![]() Joining them as guests on the album are two musical legends: The Sun Ra Arkestra’s bandleader Marshall Allen on alto saxophone, ewi and vocals, and Nigerian Afro-beat colossus Orlando Julius on tenor sax who was at the time of the recording living with Yglesias and Zerpa. Producer and multi-instrumental director, Jack Yglesias (also a core member of the underground pysch-jazz-funk unit The Heliocentrics) leads the explosive 7 piece ensemble that features the powerful vocals and poetry of Venezuelan diva Luzmira Zerpa and the percussive West African mastery of Nigerian/Ghanaian Kwame ‘natural power’ Crentsil. Lush string and horn arrangements give way to acidic commentary on the immigration system and slavery as well as incantations of unity. Moving through genres as diverse as psychedelic highlife, steel-pan Ethio-funk, calypso, baião and scorching equatorial jazz underpinned by deep afro-Atlantic dance rhythms, they have created a cohesive, forward-looking sound that echoes classic tropical recordings of the past whilst still sounding fresh and contemporary. ‘Cosmic Unity’, like the band itself, mirrors the mixed-up, intercontinental terrain of their home town. It follows on from their 2013 eponymous debut - an album that won the band a range of awards including Songlines Magazine’s Best Newcomers 2015. ![]() ![]() Award-winning, London-based Family Atlantica are back with their far-reaching second album ‘Cosmic Unity’, released on May 13th via Soundway Records. ![]()
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