No longer than a year after his "return to darkness" with You are silent, Lars Pedersen and his WHEN is back with a lesson in plunderphonics. Album no. 13 since the start 25 years ago, this one is something else: a mixtape/mashup to celebrate brilliant bandleader, pianist, mystic, philosopher and Afro-Futurist Sun Ra.
The first volume of WHEN's Homage Series, this singular saucer is a jam-packed jamboree of "cosmic jazz", where Lars borrows—not steals—cuts, loops, adds and completely turns the universe of the legendary jazz-brother from planet no. 6 inside out. Pedersen's own Omniverse Arkestra, if you will.
This is not exploitation, or blaxploitation, or anything but a labour of love, respect and admiration—from one space cadet to another. Turn on, tune in, space out.