Towards Other Worlds

Ariya Astrobeat Arkestra formed in late 2007 at a series of late night Afrobeat sessions at a Leeds-based jazz venue called Sela Bar. It was out of these jam sessions that this eight-piece band was born, welding their love of Afro-beat with their appreciation of that free jazz pioneer Sun Ra. So obviously, maximum respect is owed to their roots and their vision, but overall this comes over as a pleasant album rather than one which makes your synapses explode. It's set up as a concept album in which the interplanetary forces overcome the aggressive characteristics of humanity, but apart from a few nods in that direction with the odd sample at the top and tail of the album, it's kind of a nice idea rather than the reality of the piece. When they let go you can indeed feel the fire of Afro-beat crossed with free jazz, such as on the up-tempo very dance floor friendly, ‘Turncoat’, or some of the beautifully ragged Pharoah Sanders-style horn playing on ‘Ministry of Aggression’. There's a very nice deep, dark spacey-funk feel to the start of ‘New Frontiers’, the grand finale, but an unfortunate attack from planet prog sends it crashing into the Death Star. Quirk, wit and fire are really what drives the music of Fela Kuti and Sun Ra and for me, it would be great if Ariya Astrobeat Arkestra could connect a little more with that inspiration.