Suns of Arqa

Suns of Arqa are a World Music collective founded in 1979 by Michael Wadada. Since the group's formation, over 200 people from around the world have played and recorded with them, and in many cases these were like-minded musicians Wadada met as he travelled the world.[2][3][4] Pioneers of World Beat, Ambient, Downtempo and Electro-Dub, Suns of Arqa draw inspiration from around the world, interpreting indigenous, tribal and classical folk traditions. They have created an impressive legacy and earned worldwide recognition.[5]

Suns of Arqa
Suns of Arqa
Background information
Genres
Years active1979–present
LabelsEMI
Arka Sound
Antler/Subway
Rocksteady
Red Rhino Records
Virgin Records
Bop Cassettes
Liquid Sound Design
Tracks and Traces
Associated actsJohn Cooper Clarke
Gâyan Uttejak Orchestra
Prince Far-I
Professor Stanley Unwin
Adrian Sherwood[1]
WebsiteThe Ark
MembersMichael Wadada

Early days

Suns of Arqa started out in the World Music scene in 1979, recording their debut album Revenge of the Mozabites which was produced by Adrian Sherwood, who later became known for On-U Sound Records. In 1982, they were invited to play at the first WOMAD Festival by Peter Gabriel. They performed with Prince Far-I at Band on the Wall, his last concert before his death in 1983.[2] Since then, they have gone on to work with a variety of musicians and performers, such as John Cooper Clarke, Professor Stanley Unwin, flautist Tim Wheater, Adrian Sherwood, singer Helen Watson and a great many others.[3][4][5]

The 1990s and beyond

In the early 1990s, Wadada started his own Arka Sound label, and started re-issuing the group's older vinyl albums on new compilation CDs.[2][3][4] One of these, Land of a Thousand Churches, was a compilation featuring collaborations with artists such as James Young, Helen Watson and Feso Trombone. His combination of Hindu and Celtic traditions at a musical level became a trademark that ultimately became identifiable as his musical style. A few years later, Suns of Arqa worked with artists such as 808 State, A Guy Called Gerald, John Leckie, Zion Train, Muslimgauze, Youth and Astralasia. The results were a fusion of dub, drum and bass, and the existing styles which Suns of Arqa were associated with.[5]

Live

Throughout their career Suns of Arqa have played at various major music festivals, including the Glastonbury Festival, Phoenix Festival and the first WOMAD Festival.[6] By the mid 1990s, the Suns of Arqa live setup added Scottish bagpipes, Indian strings, reggae percussion, and a variety of other instruments and sounds.[5] They have released three live albums to date, Musical Revue (later reissued as Live with Prince Far I), Animan, and Big and Live.

Media

NME have described Suns of Arqa albums as "definitely the most unusual records of all time", and added that "Some might call it 'genius'; most will just settle for the word 'insane'. Either way, the result is fascinating", while East West Journal (USA) have said "I'm not at all certain how this band manages to so cohesively merge rhythms no other group in the world has dared to mix, I only know that their music is reverent, humorous, profound, disorientating, terrifying and fantastic all at the same time.". Rick Anderson of All Music Guide wrote that "Many bands claim to deal in global fusion music, but few have as firm a claim on the genre as the Suns of Arqa ... Big & Live documents several recent live performances and shows Wadada and his cohorts in top form, delivering everything from Celtic-reggae fusion 'Om Kaaraaya' ... to Asian meditational sounds ... and sounds in between, such as 'Majhi Ra', which adds the keening tones of the shenai to the Celtic-reggae mix. There are fine vocal performances by Angel Eye, Reba Bhaduri and Cat Von Trapp ... some listeners will find this music immediately delightful, while other will probably be mostly puzzled."[5]

