The Sufis

The Sufis are an incredible baroque psych group from Nashville, led by local sound pioneer and aural investigator, Calvin Laporte. I was turned onto them initially by Ryan from the Paper head who had recorded with them on a couple of tracks, he told me what they were doing was special and he wasn't wrong. I'd say they're amongst the cream of the crop of the new psych/garage influenced scene in Nashville. When myself and Tjinder heard the debut album they'd made, it blew US away, we knew instantly we had to put it out on Ample Play. It's incredibly adventurous and has numerous memorable, catchy (self penned) songs too. They record using only original equipment, or repaired/rebuilt old analogue recording equipment and effects, combined with some reverbs and effects that they've built from scratch. The musicianship on the record is stunning. And we also love the fact that the only show they played that we're aware of prior to recording the album was to a packed room of friends where they set themselves up in the middle of a large room and arranged their speaker/amps in all four corners and had the audience in a circle around them in between, as part gig, part happening and part experiment. This is a group with ideas, with psychedelic ideas. The Sufis will be playing their first regional shows around the album release. Apparently anticipation for the record in the Tennessee area is already at fever pitch. - Ben Ayres, Cornershop/Ample Play Records.