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. 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.

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. 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.

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. 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.

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. 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. They have released three live albums to date, Musical Revue, 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 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."

Collaborators

Albums

Remix albums

Re-issues

Singles

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
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