Collaborators

Discography

Albums

TitleFormatReleasedRecord LabelCatalogue NoAdditional Notes
Revenge of the MozabitesLP1979Rocksteady RecordsMICKL01
Wadada Magic (Vol III)LP1983Antler SubwayANTLER 024
India? (Vol IV)LP1984Rocksteady Records1 GIL
Ark of the Arqans (Vol 5)LP1985ScarfaceMFACE11
SevenLP1987Rocksteady RecordsARKA 7
The Musical RevueMC1988ROIR EuropeA-1611982 live concert featuring Prince Far I
White Band Speak With Forked TongueMC1989Bop CassettesBIP 403
JaggernautLP1989Antler/SubwayANT 104
Alap-Joe-JhalaLP/CD/MC1992Arka SoundARKA 2102 CD13-track album
KokoromochiLP/CD/MCFeb 1992[7]Arka SoundARKA 2104 CD6-track album, includes 'Kalashree' and 'Vairabi' from 'India?', and 'Sanskrit Hymn' from 'Ark of the Arqans'. LP version does not include the two 'India?' tracks.
ShabdaCD1995Arka SoundARKA 2109 CD14-track album
AnimanCD1996Arka SoundARKA 2110 CD11-track live album
SOA meet Gâyan Uttejak OrchestraCD1999Arqa SoundARKA CD 221138-track album
Cosmic JugalbandiCD1999Arka SoundARKA CD 2211512-track album
Un1verse CityCD2001Arka Sound/EMI7243 5 34968 2 18-track album
Magiczna MiłośćCD2003Arka SoundARKA CD 3312411-track album, including 3 tracks from 'Wadada Magic' ('Brujo Magic', 'Steppin to the Music', 'The Step'), sleeve designed by Skip Sommerville
HallucinasiaCDNov 2005Arka SoundARKA CD 3312512-track album, sleeve designed by Skip Sommerville
Big and LiveCDFeb 2006Arka SoundARKA CD 3312912-track live album, including 3 remixes based on tracks from 'Musical Revue', sleeve designed by Skip Sommerville
Scared SacredCD2009Dragonfly RecordsBFLCD907-track album
Know ThyselfCD2010Interchill RecordsICHILL CD 0404-track album
Stranger MusicCD/DVDApr 2011Arka SoundARKA CD 3313715-track album packaged with 12-track Live DVD
All Is Not Lost, But Where Is It ?CDMar 2015Liquid Sound DesignLSD91CD7-track album
WadadaCD26 February 2016Tracks & TracesFootprint 20150211-track album including remixes
Spiritual Sanity in an Insane SocietyDigital11 April 2016Arka SoundARKA CD 3313918-track album including new tracks, new Brian Hyphen remix, and older rarities
23,789 Day Excursion To Planet EarthDigital18 November 2016Arka SoundARKA CD 3314115-track album including new tracks, older rarities, and remixes by Adrian Sherwood, Brian Hyphen, Astralasia and others
The Space Mountain SessionsDigital13 December 2017Arka Sound6-track album including live recordings from Space Mountain Festival, and remixes by Kuba
Pressure Drop - A Tribute to Lizard LoganDigital11 March 2018Arka SoundARKA CD 3314410-track album of old Suns of Arqa recordings covering classic reggae tracks, including mixes and edits by Adrian Sherwood, John Brierley and Brian Hyphen
Cape Town RockDigital27 April 2018Arka SoundARKA CD 3314511-track album including new single 'Cape Town Rock', live recordings from Cape Town, and remixes by Youth, Astralasia, Gaudi, Gagarin, and Brian Hyphen
AmbyssDigital6 January 2019Arka SoundARKA 331514-track album including live recordings from Ozora Festival, Hungary August 2018
The Wolf of BadenochCD5 June 2020Arka SoundARKACD 3314912-track album produced by Michael Wadada, arranged and mixed by Brian Hyphen

