Switched on Ra (2021)

Bitchin’ Bajas

Sun Ra’s legacy stretches over 60 years and has continued to impact new generations of music long after his death. Cooper Crain has been admired in Chicago’s experimental scene for fifteen years, and his projects always nod to his noisy influences. Along with Dan Quinlivan and Rob Frye, Bitchin’ Bajas is Craine’s ambient analog-synth trio with a sound that has refined krautrock-esque drone compositions. On their last full-length record, Bajas Fresh (2017), the group covered Sun Ra’s “Angels and Demons at Play” (1960), nearly unrecognizably reconfiguring the original with understated synths. For their spectacular sixth LP, Switched on Ra, the band continues to pay tribute to the free jazz pioneer, delivering eight vibrant renditions of Sun Ra’s most cherished classics.

(Pictured Above: Bitchin’ Bajas)

Since their 2013 Bitchitronics debut, Drag City has handled every release from the Bitchin’ Bajas. Drag City was formed in 1990, and has remained a pillar in the independent music community since, responsible for quintessential indie records from bands like Pavement and Stereolab. Recently, they have explored the indie/electronic middle ground of experimentation, with critically acclaimed releases from acts such as Circuit Des Yeux. Craine’s psychedelic instrumental band, Cave, has also worked exclusively through Drag City.

Switched on Ra begins with a variation of Sun Ra’s 21 minute favorite, “Space is the Place” (above). The 1973 original became the centerpiece for the composer’s screenwriting debut one year later, when he wrote Space is the Place, and is widely recognized as a monumental free jazz production. The Chicago trio replaces The Arkestra’s vocal harmonies with a glowing harmony of analog synths, and lays a gliding foundation of minimalist separate analog melodies to replace the track’s memorable saxophone arrangement. The trio’s shortened spin on such an impactful piece of history shifts Ra’s definitive abrasiveness, and replaces it with radiant layers of drone melodies.

One of the biggest surprises on Switched on Ra are the vocal tracks that lead “Outer Spaceways Incorporated” (below) and the album closer, “We Travel the Spaceways.” The Arkestra often delivered their vocals as hypnotic spiritual chants, typically slightly offbeat and backed by chaotic instrumentation. The Bajas, though noisy, have always avoided harshness. They approach vocals similarly to their preceding records, and layer the singing with such heavy effects that the lyrics sound as though they are sung by a robot with a sense of pitch. By adding vocals to only two of the eight songs, the effect-heavy performances make the overall mood of these tracks all the more inviting. When the group’s vocal delivery is paired with a slow bassline on “We Traveled the Spaceways,” their interpretation becomes an offbeat combination of psychedelia and ‘90 g-funk.

The record hits a high point when the Bajas cover “Lanquidity” (below). The original cut was the title track of one of Sun Ra’s most commercially appealing LP’s from 1978. Though it was initially released in the heat of jazz fusion, it’s surprisingly funky and coherent. The Bitchin’ Bajas redux replaces the crooked melodic horn section with a series of mellow synthesizers. The driving synth follows the original’s leading horn melody, but it is played smoother and timed in a more conventional manner than Sun Ra’s.

Bitchin’ Bajas sixth album marks the band’s biggest shift in sound since their formation. It is the first time that the Bajas have incorporated any vocal track into their music, and it is also their most linear themed LP. The title of the album is a nod to noise pioneer Wendy Carlos’ Switched on Bach (1968), and after spending years recreating the synth blueprint from Krautrock innovators like Kraftwerk and NEU!, Switched on Ra is the final connective tissue between all of their influences across disparate generations of obscure music. The music of Sun Ra is so innovative that recreating his style often ends with mixed results. Bitchin’ Bajas entire catalog relies on meditative drones, and the most rewarding part of Switched on Ra is how the trio tones down and simplifies Sun Ra’s archetypal abrasive noise. While there are endless covers of Sun Ra’s vast catalog, the Bajas’ take on the jazz giant is more of an adaptation that clearly maintains their trademark sound.

©Total Trash Ltd, 2021