Jack Spence’s Bamboo Sun, the next installment of Freedom to Spend’s uncommon¢

Jack Spence’s Bamboo Sun is the next installment of Freedom to Spend’s uncommon¢ series: a nearly unknown entry in the canon of the early 80s DIY cassette network, and a genre-bending exercise in form and function from an enigmatic west coast artist.

Bamboo Sun’s atmosphere is one of a humid, wet tropical rain forest. Mystery lurks around every corner, sometimes inviting, other times with a tangible air of tension. The album veers into fashionable fourth world elements of the era, but Spence’s imaginary landscapes are distinctly his own, teeming with alien arrangements, acoustic percussion ensembles, and slow, pulsing rhythms leading the path. Synth-centric pieces emanate a distinctly human feeling, occasionally brushing up against the record’s scarce vocal-led songs.

Although Spence was tragically murdered in the late 80s, leaving many more questions than answers, his work survives as a vivid document of a seeker of sound.

Check out “Cyeta,” the first work from the album, in the ether (but not streaming), and pre-order Bamboo Sun on the Freedom to Spend and RVNG webstores or Bandcamp before the record arrives on February 6, 2026.