UFOs are Real (to Reel)

Sun Ra – The Mike Huckaby Reel-To-Reel Edits Vol. 1
Kindred Spirits, Art Yard – KSAY-MH01
Vinyl, 12", 45 RPM, Netherlands, May 2011
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Sun Ra – The Mike Huckaby Reel-To-Reel Edits Vol. 2
Kindred Spirits, Art Yard – KSAY-MH02
Vinyl, 12", 33 ⅓ RPM, 45 RPM, Netherlands, Sep 27, 2011
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Before I had ever bumped into the word afrofuturism (and long before I saw it turning up in pop culture commentary), I had gained Sun Ra in my musical vocabulary. And while it had never been my scene at the time, Detroit techno was there playing in the background, too. 

I won't give a long speech, but let me say this: Neither Sun Ra nor Mike Huckaby's music proclaims itself as "political." Their records don't immediately or overtly identify themselves as reflecting the radical imagination that movements need (and that Black leaders, artists and organizers have so often provided). I'm no expert on jazz and even less so on techno. I really don't know Sun Ra or Huckaby's biographies and have no idea how they thought about these questions. (In fact, I'd kind of hope they'd both have rolled their eyes at the discussion.) What I do know though is that these two men, decades apart and working in such different styles, both produced music that helped people imagine another world.

Sun Ra's improvisations and chants to join him and the Arkestra in finding interplanetary freedom, Huckaby's 12" singles turning sweaty clubs and basements of Midwest cities into ecstatic, sci-fi dancefloors -- catch either at the right moment and connections are clear. The music gives you permission to step away from daily problems, look beyond the weight of struggle, and spend a few minutes imagining a world that feels very, very different. As one who has a hard time putting it all away, allowing us to fantasize in nightclubs and parties about about how freedom will feel (rather than how it might be won) is a real gift.

For those who don't know, Mike Huckaby was a major Detroit house producer, starting in the 1990s and continuing to develop and experiment for years. Sun Ra, is a legendary jazz pianist and band leader, reportedly from Saturn (via Alabama then Chicago) and performing from the 1950s until his return to the cosmos in 1993.

I have no idea how these records came to be. Huckaby was a major Sun Ra fan and someone came up with the brilliant idea to have him put together these two 12"s from 2011. Working from Sun Ra's tapes, Huckaby created new edits of a handful of his favorite Ra tunes. To be clear- these are not house remixes or jazz with programed beats added. They are actual edits that Huckaby made onto reel-to-reel tapes. They are clearly still Sun Ra jazz tunes, but with the groove extended, the drums emphasized, or with a melody repeated until hypnosis is possible despite the screeching horns. It's beautiful stuff and Huckaby clearly loved this chance to pay tribute to a major inspiration.

I recently pulled these out for the first time in years and found myself enjoying them more than ever. It led me to looking around on the internet... and I was shocked read that Mike Huckaby had died during the pandemic after suffering a stroke then contracting COVID-19 while recovering in the hospital in the spring of 2020. That cloud hung overhead as I was listening to and recording these, but still didn't manage to ruin them for me. If there are any records out there that invite you to leave that kind of sadness for a few minutes of joy, these definitely belong in that crate.

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Tracklist - Vol. 1
A UFO (Mike Huckaby Reel-2-Reel Edit)
B The Antique Blacks (Mike Huckaby Reel-To-Reel Edit)

Tracklist - Vol. 2
A To Nature's God
B1 Friendly Galaxy
B2 Space Is The Place

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No time to appreciate in FLAC (download zip file).

The work of nature's god in MP3 (stream or download).

I really hope you enjoy. Seemed like a good one for Fathers Day, Juneteenth and seeing old friends over the weekend for the first time in years. Better futures ahead...