Jan Lankisch Interview | How Marshall Allen’s ‘New Dawn’ Came Together
There were only two afternoons. Marshall Allen had turned 100 two days earlier, the musicians were gathered in a Philadelphia studio, and Jan Lankisch still had no real idea what the record was going to sound like.
Nobody did. The compositions existed on paper, but not even Allen or Knoel Scott had heard them played by an ensemble before. That became ‘New Dawn’, the first album Allen had ever released under his own name. The project began when Lankisch, founder of Cologne’s Week-End Records, asked Allen if he would consider making an album of his own compositions. Knoel Scott, Allen’s longtime friend and fellow Arkestra musician, went through Allen’s handwritten scores and arranged the pieces for the sessions. Lankisch then spent five months looking for somebody to produce it. He spoke with a number of people, but never found the right person. Eventually the recording dates were getting too close, so he took the job on himself.
What happened after those first two days turned into a much bigger job than Lankisch had expected. The strings were recorded again in Cologne, a smaller group returned to the Philadelphia studio six weeks later, and a considerable amount of editing followed. Lankisch eventually asked Neneh Cherry to sing the title track. Months later, while mixing ‘New Dawn’, he realised the piece still needed a proper Marshall Allen solo. Dave Hotep went to the Sun Ra House with a mobile recorder. Allen sat down, looked across at his girlfriend and played the solo that ended up on the record. The opening and closing came later too, using recordings of Allen playing kora that Lankisch had wanted to find a place for.
I had originally hoped to ask Marshall a few questions as well, but there simply wasn’t enough time around him to make that happen. Jan, though, had been involved from the first idea through to the final mixes, and his answers tell the story of how ‘New Dawn’ was actually made.
‘New Dawn’ was released by Week-End Records and Mexican Summer on February 14th, 2025.
“The music literally came into existence in the studio. We were all discovering it together as it took shape.”
You produced ‘New Dawn’ and also played percussion on it. What do you remember most clearly about those first sessions with Marshall?
Jan Lankisch: The process in the studio was very focused and intense. We only had two afternoons available, just two days after Marshall’s 100th birthday. The band came well prepared and spent some time getting comfortable with the tunes we were about to record. Once everything was in place, Marshall arrived at the studio and began recording his parts. You can see this in the video for ‘New Dawn’ on YouTube.
It was amazing to experience his presence firsthand. Even though he was clearly tired from the recent birthday celebrations, he was absolutely spot-on as soon as he heard the musicians playing his music. Watching him come alive in that moment was truly remarkable, and I was deeply impressed to witness it myself.
Do you remember when you first came across Sun Ra and the Arkestra?
I’ve known Sun Ra’s music since the 1990s, and I still remember when I first heard Yo La Tengo’s cover of ‘Nuclear War’ in 1997. That was the moment I was introduced to Sun Ra’s music.
Sun Ra’s catalog is perhaps the most impressive in jazz, and arguably in all of modern music. He opened countless doors and created music that often sounded unusual, challenging and even bizarre at the time it was made. Yet he somehow seemed to know that it would endure. Decades later, much of his work still sounds fresh, visionary and ahead of its time. His influence continues to resonate across genres, inspiring musicians and listeners alike.
You started Week-End Records in 2021. What did you want the label to be?
I began working with a label called Tomlab in 2001, when I was just 23 years old. I learned an incredible amount during those years, and I will always be grateful to the label’s founder, Tom, for that experience.
When I started Week-End Records, the original intention was simply to release a record by Julius Eastman that accompanied a performance at the festival. The release did so well that it encouraged me to continue and put out more records.
My vision is straightforward: I release music that I truly believe in. If a project moves me and I have a deep connection to the music, then I am fully committed to it. In that sense, I try to build a catalog that, much like my work for the festival, connects an understanding of recent music history with the present moment.
