Artist:
Suns of Arqa
Title:
Hearts of the Sun 1979
2019
Label:
Interchill Records
Released:
17th of May 2019
Formed
by Michael Wadada in 1979 the Suns of Arqa have blended Indian
Classical and Celtic sounds with a constantly changing line up that
over fourty years has astoundingly featured over 200 musicians. They
have also worked with artists such as Prince Far-I, 808 State, Youth
and Astralasia broadening the sonic pallet into fusions of Dub and
Drum & Bass.
The
Suns of Arqa will always hold a special place in my heart, as I
utilised them for the first track of my first ever DJ gig and they
also featured on the first mix of mine uploaded online. My first
experience of their output came rather late considering, picking up
their L.P. ‘Kokoromochi’ in 1992 and have dipped in here and
there over the years ever since. Therefore, some of the tracks
featured on this compilation were already familiar to me and I was
also eager to hear those that were not.
Not
surprisingly considering the longevity of the Suns of Arqa there have
been a fair few compilations to whet the appetite and entice
listeners into their back catalogue and future releases. So naturally
the question of anyone standing on the precipice and intrigued to
venture into their world, would surely be ‘Why this one?’. Now
this isn’t the first compilation for me and the previous one is a
treasured part of my music collection. What stands out about the
tracks selected here, is that Andrew has obviously put a lot of
thought with his extensive knowledge to include multifarious examples
of their back catalogue, without being obvious. From the bamboo
flutes, harmonium and other instruments that form the sound of the
Indian Sub-Continent and their Ragas, to the electronic ambient
re-mixes, dub reggae fusions and beyond. Which I found to be an
intriguing and satisfying journey that takes the mind from the
beaches of Goa to the river Ganges, from Spiritual ceremonies to
Hindu Temples.
Reviewed
by Woodzee
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