Not trad jazz but a sort soup of jazz, kosmische, techno glitch, psychedelics, fourth worldisms, cosmic pastoralism, ritualistic music and even dipping into the more refracted eddys at the fringes of UK post rock. The title track even reminds me of this old Coil track.Sometimes in improvised music there can be a distance between listener and players, a sense you’re sitting back and admiring their interplay and abstraction – but with Szun Waves’ second album, you’re right in there with them, inside the playing, experiencing the absolute joy the three musicians feel as they circle around each other, exploring the spaces they’ve opened up.
The three members already have sparkling pedigrees of their own. Norfolk’s Luke Abbott is well known for his explorations of the zones between pure ambience and the leftmost fringes of club culture. With Portico Quartet and Circle Traps, Jack Wyllie has been in the vanguard of UK fusions of jazz, classical and club music. Australian drummer Laurence Pike has likewise found a unique voice in improvised and experimental music-making, whether in the bands Triosk or PVT, or as a solo artist.
The trio’s musical relationship has grown naturally and steadily, and it shows. From Wyllie adding shimmering sustained sax notes to Abbott’s gorgeous ambient pieces in 2013, Szun Waves emerged when Pike was added to the mix, energising the sound but still keeping its levitational qualities. Their 2016 self-released debut album hit a natural groove – it was a “proof of concept” as Abbott says – and now they’re in a place of pure spontaneity: New Hymn To Freedom is a document of six entirely live improvisations – “no edits or overdubs” – and its title couldn’t be more apt
Abbott's not the first to break out his techno prison for some Jazz adjacent action, minimal techno kingpin Maurizio (Moritz von Oswald )diverged into jazzish waters several years ago and Spring Heel Jack did great work of Masses and AMaSSED with Mathew Shipp.
Their other album At Sacred Walls is also a belter and I know a few sage OSGers are on this train.
Incidentally Sacred Walls is James Holden of Border Community's studio and anyone who likes the above will go head over heels for his superb and similar album James Holden and the Animal Spirits.
At Sacred Walls Is the debut album by Szun Waves - the newly formed group comprised of electronic producer Luke Abbott, Laurence Pike of PVT and Jack Wyllie of Portico.
Luke Abbott and Laurence Pike (PVT) had been talking for a while over email about the idea of doing something together, it was just a case of waiting for the right moment to come along. Despite being located in different parts of the world (Luke in London and Laurence in Sydney), they eventually managed to get together in March 2005. Joining up with Jack Wyllie (Portico) who had collaborated with Luke on a prior release, the trio embarked on a three-day recording session at James Holden’s Sacred Walls studio. The 6 hours of sessions were then edited and mixed by Luke into a 6 track LP.
So any old fans, any new fans? Answers on a post card to this thread.
D