I enjoy telling the stories of artists whom I feel deserve a wider audience and greater recognition. Nothing makes me happier than knowing that listeners are able to feel some of what I feel when I hear this music. When that happens, I feel that I have accomplished my mission.
What first pulled you into music? Are there particular records you still think of as formative?
I still remember the first 7-inch record I bought in 1988, when I was ten years old: ‘Teardrops’ by Womack & Womack. Every time I listen to it, I am reminded of how deeply I have been drawn to Black music for as long as I can remember. Around the same time, I was also a huge fan of Janet Jackson and Prince. Looking back on those formative years, I realise how much that music shaped me, and it remains very dear to my heart.
In 1991, I became a huge Nirvana fan, which led me to discover other bands that would become equally important to me over the following years, especially Sonic Youth and, above all, Pavement. Another major influence was the label TeenBeat. Its founder, Mark Robinson, was a tremendous inspiration to me, not only musically, but also as a graphic designer, a role I greatly admired and looked up to.
In late 1994, shortly after turning sixteen, I was introduced to ‘Selected Ambient Works Volume II’ by Aphex Twin, and it completely changed my perspective on music. For the next several years, I immersed myself in the catalogs of labels such as Warp and Rephlex, as well as many smaller independent labels.
By the late 1990s, I had also discovered the world of Motown and many other soul labels from the 1960s and 1970s. Looking back, I would say that I have always been strongly drawn to record labels and the worlds they create. At the same time, I do not follow a specific label sound in my own work. What interests me is less a particular genre or aesthetic than a certain mood or sensibility. In that sense, my work is defined more by a feeling than by a sound.
What were you doing in the years before Week-End Records?
As mentioned earlier, I worked with the label Tomlab from 2001 until around 2011. During that time, I served as an A&R and helped bring artists such as Mark Robinson, Owen Pallett and Thee Oh Sees to the label. I also worked on an ambitious project with the visual artist David Shrigley, which resulted in both a book and a two-disc release.
Through my work at Tomlab, I had the opportunity to collaborate with artists such as David Byrne and Hot Chip. I was also responsible for organising three Tomlab showcase events at SXSW in Austin, Texas, between 2008 and 2010.
Since 2008, I have run my own concert series, acbty, through which I have promoted more than 500 shows. In addition, I have been organising Week-End Fest, an annual festival that has taken place every year since 2011.
Both projects reflect my ongoing commitment to presenting adventurous and inspiring music, creating spaces where artists and audiences can discover new perspectives and meaningful connections.
How did you end up producing ‘New Dawn’ yourself?
In the beginning, the idea was simple: to help Marshall record his first solo album consisting entirely of his own compositions. Over the course of five months, from December 2023 to May 2024, I searched for someone who could oversee the recording sessions and bring the necessary studio experience to the project. I spoke with many potential collaborators, but I never found the right person. As the recording dates drew closer, I realised that if the project was going to happen, I would have to take on that role myself.
Ironically, the actual recording sessions turned out to be the smallest part of the project. It was a very stressful experience for me, as I had never been in that position before, but the two afternoons in the studio passed incredibly quickly. When we left the studio, I had three or four takes of each song, and at first I felt relieved that everything had been captured.
Soon afterward, however, I realised that recording the string section simultaneously with the band, which was not originally my idea but likely arose from scheduling constraints and a desire for a more organic sound, had not been the best decision. We did not have a conductor present, and when I listened back to the recordings, it became clear that the string parts would need to be redone. I therefore made the difficult decision to rerecord the entire string section.
For this task, I turned to the wonderful arranger and flautist Jorik Bergman, who recorded the new string parts in Cologne. Meanwhile, the mixing engineer Hannes Plattmeier, based in London, was working on refining the recordings. We ended up doing a considerable amount of editing, and the entire editing and mixing process took another three months.
