Ras G may be a born-and-raised Los Angeleno, but he’s also a bona fide “Brotha From Anotha Planet,” as an earlier album’s title made clear. Of course, no one needs to spell it out for the listener. A deep dive into any section of the man’s oeuvre will reveal truth aplenty: abstracted Jamaican dub, digitized African polyrhythms, Eno-esque forays into ambience, noise-addled rap beats, space-oriented free jazz and — when he’s feeling generous — sampled wisdom from the god Sun Ra.
In fact, the Arkestra bandleader is almost undoubtedly the biggest influence on Ras G’s astounding productions, but in spirit mostly. The man born Gregory Shorter, Jr. has been carving out his own sound even whilst surrounded by inordinately talented peers: first, the Project Blowed community in L.A.’s Crenshaw District, and now the group of astral-traveling beatpeople who revolve around the city’s Low End Theory club. Ras’ latest is Back on the Planet, and it’s set for an August 13 release on Flying Lotus’ Brainfeeder imprint.
The 16-song set’s titular opener hits hard but serves as a necessary reset before “All Is Well…” grabs ahold of your ears with a groove that’s as lovely as it is utterly hypnotic. Experience the entire long-player below and see if your third eye doesn’t let in a little light. Pre-order the set on iTunes.
:audio=0:116214:playlist:Ras G, Back On The Planet:
