"Boldly going where no other label has gone before, we set a course for deep space with The Shadows Cast by Tomorrow, the first collection ever to reissue Sun Ra's 7 inch singles in their original format.We've selected six otherworldly songs from Sun Ra's back catalogue of incredibly rare singles. Originally issued in tiny runs of as few as fifty copies on his own Saturn label, these 45s were often hand distributed by Ra and his legendary Arkestra, meaning that only the most seasoned collectors have ever laid hands on an original Saturn 45. This set of 3 x 45rpm singles pressed onto luminous, glow-in-the-dark vinyl and packaged in a unique, custom-made triple gatefold screen printed sleeve, contains a cross-section of Sun Ra's visionary space-jazz that stretches from the 1950s to the 1970s.
Featuring the mystical doo-wop of the Cosmic Rays' 'Dreaming'; wild man Yochannan's RnB solar flare 'The Sun Man Speaks'; the intense moog-rock of 'The Perfect Man' and mega-rare versions of classic Ra rockers 'Love in Outer Space', 'Rocket No. 9' and 'Enlightenment', The Shadows Cast by Tomorrow is an overdue message to Earth straight from Saturn, delivered to you direct by Jazzman Records - all because we dig deeper!"
TRACK LISTING
1. Dreaming
2. The Sun Speaks (Alternate Version)
3. Rocket Number Nine
4. Enlightenment
5. The Perfect Man
6. Love In Outer Space
Afrika Hitech - Blen 12" (Warp Records)
Created at Red Bull music Academy in 2007, Africa Hitech forms part of Mark Pritchard’s collective of projects – MPP Productions. MPP is a banner under which all the wide-ranging productions from this prolific producer can co-exist and released through Warp it includes Africa Hitech, Harmonic 313, new Reload material, and others.Essentially twisting the sonic palette of Detroit techno to fit their vision of post-apocalyptic riddims, 'Blen' is all oxygen-sucking bass kicks and razor snares until Spacek comes in over a chorus of insect synths. This is not the smooth Steve Spacek you may know from his eponymous band, this is Steve Spacek as a rudeboy from the future. Decrying haters trying to “take di piss”, his unique patois creates it’s own intriguing atmosphere.
As a counterpoint to the paranoid bounce of the title track, the 'Blen Remix' stretches things out for the party. Flipping the vocals over percolating Garage beats and drenching it in swelling synths, it might as well be a master class for those trying to regain the sound of London circa 2000.
B-side “The Sound Of Tomorrow” is an inkling of the range that Africa Hitech will cover in the coming months. A deep cut of synth soul full of ricocheting drum machines and vocoder choruses, its title is a fully accurate summary of the Africa Hitech aesthetic.
An opening shot, listen out for more Africa Hitech productions in 2010
Side 1
1. "Blen"
2. "Blen" (remix)
Side 2
1. "The Sound Of Tomorrow"