Debut album ‘Return To The Spirit’ by LA-based outfit Sun Atlas
L.A.-based mystery collective Sun Atlas launches its debut album Return To The Spirit on Mocambo Records, with 10 tracks of mystical instrumental grooves ranging from outernational funk to psychedelic jazz, cinematic soul, afrobeat and hiphop sample-style breaks.
Little is known about Sun Atlas. The group members are hidden behind masks and costumes to keep their identities secret and to put the focus entirely on the music and oneness. A sense of community and universal spirit as an alternative to idolization and individualism is heavily reflected in their eclectic musical style.
Their cryptic first 45 single “The Mystic Parade” b/w “Grand Theft” sold out immediately after release and has often been mistaken for either ‘lost’ hiphop samples, 70s habibi funk or another project in disguise from the inner circles of the Mocambo, Big Crown or Daptone families (which it is not).
Debut album Return To The Spirit picks up where Sun Atlas’ first single left off, with everyone wondering where the journey might lead. With the door to a colourful universe opened, the full-length format gives time & space for further exploration.
Titletrack “Return To The Spirit” opens the album and is the perfect invitation to dig into the cosmos of Sun Atlas, where spiritual jazz flings with hiphop grooves and cinematic funk. The horns, menacing and soothing at the same time, give a glimpse of what is to be experienced…
“Message From The Snakes” takes you through mystic desert drums with a breathtaking ethno jazz brass section woven into the spirit of a snake dance for another tribal universe experience.
With third single “The Source”, the band cruises the galaxy, with their distinctive sound echoing through the universe like the tail of a comet and unfolding another dimension of human perception. Their mission is clear: tame the monster known as ‘human being’ and bring back the spirit to mother earth.
From uptempo afro-jazz cuts like “Cure The Sick” to slow-burning psych grooves like “Phases Of The Moon”, the sound of Sun Atlas will hypnotize you in the course of 10 instrumental tracks that coalesce a universe of influences.
‘Return To The Spirit’ out on LP / CD / Digital on May 3rd 2024 via Mocambo
