The Circling Sun

𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙫𝙚-𝙙𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙘-𝙨𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙚-𝙟𝙖𝙯𝙯 𝙞𝙣𝙛𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙, Orbits 𝙗𝙮 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙞𝙧𝙘𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙎𝙪𝙣 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙧𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙛𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙤𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙣 𝙟𝙖𝙯𝙯, 𝙖𝙛𝙧𝙤-𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙣 𝙧𝙝𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙢𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙨𝙢𝙞𝙘 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩.

The New Zealand collective connects spiritual jazz traditions with dancefloor fluidity—think Sun Ra Arkestra meets early 2000s broken beat. The record glides between celestial meditations and hard-grooving bangers, with analog synths, acoustic percussion, upright bass and modal horn arrangements locked into a deeply uplifting groove.

“Plume” and “Spirits” lean into spiritual jazz and deep Latin swing, while “Bones” and “MSB” tap into a funkier, percussive fusion vibe reminiscent of Strata-East and Tribe Records. There's also a heavy dose of electronic processing and dubwise effects, bringing it closer to the Sound Signature or Theo Parrish orbit.

Released on Soundway Records, Orbits is a strong contender for one of the standout jazz fusion albums of the year—vital, exploratory and full of life.