Sunday Times Soundsystem

As the end of May approaches we have not got the usual Sunday Times banter on the horizon, there is some important birthdays to celebrate though. Our friends up in East, the Mntothat crew, have put together something rather special to celebrate the post humous 97th (!) birthday of the man from the cosmos, Sun Ra. Since these days it seems like everyone is shouting Detroit this and Detroit that it’s a privilege to be involved in an event celebrating someone so important, with a genuine Detroit electronic music legend.

Mike Huckaby has been through it all, from the days of KMS and the emergence of labels such as Metroplex, to the second wave and the establishment of Detroit as the hotbed of ‘real’ dance music, through Kenny Dixon Jnr or Carl Craig. He has not forgotten the importance of that that scene either as he now pours his time into the youthville project in his hometown, with his ableton and reactor workshops also taking him across the globe.

Due to lack of foresight and bad planning I missed out on what I gathered was a once off special event in Berlin last October by just one day. Mike Huckaby was to drop the reigns on his precise techno and deep house master classes, and celebrate one of his heroes, the late great Sun Ra in an intimate setting in Kreuzberg. Mikes own interpretations were to be manipulated through his spliced reel to reel tapes. Unnanounced (well, as of the time) hithertho Italian performances saw him joined by Ra.H who improvised on various machines twisting it all up into a further trippy state. Not for the faint of heart, but a true tribute to the free jazz nature of Sun Ra and the Arkestra. Mike is due to return to that venue in Kreuzberg for part two this Thursday. Little did I think I would get involved in this in any way other than a spectator!

The Mntothat collective have secured quite a coup then, as this coming Friday (20th) they have Mike performing his Sun Ra reel to reel set at the Grand Social and then rolling onto the Ormonde wine bar on the Saturday for a more familiar Huckaby set of warm house and techno. This could be bigger than the Queens visit. Whilst missing out on that Berlin gig I did manage to catch him playing a techno set a few days later and his years worth of experience all contribute to his skills as a crowd mover.

Not only will Mike be celebrating Sun Ra’s birthday, a screening of ‘Space is The Place’ will also take place on the night setting the mood for the rest of the proceedings. Joining in on these proceedings are Infinitestatemachines Gmos, and myself. Since we are celebrating the music of a genius, I plan on playing a lot of music by people I also believe have contributed to music in important ways. Kick off 11.00pm Friday.

Not to stop there, our own Sunday Times party is on a little break this month as I’m off on holidays and John is knee deep in computer programming. Instead (and perhaps in future going hand in hand) we are screening a wonderful documentary on the life of one of my musical heroes, Arthur Russell in the newly re-opened and new permanent home of Plugd records this coming Saturday. Arthur Russell would be 60 years old on this very Saturday night so given the fact we’ve been wanting to show this film its only fitting it happens on this date. Afterwards downstairs in the tasty Gulpd Café (geddit?) a couple of us will be playing a few records  that have been touched by Arthur Russell or fit in with what he represented. Do join, its all free. Details here for those of the book of faces persuasion or here for those who rather keep there face anonymous Hop on Down.