SUMAC to Release 'The Keeper's Tongue;' Share Remix by Moor Mother

SUMAC have announced a The Healer remix EP titled The Keeper's Tongue, which they will release on July 5th. The EP will follow just after the release of The Healer, their new 2xLP, on June 21st. Ahead of the EP and album, the group have shared the remix for "World of Light", a fittingly adventurous reimagining of SUMAC's sound by Moor Mother, with further production by Scott Evans (Kowloon Walled City). The track warps snippets of SUMAC's sound into a scintillating beat, bass oozing from beneath a slow churn as Moor Mother injects subtle intensity with her steady but fervent rapping centered on death, money, technology, and apathy in the current political landscape. After a guitar figure suspends the piece in ether, SUMAC's dense waves of sludge burst to the fore in tandem with Moor Mother's climactic final verses.

On the collaboration and track, SUMAC's Aaron Turner noted: “Moor Mother is an artist we’ve wanted to work with and admired for a long time, and we are excited we were able to come together for this. We had a feeling this would be a fitting pairing, yet the result exceeds expectations. So much deep resonant power and feeling in this piece! We are grateful for this connection and the resulting music - it's also highly appropriate and meaningful at this particular moment in time. Thanks to Camae and Scott Evans for realizing such a great piece of music - looking forward to more!"

Moor Mother said of the project: "It's a pleasure to work with SUMAC – they are really sweet. I’m excited because we have more to come! Stay tuned."

On The Healer, SUMAC deepens its multi-faceted exploration into the parallel experiences of creation and destruction. Over the course of 4 tracks in 76 minutes, SUMAC, the trio of guitarist/vocalist Aaron Turner, bassist Brian Cook, and drummer Nick Yacyshyn, presents a sequence of shifting movements which undergo a constant process of expansion, contraction, corruption and regrowth.

This musical methodology reflects the thematic nature of the record - narratives of experiential wounding as gateways to empowerment and evolution, both individual and collective. The group's interpolation of melody, drone, improvisation, and complex riffing becomes a transmogrifying act embodying the depth of human experience. In its highest aspiration it mirrors our ability to endure mortal and spiritual challenges, through which we may emerge with an increased capacity for understanding, empathy, love of self and others. Dismal though the subterranean pits of The Healer may at first appear, from them can be felt the unwavering determination to embrace life, acknowledge interdependence, and honor the gift of existence.

SUMAC will be embarking on a North American West Coast tour in support of The Healer this June, including a set at Vancouver Jazz Festival, with more touring to be announced in the fall.

Photo credit: Paulo Gonzales