Michael Ward, aka Wadada of the groundbreaking band Suns of Arqa has passed on.
We give thanks for the inspiring musical legacy he has left us with, and for the opportunities of working with him and his music over the years. Suns of Arqa were always ahead of their time and breaking new ground. They were the first to combine Indian ragas with stripped back heavy dub basslines, and from the early 90's up to the present day we've been fans of the band.
In working with him he was dedicated, open, direct, inspiring and encouraging, with an attention to detail in the energetic realm. Wadada was passionate about music and a real groundbreaker.
He will be hugely missed.
We had the pleasure of releasing Suns of Arqa music over the years, with Cosmic Jugalbandi on CD in Canada, then the deeply meditative Know Thyself ? featuring bansuri master Raghunath Seth, then the Ancient Temples ep (with remixes from Youth Gaudi, Astralasia and Gagarin) and most recently the Heart of the Suns 1979-2019 compilation, which explores the more psychedelic side of their output .
sunsofarqa.bandcamp.com/album/
sunsofarqa.bandcamp.com/album/
sunsofarqa.bandcamp.com/album/
Beyond what we released check out Ambyss (recorded live at Ozora), and the early releases Kokoromochi, Cradle, and Suns of Arqa and Prince Far-I Live at Band on the Wall. And not forgetting Acid Tabla from their first album Revenge of the Mozabites - sunsofarqa.bandcamp.com/track/
