 November launch at Queen Kong Club in Neuchâtel, we talk about musical identity, hidden references and the moments when bass becomes stronger by making a little room to breathe.
Suggah is a Swiss electronic project shaped by bass music and video-game culture. Game Over EP appeared in 2016, followed by F-Zero 99 EP with stp.n.swp in 2024. This interview took place by email in October 2026; the images are stills from the Powerless video.
The sound that opens the door.
For Ultra Boy, you imagine the soundtrack to a game that doesn’t exist. How did that idea enter your work? Tell us about the first track or sound that let you glimpse that game.
For this album, above all I needed to establish a musical identity. In 2016, I was constantly moving between musical genres without really owning my music. Then one day, I started sampling the game-over sound from Super Mario World.
I’ve been immersed in video games since I was little, and I’ve always loved bringing that kind of world into my music. Building everything around nostalgia while using innovative sounds is something of a trademark for me. And the concept can develop in any direction, which I’m excited about. 😄
Thirteen levels, one world.
The album is presented as a journey through thirteen levels. What helped you find their order? Is there a transition between two tracks that tells a story that matters to you?
Let’s say every track has its own importance and builds a kind of lore around the fictional game it represents. Because the album is varied, some tracks go deeper than others, of course. But above all, I had fun creating this whole musical and fictional world.
For me, the most important tracks are Gate to the Past, Warp Zone, Game Over and Powerless. That last one is the only track with lyrics and a radio-friendly approach: for the first time, I put a huge amount of effort into writing the words.
To create impact, you need contrast and surprises.
References waiting to be found.
Childhood consoles are one of your starting points. Is there a game soundtrack whose rhythm, melody or texture has stayed with you? I’d love to know how that memory changes when you produce today.
The album is packed with references to all sorts of different video games. Finding every reference could almost be a second game within the game!
Generally, though, I put a piece of music, a sound effect or a texture I like into a sampler and play with the pitch. I keep searching until I find something that sounds interesting to my ears.
Contrast creates impact.
There’s room in this world for contemplative moments as well as much more physical bass. When you’re working on a track, what tells you to let the music breathe, or to push the energy? An example from the album would be great.
For me, it depends on the energy or intensity of the track. Take Bananza: its overall energy is chaotic, with distorted bass. Keeping that energy up throughout a whole track can weaken it and make it repetitive.
To create impact, you need contrast and surprises, then raise the stakes with even more energy. I don’t know whether that’s the best way to do it, but for this track, it works.
Bringing the album to life together.
On 5 November, you’re presenting Ultra Boy at QKC. How are you preparing to take the album into a room with an audience? What would you like people to discover there that they couldn’t experience in quite the same way listening at home?
This launch is an important milestone. I’ve had a huge number of events and projects this year, and I have a final professional-qualification exam five days before the launch. That means I haven’t worked on it as much as I would have liked, but it doesn’t change the fact that I’m putting my whole heart into it and want to do it well.
There’ll be my legendary energy, but above all some carefully crafted visuals by the Patrik collective, a friendly atmosphere with lots of friends from the scene, some better known than others, coming to DJ and, I hope, the album on cassette and CD.
Performing an entire album live is no small task, but I’ll do everything I can to make the magic happen, with a few extra surprises.
Suggah
Interview by email · Editorial and image art direction: SCENE:ID. powerless clip