1001 Other AlbumsFuture Pilot AKA – Salute Your Soul (2004, Scotland)
Our next spotlight is on number 393 on The List, submitted by platenworm.
Future Pilot AKA is the pseudonym/project of Glasgow-based musician Sushil K. Dade. And this album – the 2nd LP under this project – is primarily chill, uplifting downtempo with a lot of mix-ins, from reggae and dub to gospel and baroque pop, plus appearances by the likes of Philip Glass, Mikey Dread, and a digeridoo. Methinks fans of Thievery Corporation will feel quite comfortable here.
While I was thrilled with the Glass works, my personal favourite part of the album is the reference in the title of track 6: “Dammers or Czukay?” I immediately assumed the latter name referred to the late Holger Czukay of the experimental German band CAN but I wasn’t familiar with the first name, so I plunked the whole song title into ye ol’ search bar and was gifted an introduction to a fantastic album: Canaxis 5 (1969), the lone release from Technical Space Composer’s Crew, aka the duo of the aforementioned Holger “Ho” Czukay plus musician/sound engineer/technician Rolf “Ro” Dammers. This album (recorded just after CAN had been formed) samples and fuses a wide variety of sounds from different corners of the globe, including short-wave radio broadcasts of traditional Vietnamese singers and what might be a Japanese koto, creating a couple of gorgeous atmospheric sound collages that make you feel like your ears just went on an international trip. After listening to Canaxis, I can’t hear any direct sonic echoes in Dade’s “Dammers or Czukay?”. Rather, I wonder if the reference instead tips a hat to these two pioneers and sheds some light on Dade’s inspiration if not method behind Salute Your Soul, as it also has that travel-by-radio-dial feel. And/or, the title may also reference a question I’ve seen elsewhere as to whether Canaxis was more Ro than Ho. Whatever it is, I would highly recommend checking out Canaxis as well.
Anyway, if you like what you hear on Salute Your Soul, be sure to check out Dade’s other releases, if you can find them. A couple at least are on Bandcamps (record labels, not Dade’s own) including the next album Secrets From The Clockhouse (2006), which has a Sun Ra cover with Kim Gordon, Thurston Moore, and Mike Watt, as well as a track with the late great Damo Suzuki (previously of CAN).
- Discogs: Future Pilot AKA – Salute Your Soul
- Unfortunately, I can only find this album streaming on Spotify. BUT, if you also don’t have Spotify and can’t otherwise find it (and are able to play FLAC files), drop me an email/DM at @1001OtherAlbums!
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