Remix albums

TitleFormatReleasedRecord LabelCatalogue NoAdditional Notes
Jaggernaut (Whirling Dub)CD1992Arka SoundARKA 2103 CDRemixed from Jaggernaut LP
CradleCD/MC1992EarthsoundsCDEASM 004Remixed from Jaggernaut LP
Total Eclipse of the SunsCD1995Arka SoundARKA 2108 CDFirst album of individual remixes
Remixes Vol 2 & 32CD1998Echo BeachLC 2188
TechnomorCD2001Arka SoundARKA CD 22116-2Subtitled 'Remixes Vol 4'
Muslim GauzeCD2001Arka SoundARKA CD 22120Remix album by 'Muslimgauze' Bryn Jones
Cradle (new remix)CD2002Arka SoundARKA CD 33122Remixed from Jaggernaut LP, sleeve designed by Skip Sommerville
All Is Not Lost, All Is DubFLAC10 December 2015Liquid Sound Design(None)7-track album of remixes

Re-issues

TitleFormatReleasedRecord LabelCatalogue NoDetails
Live with Prince Far ICD1999Arka SoundARKA 2100 CDRe-issue of 1984 album, plus 4 radio sessions, plus 'Thunder Bolt, Dark Void' ('Ark of the Arqans'), 'Hey Jagunath' ('Govinda Go')
Govinda's HouseCD2001Arka SoundARKA CD 22117Re-issue of Disc 2 from 'Remixes 2 & 3' with an extra mix by The Orb
AberglaubeCD2001Arka SoundARKA CD 22118Re-issue of Disc 1 from 'Remixes 2 & 3'
Revenge of the MozabitesCD2001Arka SoundARKA CD 33116Bonus track added (see article)
SevenCD2002Arka SoundARKA CD 33125Updated track listing (see article)
Alap-Joe-JhalaMP327 July 2005[8]Arka SoundB001GQAGMERe-issue of 1992 CD, without the four opening remixes, instead starting with additional track 'Gavati'
Re-mixs MuslimgauzeCD2007SoleilmoonSOL 158 CDRe-issue of most of 'Muslim Gauze' with more complete versions of mixes, plus new mixes of 'Whirling Dub', 'Sensi Palestine', 'Horses of the Apothecary'
Revenge of the MozabitesCD30 Oct 2017Corbett vs. DempseyCvsD / CD037Re-issue of debut LP with three bonus mixes/edits by Brian Hyphen (see article)

Singles

TitleFormatReleasedRecord LabelCatalogue NoDetails
Soul To Save7"1980Rocksteady RecordsMICK 010B-side is an edit of 'Ananta Snake Dance' from 'Revenge of the Mozabites'
Mysteries of the East12"1982Virgin Records600 642Jhalib's 'Mysteries of the East', backed by an edit of 'Ananta Snake Dance' from 'Revenge of the Mozabites'
GD Magick12"Oct 1983Antler RecordsANTLER 018New track 'GD Magick', plus a remix of 'Acid Tabla' from 'Revenge of the Mozabites', and 'Throw Away Your Guns/Whatyougonnadoonjudgementday' from 'Musical Revue'
Pressure Drop7"/12"1984Vogue BelgiqueVB788B-sides are 'World Peace AD' and 'Scully's Reel' from 'Revenge of the Mozabites'
Champs-Élysées7"1985CNR Music?Artist billed as 'SOA Band', B-side is Sprout Head Uprising Mash-Up
In Paradisum12"1987Rocksteady Records1 G1TArtist billed as simply 'Arka', features 'In Paradisum' 7" Single Mix, Disco Dub Mix, and 'Erasmus Meets the Earthling'
Govinda's House12"1988Antler RecordsANT 094B-side is 'In The City of Nine Gates' (dub mix of the A-side)
Govinda Go12"1990Arka SoundARKA SOUND 2112Features 'Govinda Go (808 Massey Mix)' and 'Hey Jagunath'
Sul-E-StompCD/12"1992Magick EyeEYE CD 16Remixes of 'Sully's Reel' from 'Revenge of the Mozabites' by Astralasia, various 12" versions released
Govinda's DreamCD22 August 1994[9]Arka SoundARKA 601 CDRemixes of earlier 'Govinda's House' single by Astralasia, Phil Kirby, A Guy Called Gerald
Erasmus Meets The EarthlingCD1994Arka SoundARKA 602 CDRemixes of 'Erasmus', Jaggernaut, and 'What Does It Profit' by Phil Kirby, Youth and Greg Hunter
DJ Files12"1995Arka SoundARKA 602Remixes of Jaggernaut, and 'What Does It Profit' by Phil Kirby, Youth and Greg Hunter
Govinda's Dream (Remixes)12"1995Arka SoundARKA 601RTwo remixes from United Spirits of Rhythm and A Guy Called Gerald
Tomorrow Never Knows (Promo)12"2001EMI12ARQWL 001Two remixes of 'Tomorrow Never Knows' by Chicken Lips, plus The Orb remix of 'Children of Jumma'
Brujo Magic12"2012Emotional RescueERC 002Previously unreleased versions of Brujo Magic and Ananta Snake Dance
Acid Tabla12"2016Emotional RescueERC 033Includes new 12" version of Acid Tabla, and new remix of Asian Rebel by Brian Hyphen

