Kai Regan*
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Hundreds and hundreds of ambient albums were released this year, but only one was released by an elite rapper with a 13x platinum record under his overalls. In the 16 years since the groundbreaking Outkast went on hiatus, fans of the André 3000 duo have clamored for the superstar to deliver something more than just the occasional killer guest verse. Instead, he follows his arrow as a nomadic, bohemian troubadour, playing the flute in airports, cafes, sidewalks, and yoga classes. His debut album “New Blue Sun” is the full flower of his medieval descent into gentle drones and minimalist pipe work. Fans were justifiably wary of an album with the label “Warning: No Bars” and song titles like “I Swear, I Really Wanted to Make a ‘Rap’ Album but This Is Literally the Way the Wind Blew Me This Time.” Luckily, that is 87-minute ambient odyssey from André 3000 a beautiful, deeply contemporary, prismatic breath of fresh incense.
“New Blue Sun” also marks a high point in the decade-long crescendo of the hipster new age revival. The early 2010s saw tasteful reissues released by labels such as Numero Group, Light in the Attic and Rvng Intl. began re-releasing American New Age music in private press, ridding a once-mocked genre of its reputation for uncoolness with crystals and wind chimes and repositioning it as an American folk tradition full of DIY energy. Labels like Empire of Signs and Switzerland’s WRWTFWW have turned their attention to reviving the more gaseous, electronic-inflected ambient music of Japan that you might hear in New Blue Sun’s more synthetic moments. Alanis Morrisette, Moby, 6lack, Sufjan Stevens and even actor Jeff Bridges have had varying degrees of success with healing music in recent years.
New Blue Sun, meanwhile, is largely a piece with the scrappy, prolific Los Angeles cassette label Leaving Records, a label that also exists at the intersection of ambient, new age, jazz, improvisation and experimental electronic music. Much of the Leaving team – Matthewdavid, Carlos Niño, Deantoni Parks, VCR – is on hand to support and complement André’s melodies, expanding his cycling digital flute flourishes into a communal bouillabaisse of swelling cymbals and otherworldly glitter.
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Although press materials associate New Blue Sun with the organic minimalism of Laraaji and the spiritual jazz of Alice Coltrane, in practice it more closely resembles the dreamy, semi-organic “fourth world” music of composers like Jon Hassell and Steve Roach: imaginary landscapes , in which cosmic electronics entangle themselves euphorically with various shakers, reeds and rain sticks. André’s “digital reed instrument” is reminiscent of the eerie sound worlds of Japanese composers like Yoshio Ojima from the late 80s – not quite real, not quite fake, completely captivating. New Blue Sun is by no means patient or minimalist. Instead, Andre’s crew works together like a dynamic live band, dealing with gentle tones and gentle moods, whether riding a groove (“That Night in Hawaii…”), swelling into waterfalls of joyful chaos (“BuyPoloDisorder’s Daughter…”), or Rainforests created from sound (“Ants to You…”). Our bandleader has a rambling meander, dancing in percussive bursts while his fellow players splash, bubble and sparkle. All those moving parts mean it’s not exactly the most immersive environment for those looking for “calming” or “healing” music. However, if you look at New Blue Sun as the product of a label’s basement jazz band or an underground electronic ensemble, it’s an absolute delight.
“No Blue Sun” isn’t the best ambient record to hear in 2023. It is minor when placed next to the confrontational surge of Tim Hecker’s “No Highs,” the tender vulnerability of Ryuichi Sakamoto’s “12,” and the pastoral zones of Takashi Kokubo and Andrea Esperti’s “Music for a Cosmic Garden or the enveloping warmth of Loscil/Lawrence English’s “Colors of Air.” However, No Blue Sun will likely be the only ambient record many people hear in 2023, and it’s great to see such a vibrant, lush album getting the gig. Just like his groundbreaking rap group, André 3000 once again plays Pied Piper, and a world of sound awaits those who follow with open ears and an open mind.