Description
Two great reworks of Sun Ra – Space Is The Place and Flowers – For Real.
Those who have been following the Cosmology series from its inception will no doubt be familiar with the ad hoc release schedule and will perhaps have grown accustomed to the diverse range of styles that their ep’s encompass.
Each one has trodden a different path in the pursuit of updating pivotal dance floor memories and Cosmology volume four is the most ambitious reworking to date. The choice for this instalment’s source material is a topical one as the influence here comes from Herman Sonny Blount, better known as the Free Jazz pioneer Sun Ra.
The start point for this project was some snatched vocals and the saxophone from the 1972 opus, ‘Space is the Place’. The sax riff was originally recorded in a Quintuple (an unusual 5/4 meter, which anyone familiar with Sun Ra will attest that his chaotic band leading makes the edit process nigh on impossible). Ever up for the challenge, Laurie somehow managed to cajole this into a more friendly 4/4 time signature, which forms the off kilter and strangely hypnotic bass line that underpins the track, leaving just the faintest whisper of the original intact. This mid tempo burner increases the intensity as it progresses, taking its time to wrap itself round you, into your mind and once this haunting melody gets you, you stay got. Left of field adventurers will have fun trying testing their crowd with this, and figuring out what to file it under.
Flip it over and we return to more familiar soulful surroundings, albeit with a notably different sphere of influence and approach from the A side. This too retains that trademark Cosmologist other-world spaciness and crate diggers and modern soul aficionados will identify the lush, swirling disco gem from Flowers, a hard to come by rarity, entitled “For Real”.
Oozing soul from the opening bar, we have a track where very little reconstruction work was needed, so instead a nuanced yet restrained alteration is employed which retains all the class, and gives it a respectful re-calibration, opening it to a slightly wider range of DJ’s to program. This was recorded during the Christmas break of 2013, but sat in the can for almost a year awaiting another track to pair it up with.
Two wildly contrasting edits that will add something to the ongoing what is a remix/ edit debate, this double header will be the perfect storm to bring in the new-year and comes beautifully presented on 180g heavyweight vinyl, with black inner and a spined manila sleeve.
Under the influence, and always under the radar…
Early support from Greg Wilson, Leftside Wobble, Mutant Disco, Phat Phil Cooper, Andrew Weatherall, Dave Jarvis, Frank Booker & Ashley Beedle.
A – Future Space (The Cosmologist 2014 Arkestral Manouvres In Outer Space)
B – For Real (The Cosmologist 2014 Reconstructed Disco Dub)