My goal was to release the album before Christmas that same year, which in retrospect was an extremely ambitious timeline. Another important piece of the puzzle was finding the right vocalist. After initially considering another singer, I eventually approached Neneh Cherry, who turned out to be the perfect choice. Having grown up around Don Cherry and having encountered Sun Ra and the Arkestra in the early 1980s, she brought a personal connection to the music that felt completely natural and authentic.
Looking back, I sometimes wish the production process had been less intensive. At the same time, the record needed that level of care and attention, and I am glad we made the decisions we did. I am incredibly proud of the final result, and I know that Marshall, Neneh and all of the musicians involved feel the same way.
Were there any of the great jazz producers or labels that you had in mind while making it?
I would not go so far as to compare myself to those legendary figures in jazz production. After all, Rudy Van Gelder was a brilliant recording engineer, and that is not my field. But I have a vision of sound that I can share with whoever I work with.
However, I do find the story of Blue Note’s Alfred Lion and Francis Wolff deeply inspiring, two Germans who believed passionately in something, committed themselves to it wholeheartedly and ultimately proved that their vision was right. Together, they formed a remarkable partnership, and the legacy they created continues to resonate today.
As a graphic designer myself, I am particularly drawn to that aspect of the Blue Note story. I was fortunate to bring my own vision to the artwork for this project, and in moments like that I often think of Reid Miles, whose work played such an important role in shaping the visual identity of the label. The combination of strong artistic direction, thoughtful design and a deep commitment to the music is something I have always admired and continue to aspire to in my own work.
Were you ever tempted to alter the performances afterwards, or was it important to keep what happened in the room?
No, I did not alter anything in that way, and I would never consider doing so. The only aspect we spent significant time working on was the drum sound.
If we had had more time, and if I had been more experienced in that role, I would have started working on the drum setup several hours before the session, together with the drummer and the engineer in Philadelphia, to fine-tune the sound before the recording began.
Beyond that, my goal was always to preserve the music as it happened in the room. I wanted the recording to sound as raw, direct and honest as possible, reflecting what I witnessed in the studio as the musicians played their instruments. Capturing that energy and immediacy was far more important to me than polishing or manipulating the performances afterward.
What does ‘New Dawn’ mean to you personally?
It means a great deal to me. I am deeply grateful for the trust that Marshall, his family and all of the musicians placed in me. Most of them barely knew me beforehand, yet everyone involved was eager and fully committed to helping this legendary artist create his first truly personal album.
Our shared goal was to bring Marshall’s compositions to life and present his musical vision in a way that felt authentic and meaningful. Seeing that vision become a reality was incredibly rewarding, and I could not be happier with what we achieved together.
Looking back, I feel fortunate to have been part of this project and proud of what everyone contributed. It was a collective effort driven by dedication, respect and a genuine love for the music, and I believe that spirit can be heard throughout the record.
What fascinates me is that nobody had actually heard these compositions played before the sessions. How did the album begin to take shape once you were in the studio?
I have to tell you that until the first note was played in the studio, I had absolutely no idea what to expect. I had placed my full trust in Knoel Scott, an Arkestra member since 1979 and one of Marshall’s closest friends for decades. Marshall has lived in the Sun Ra House since 1968, and Knoel moved in twenty years later, in 1988. Of everyone involved, Knoel was closest to Marshall and the only person truly qualified to select pieces from Marshall’s handwritten scores and arrange them for the ten core musicians and string players.
What made the project so unique was that none of us, not even Marshall or Knoel, had ever heard these compositions performed live before. The music literally came into existence in the studio. We were all discovering it together as it took shape.
After two long afternoons of recording, we ended up with only four pieces: ‘Sonny’s Dance’, ‘New Dawn’, ‘African Sunset’ and ‘Boma’. I knew immediately that this would not be enough material for a complete album. ‘Sonny’s Dance’, for example, was originally around twelve minutes long. Much of the session was spent simply figuring out how to play the piece, so later we had to find the strongest sections and create an edit that preserved both the energy and the narrative of the performance.
