Door to the Cosmos

When Sun Ra dared to knock on the door of the cosmos in 1979 whoever let him in didn’t close it properly. As a result, raiding parties of musicians have been sneaking in and carrying out sonic heists ever since. This carefully curated multi-disc offering from On the Corner showcases some of the most recently retrieved treasures.

Calling on talent from across the globe, OTC’s tenth release is a two-hour long feast of fresh talent that defies easy description, veering from cerebral to populist, from the 4/4 beats of Clive from Accounts to the far-out jazz sounds of Edrix Puzzle and from the Tunisian electronica of Azu Tiwaline to the Iranian-Cuban funked up fusion of Ariwo. The overall feeling is playful as well as provocative: tracks vary greatly both in style and in length, from the 43 seconds of Don Korto’s ‘Samosa Beat No 1’ to tunes that clock in at more than 12 times as long. Korto is the beatmaker for Babani Soundsystem who also feature, and there’s a familial vibe throughout which along with a consistent ancient-future focus helps unite potentially rather disparate sounds. For lovers of experimental global electronica that challenges conventional categorisation, this is a rare treat.