Chapter 2 of ‘Ocean of Sound’ focuses on the experimental musician Sun Ra, his life experiences and his personal philosophies on music and the world. Initially Sun Ra seems like an odd choice In this book about ambient music due to his jazz leanings, however it becomes clear why he is focused upon when Toop discusses ‘space vibrations’ and the fast moving frequencies Sun Ra feels, similar I think to Brian Eno’s work.
Eno, as one of the pioneers of ambient and electronic music, has a lot in common with Sun Ra, both having ethereal and deeply experimental angles to their work. While Eno’s experimentation is more present within the music, many of his songs meandering and seemingly unstructured drones, Sun Ra’s experimentation, while still present in the music, is more evident In his aesthetic and themes. Sun Ra was known for his ‘otherworldly costumes and personnel’, as well as lyrics focusing on Sci-fi themes, politics, religion and African culture. One of the other greatest similarities which I think qualifies Sun Ra as an experimental and (if in spirit) ambient musician within the book, is his dedication to invoking a ‘strange atmosphere’ which is crucial to ambient and experimental art. Brian Eno states that his take on ambient music is more introspective and ‘something that creates space for quiet reflection’, whereas Sun Ra’s songs are more outward looking with greater social themes and space travel.
Sun Ra also talks a lot about spiritualism in the chapter, asking ‘how do you know im real?’ and retelling a story of waking someone up with a strong chord that he believes had some sort of spiritual significance. This spiritual angle ties back into the ambient focus of ‘ocean of sound’, as introspection is often one of the core elements of ambient music, as Eno said he aimed for.
One element of the chapter I wasn’t too keen on was the writing style. I found it confusing at times and had to reread the first paragraph several times to understand who was being talked about at any given moment, or how old Sun Ra was at the time of the writing. Similarly while I feel it can be argued that Sun Ra definitely had a similar ethos to experimenting and ambience as any other ambient musician, he does feel somewhat out of place when compared to artists like aphex twin and Brian Eno.
Overall, I found the chapter an interesting dive into an artist I knew little about. While quite common now, I found his genuinely odd perception of the world inspiring and quite endearing, in a way that can often come off as trying too hard to be different in the 21st century. I like the aim of introspection in ambient music, in my mind somewhat similar to meditation or reaching Nirvana in buddhism (although i’m sure I’ve deeply misunderstood that).
Brian Eno (2023) Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Eno (Accessed: 25 November 2023). Toop, D. and Faber, M. (2018) ‘if you find earth boring…’, in Ocean of sound: Aether talk, ambient sound and imaginary worlds. London: Serpent’s Tail, pp. 23–32.
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