Village of the Sun: First Light album review — electronica meets spiritual jazz

The jazz-meets-EDM trio Village of the Sun is a new project twinning Simon Ratcliffe’s multi-instrumental electronica with the freewheeling jazz of sax-and-drum duo Binker and Moses. In their debut album, First Light, Ratcliffe, a longstanding member of EDM pairing Basement Jaxx, expertly crafts swirly electronic textures and dovetails neatly with drummer Moses Boyd on keyboards, synths and bass. The influence of 1970s spiritual jazz is strong, but Ratcliffe’s control of sound, zippy Boyd beats and Binker Golding’s trenchant, warm-hearted improvisations keep the music contemporary and fresh.

This all-original set opens with wreaths of synth, jangles of bells and upper-register flutters of Golding’s tenor sax. As “Cesca” unfolds, Ratcliffe orchestrates the transcendental vibe with harp, somnolent bass synth and stark, perfectly placed modal piano. Golding’s tumbling pentatonics bring the piece to a peak with a high-note cry and restore the mood of tranquillity as the composition fades. The title track comes next, a pacy two-chord vamp supporting rippling arpeggios and synthesised sonics. Here, Golding delivers stuttery riffs on rhythmic tenor and Boyd fills in the gaps with fiery rimshots. And then “Village of the Sun” delivers misty textures and multiple moods that grow intense.

The final three songs are variations on established themes. Up-tempo “The Spanish Master” finds drummer Boyd adding a Caribbean twist to an insistent samba beat and Golding’s grainy lines moving in and out of harmony. “Tigris” features sparse melancholic piano, ruminations on the blues and the karmic influence of Alice Coltrane. “Ted”, the sprightly album closer, has Golding soloing soulfully over Boyd’s powerful Latin-inflected beats.

Overall, Ratcliffe’s inviting electronica delivers intriguing spiritual jazz, but it is Golding’s improvisor’s energy that delivers the album’s grip.

★★★☆☆

‘First Light’ is released by Gearbox Records