Astrocolor Expand the Boundaries of Jazz

Astrocolor’s Stargazing Vol. 2 Expands the Boundaries of Jazz for a Cosmic Era

The Victoria outfit delivers a lush, interstellar follow-up in the AstroJazz series, blending deep introspection with space-bound sounds.

by Stephan Boissonneault

Published on November 6, 2024

Who knew one of this year’s most psychedelic and cosmic records would come from the craggy coast of Vancouver Island? Astrocolor, the dizzying jazz/electronica six-piece from Victoria, BC, just dropped their sixth album, Stargazing – AstroJazz Vol.2, a follow-up to Moonlighting – AstroJazz Vol.1, which dominated the Canadian jazz charts last year.

Stargazing feels like a record to throw on while inside a hazy interstellar jazz lounge as you contemplate the vast existence of deep space. Actually, band leader, Neil James Cooke-Dallin, says it is more focused on inner reflection, or “a deep moody investigation of the places where the outside world interacts with our sense of self and the myriad of feelings and emotions that can arise in that transition.”

The seeds of Stargazing were born out of the same 12-hour improvisational Moonlighting recording sessions with the Grammy-winning Steve Christensen—a producer known for his work with the likes of Destiny’s Child and Khruangbin. Rather than release them as tracks that didn’t make it on Vol.1, though, Cooke-Dallin and the Astrocolor band meticulously crafted and shaped them to have their own flavours. We spoke with Cooke-Dallin about that process, some of the jazz greats that influenced Stargazing, and the refreshed hip-hop vibe present throughout the album.

Who are some jazz greats who influenced this album, and are there any specific records?

There are definitely some Sun Ra influences in there, particularly in the more ambient and synth-based textures. It’s fair to say that some rainy, moody Miles Davis vibes found their way in there, especially in the horns. All of that is married with some of the open-minded, broad sonic palettes of contemporary artists like Bonobo and Four Tet.

There’s a huge hip-hop influence on a track like “Flash,” with the scratch sounds. Have you ever collaborated with rappers, or is this something you would be into exploring?

That scratching is courtesy of our friend and colleague Murge, whose roots are in hip hop and turntablism. The band has interacted with some rappers in the past, a notable example being “Smell of Acid,” which featured Tyler Rowe’s vocal delivery over a Chemical Brothers big beat style production. Astrocolor has always been a band that embraces big shifts in sonic exploration and collaborations, so in short, that’s absolutely something that we would be into exploring. Almost all of the band members have a love for hip-hop beats, so it would be a very easy thing to imagine down the road.

One track that really stopped me in my tracks was “Moonglow” with Lindsay Bryan’s vocals. Can you talk about the creation of that one?

This Astrocolor song existed as an instrumental, as the recording session pre-dates Lindsay joining the band. It was actually her keen prowess that noted the progression of the song fitting the lyrics of the old jazz standard, “Moonglow.” Lindsay had asked us whether we had noticed it and none of us knew what she was referring to, so she went back to her home studio and cut those vocals over top of the instrumental. Of course, everyone freaked out when they heard her incredible performance and it was immediately known that we needed to release the song that way. We were so excited about it that we mixed, mastered, and released it as the first single long before the production process was nearing completion on any of the other tracks on Stargazing.

Anything else you’d like us to know?

Stargazing – AstroJazz Vol.2 is currently being pressed to a limited run of 200 vinyl and will be available for sale via the band website www.astrocolormusic.com. We received the test pressings a week ago and they were the most gorgeous-sounding vinyl mastering we have ever been a part of, so keep an eye on our online store if you are a vinyl lover. And for those who like credits and music history, the vinyl insert contains a write-up detailing the whole story behind the engineering and production of the album.