The Circling Sun - Orbits (Soundway Records Vinyl LP)

The Circling Sun - Orbits | Vinyl LP - 2026 Soundway Records Repress (SNDWLP199, mastered by Frank Merritt/The Carvery, pressed at Les Disques Garcia)

• Auckland's seven-piece spiritual jazz collective, led by drummer/producer Julien Dyne and saxophonist Cameron Allen, on their acclaimed second album for Soundway
• Afro-Cuban percussion, Brazilian jazz, analogue synths and the Love Affinity Choir, recorded across three studios in Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland) and cut to lacquer at The Carvery
• Follow-up to 2023's Spirits, expanding the collective's sound with Buchla and Prophet synthesisers, vibraphone, marimba and a nine-voice choir

The Circling Sun played together for roughly twenty years before their debut Spirits landed on Soundway in 2023. Orbits is the album that came from touring that record, and it sounds like a band that's figured out what it wants to do. "Constellation" opens with an Afro-Cuban conga pattern under Finn Scholes' vibraphone before the Love Affinity Choir enters and Joe Kaptein takes a piano solo that builds over seven and a half minutes without once losing the groove. "Seki" slows down into something closer to Sun Ra's Arkestra territory, meditative and percussive. "Amina" shifts again, pulling in guest guitarist Daniel Ryland and leaning toward acid jazz and neo-soul. The B-side picks up with "Flying", where flutes from Cameron Allen and JY Lee float over layered percussion and arpeggiated synths in a nod to Airto and Azymuth. Closer "Evenin" is the record's quiet highlight, with the choir carrying the melody over John Bell's cornet.

The core band is Dyne on drums and percussion, Allen and JY Lee splitting flute and reed duties (Lee alone covers alto flute, soprano through baritone saxophone, bass clarinet and clarinet), Ben Turua on acoustic bass, Kaptein on piano, Fender Rhodes, synth and guitar, Scholes on trumpet, flugelhorn, vibraphone and marimba, and Kenny Sterling on additional percussion, synth and choir direction. Cory Champion adds Korg MS-20 and Buchla modular across all tracks, and Brandon Haru layers Prophet synthesiser throughout. Dyne produced, arranged and mixed; Frank Merritt mastered and cut the lacquer at The Carvery.

This is the 2026 standard-sleeve repress on black vinyl, pressed at Les Disques Garcia. The original 2025 pressing came in a flip-back sleeve and sold through quickly, as did the limited green and pink translucent editions.