Compilations

TitleFormatReleasedRecord LabelCatalogue NoDetails
Vol 2+3 EclecticismMC1983One G Productions1G 1Tracks from 'Revenge of the Mozabites', 'Wadada Magic' and 'GD Magick'
Arqaology: Wadada 1979 to 1986LP1986One G Productions1G 2LTracks from 'Revenge of the Mozabites', 'Wadada Magic', 'GD Magick', 'Ark of the Arqans' and two tracks by Sprout Head Uprising ('Nothing to Sing Part II' and 'Hard Life')
Land of a Thousand ChurchesCD/MC1991Arka SoundARKA 2101 CDNew remixes of 'The Truth Lies Therein' and 'Open The Door To Your Heart', plus tracks from 'India?', 'Ark of the Arqans', 'Seven' and 'Govinda Go'
ArqaologyLP/CD/MC1992Arka SoundARKA 2105 CDNew remixes of 'Brujo Magic' and 'City of Nine Gates', plus tracks from 'Revenge of the Mozabites', 'Wadada Magic', 'GD Magick'
Solar Activity 1979–20012CD2001Arka Sound/EMI7243 5 31592 2 1Compilation
A Brief History of SOACD25 Nov 2002Arka SoundARKA 2111 CDCompilation
TributeyCD2003Arka SoundARKA 33123 CDCompilation featuring interviews with Professor Stanley Unwin
Through The Gate We Go2CD2008Arka SoundARKACD 3313327-track DJ Mix by Tom Fu
ArqatronicDigital1 Oct 2018Arka SoundARKACD3314712-track DJ Mix by Brian Hyphen

Videos

TitleFormatReleasedRecord LabelCatalogue NoDetails
Hindu PictDVD6 November 2006Arka SoundARKA 12306 DVD20-track DVD including live footage, interviews and music/video mixes
Stranger MusicDVDApr 2011Arka SoundARKA CD 3313715-track Live DVD (with CD Album) recorded Wiltshire 2010, Big Chill 2009, Glastonbury 2008

[1][3][10]

References

  1. "On-U Sound In The Area - Adrian Sherwood / On-U Sound remix discography - Part 4". Skysaw.org. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  2. Suns Of Arqa Biography Archived 14 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  3. "Suns of Arqa on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  4. "Suns Of Arqa music, videos, stats, and photos". Last.fm. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  5. "SUNS OF ARQA". Archive.today. Archived from the original on 17 January 2013.
  6. "Suns Of Arqa lineup, biography". Last.fm. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  7. "Suns Of Arqa - Kokoromochi". Discogs.com. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  8. "Alap Joe Jhalla: Suns Of Arqa: Amazon.co.uk: MP3 Downloads". Retrieved 15 September 2014.
  9. "Suns Of Arqa". Discogs.com. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
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