One of the most radical musical pioneers of the 20th century, Sun Ra used jazz, electronics, poetry, and performance to expand the possibilities of sound, identity, and imagination.
Commissioned by Omni Sound and curated by Ricardo Villalobos, the series brings together Underground Resistance, Chez Damier & Ben Vedren, Calibre, A Guy Called Gerald, She Spells Doom, Barış K, and Ricardo Villalobos himself.
Drawing from Omni Sound’s recordings of Living Sky by the Sun Ra Arkestra and My Words Are Music, a spoken-word album of Sun Ra’s poetry, the producers pull fragments of sound and text into their own creative orbits, passing through the portal that Sun Ra opened into a realm where the impossible is possible.
Invocations by Saul Williams, Anthony Joseph, Mahogany L. Browne, Abiodun Oyewole, Tunde Adebimpe, and Tara Middleton turn rhyme into rhythm and resistance into revelation.
Rooted in deep reverence for Sun Ra’s legacy, yet reaching forward as a living, generative force, When There Is No Sun is not a tribute but a continuum, balancing the pulse of electronic music with the spirit of experimentation, embodying Sun Ra’s promise that ‘there are other worlds’ if you are willing to see them.
Tracklist:
1. Underground Resistance – When Angels Speak (feat. Saul Williams)
2. SHE Spells Doom – Somebody Else's Idea (feat. Sun Ra Arkestra) (SHE Spells Doom mix)
3. Chez Damier – The Three Dimensions Of Air (feat. Anthony Joseph) (H2H Kora mix)
4. Calibre – Chopin (feat. Sun Ra Arkestra) (Calibre mix)
5. Ricardo Villalobos – I Have Forgotten (feat. Tara Middleton) (Earlier Than Late mix 2)
6. Chez Damier – The Endless Realm (feat. Tunde Adebimpe) (H2H mix)
7. Underground Resistance – The Outer Darkness (feat. Saul Williams)
8. A Guy Called Gerald – Message To Black Youth (feat. Mahogany L. Browne) (Gerald rework)
9. SHE Spells Doom – Portrait Of The Living Sky (feat. Sun Ra Arkestra) (SHE Spells Doom mix)
10. Ricardo Villalobos – I Have Forgotten (feat. Tara Middleton) (Earlier Than Late mix 1)
11. Baris K – Somebody Else's Idea (feat. Abiodun Oyewole) (Baris K & Mini Bashekim mix)
12. Calibre – Chopin (feat. Sun Ra Arkestra) (Calibre ambient mix)