‘Boma’ is probably the track that remains closest to what happened in the room. It also came from a longer session and required editing, but I later wrote the introductory section and had it rerecorded a few weeks afterward. The decision to begin with the bass and gradually build the arrangement with the strings was also my idea, and it became one of the moments where I felt the album’s broader sonic identity beginning to emerge.
About six weeks later, I sent a smaller group back to the same studio: Marshall, Knoel, trumpeter Cecil Brooks and bassist Jamaaladeen Tacuma. I suggested recording a new version of ‘Angels and Demons at Play’, which turned out beautifully. Knoel wanted to play drums on that session, and I immediately liked the idea. By then, I had already established a sequence for the album and had a much clearer sense of its overall shape.
That second session also allowed us to revisit much of the earlier material. Bass parts, horn themes and several solos were rerecorded for ‘African Sunset’, ‘Boma’, ‘New Dawn’ and ‘Sonny’s Dance’. During the original sessions, everything had happened under considerable time pressure, and some important musical details had not received the attention they deserved. As a result, there was a substantial amount of editing involved afterward. The entire string section was also rerecorded in Cologne across two separate sessions, which ultimately gave the music greater clarity and precision.
One particularly memorable moment came much later, during the mixing of ‘New Dawn’. While listening to the track, I suddenly realised that the piece absolutely needed a proper Marshall Allen solo. I asked Dave Hotep of the Arkestra if he could stop by the Sun Ra House with a mobile recorder. Marshall sat down, looked over at his girlfriend and played the beautiful solo that ultimately made its way onto the record. It was one of those moments that simply could not have been planned.
As for the question of bridging heritage and innovation, I think some of the clearest examples emerged during post-production. The dub treatments I developed from the raw recordings of ‘Angels and Demons at Play’ introduced a contemporary sonic dimension while remaining faithful to the spirit of the performance. Likewise, the album’s opening and closing sections grew out of recordings of Marshall playing the kora, an instrument he had hoped to feature on the album itself but never managed to incorporate into the ensemble sessions. I felt strongly that those recordings belonged on the record, and eventually I found a way to use them as the opening and closing statements.
For me, those moments represent the bridge between past and future most vividly. The music remains deeply rooted in the Sun Ra tradition, but the way it was shaped, edited, framed and ultimately presented reflects a contemporary perspective. Rather than trying to recreate the past, my goal was to help this music live fully in the present.
Where does ‘New Dawn’ sit within the story of Week-End Records for you?
‘New Dawn’ is the only record where I had complete control and involvement from the very beginning. I have been involved in the production of some of the other releases on the label as well, Jim O’Rourke and Farida Amadou, but with this project I was part of every stage of the process.
What this project proved to me is that with belief, dedication and a great deal of love, these special moments can become reality. I love creating projects like this, bringing together people, ideas and music in a way that allows something unique to emerge.
Of course, not every release has to be developed in this way. But even when I am working on a reissue, I invest a tremendous amount of care and attention into every detail. I want each record to look special, sound special and communicate the passion that went into bringing it back into the world.
What is coming next for Week-End Records?
I am currently working on the first-ever reissue of the legendary Brazilian artist Edu Lobo’s 1970 album ‘Cantiga de Longe’, which is scheduled for release in September. Editor’s note: Week-End Records’ reissue of Edu Lobo’s ‘Cantiga de Longe’ is released today, September 11th. At the same time, I am working on another heavyweight and truly iconic dub album, as well as a new record by a legendary British folk artist whose work helped define the genre in the 1960s and 1970s.
So there are several exciting projects on the horizon. One of the things I enjoy most about running the label is that every project opens the door to a different musical world. It certainly keeps things interesting.
Klemen Breznikar
Headline credit: Marshall Allen, photo by Ayana Wildgoose / courtesy of Week-End Records
Marshall Allen Website / Instagram
Week-End Records Website / Instagram / Bandcamp
