Chill Space

Celebrating the Suns Of Arqa: In honour of Wadada

Celebrating the Suns Of Arqa: In honour of Wadada

Chill Space Network is thrilled to announce that we have been asked to manage the entire Suns Of Arqa discography in YouTube and we are proud to help keep their love light shining and carry on their incredible legacy.

We invite you to join us this coming Sunday the 1^st May at 6pm (UTC) for a special Exclusive Video Premiere featuring fabulous visuals accompanying a 2+ hour tribute mix by Darren Sangita highlighting the diversity of the SOA catalogue.

Join us Sunday in the chat room where you will meet many friends, music family, artists and fans of SOA eager to talk about, share stories and celebrate our dear Wadada.

Be sure to set your reminder here:

Suns of Arqa blazed a beautiful arc that continues today as decades of recordings and performances continue to ripple outwards and inspire listeners the world over. Michael Ward aka Wadada was at the helm since he launched the group in 1979, and we have all benefited from the visionary way he said “Yes” to so many interesting and sometimes unlikely musical projects.

From the original matching of Indian ragas with dub sensibilities with Adrian Sherwood, to performing live with Prince Far-I, to work with László Hortobágyi and the Gayan Uttejak Orchestra, to working with piper John Snelson, poet John Cooper Clark, Brian Hyphen, Style Scott, Professor Stanley Unwin, Tim Wheater, John Leckie, Zion Train, Raghunath Seth, Shahbaz Hussain, MuslimGauze, 808 State, A Guy Called Gerald, Greg Hunter, Kuba, DJ Guapo, Darren Sangita, Lama Geshe, Youth, Eat Static, The Orb, Gaudi and the list goes on, and keeps going. In fact over 200 artists from around the world have collaborated with Suns of Arqa (check wikipedia).

Not only did Wadada provide a stunning musical legacy, both broad and 40 albums deep, he also gave a great example to us; to keep life interesting and be open to all possibilities.

Suns Of Arqa LIVE jam: Space Mountain International Cosmic Arts Lab 2017
Recorded at producer Martin ‘YOUTH’ Glovers’ Space Mountain Studios, Granada, Spain. ftg. Wadada, Angel Eye, Nik Turner (Hawkwind), Tim Wheater, The Egg, Fab Basuri and more. Legendary producer John Leckie at the mixing desk!

With his releases on Interchill we got to work together on a few albums and plans would often quickly manifest from an interesting idea in a conversation, to something that was actually then happening. Wadada had a keen ear for track selection and was a great editor, putting across his feedback in a direct and helpful way. He had a way of combining being a straight-talking person with also being mystical. He encouraged ideas, creativity, and connection.

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. Suns of Arqa are a vehicle for the positive raising of vibration, connecting with both the sensory and infinite worlds, for the on-going evolution of all sentient beings. Suns of Arqa transmit a deeply spiritual vibration that merges cultures, faiths and musical genres, and are probably best known for their fusion of Indian music and electro dub.

Article by Andrew Ross Collins / Interchill Records

Suns of Arqa full live show: VK Club
Recorded in Brussels, Belgium November 2003