The Suns of Arqa have been operational for forty years, which is quite some achievement in anyone’s book. In that time over 200 musicians have been part of the collective, largely led by Michael Wadada, and they can all to some extent take a bow for the ‘Heart Of The Suns’, an introductory summary of their work to date. It is lovely, dreamy stuff for the summer, falling into the ambient dub category but full of world music influences. This will be no surprise to fans, though they will be able to enjoy the outings of the Astral Ambient Excursion I version of ‘Sul-E-Stomp’, which raises the tempo of the music but balances the greater energy with a really warm sonic surround. The loping groove of ‘Deadquong’ appeals, as does the hypnotic ‘Ageng’, which gradually introduces a swaying rhythm. The next few tracks lead the listener into a trance before ‘Formorian’ sets a really cool tone in Bleep + Booster remix form to end. An ideal introduction but also celebration of an incredibly impressive achievement!
5 out of 5
SUNS OF ARQA – HEART OF THE SUNS 1979-2019 – INTERCHILL
