Audiopile Review: Stumbled across this one in the depths of an Instagram scroll recently, a post of someone gripping what appeared to be a bootlegged cassette edition of Andre 3000’s ambient-jazz surprise hit, New Blue Sun. Further inspection led us to a Bandcamp that told the story of deep, medicated listening sessions to the sprawling triple disc set, culminating in a realization that, yes, Andre 3000’s two-hour opus does indeed require a chopped and screwed rendition. We reached out to the owner of the Bandcamp to see if we could obtain copies. He obliged. Re-imagined by a producer known as Signwonee, though Oakland weirdos might know him as Raub Roy, who helmed the experimental imprint Weird Ear for most of the 2010s, the cassettes are made entirely by hand utilizing recycled cassettes and good ol’ DIY packaging. Described quite accurately by Sighwonee as more of a gnawing and slurring than your typical chopped and screwed revision, he filters the entirety of New Blue Sun through a pile of unverified FX, crinkling and collapsing it until it feels like the end-point of a fully disintegrated Basinski loop. Those already familiar with the original album will hear bits of André’s pastoral passages peak through the warped haziness and fried crackle, reaching out like a guiding hand as you enter the unknown. If New Blue Sun was a gradual pull into a parallel universe, then Sighwonee pushes you straight into the wormhole.  Limited copies available, ordered direct from the artist.

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When New Bllue Sun came out, I was just recovering from a broken femur and was as into longform, dreamy music as I have ever been, taking my meds, and lying back to listen for hours at a time – a luxury not afforded many people, usually. Listened to all of the Jim O’Rourke ‘Steamroom’ collection in that period, for example.

It occurred to me that a chopped and screwed version might be a funny thing to carry out realization of, and I was at a point where I could stand for a short time, so it seemed as appropo a thing to do as any. Of course, traditional chopped/screwed is likely too high energy for this music, so a different approach, more slurring, and gnawing, was taken.

I arranged a few effects in series, found settings and modulations that I liked and then played the album through them, getting up to adjust settings infrequently, mostly letting the effects do their job. I took my pain pills, kicked back, and let it take me away. Note, I don’t think it’s necessary to break your femur and be on heavy pain medication to enjoy this, but it does pair nicely.

Got to hand off a small stack of tapes to the band when they played Big Sur 9/3/24, including a note which promises to take this down if asked by André, which has yet to happen, if you are reading this.

Go see NBS live if you can, it’s so good!

Cheers,

Raub