The Herbaliser (DEPT H / Ninja Tune / K7 / UK) – live band or DJ Set
Post hip hop cinematic funky beat
More than 20 years into their musical journey, The Herbaliser just keep getting bigger, stronger and better. The seven lords of loopy, soundtrack inspired funk-infused hip-hop (or hip-hop-infused funk, depending on your perspective) are one of the key acts if not the key act of the Ninja Tune’s History.
Jake Wherry and Ollie Teeba used their time to effortlessly combine their love of hip hop, funk, jazz and sixties film soundtracks into a widescreen, musical approach to the beat that was as raw as it was intelligent.
Super heavy, psychedelic, beat-laden, post-hip-hop audio!
Their choice of musical collaborators also shows their love for and understanding of the craft of rapping. From Jean Grae to the likes of MF Doom and Roots Manuva (long before either was a cool name to drop), all of the Herbaliser’s choices show a love for a characterful, distinctive voice as well as rock solid technique (a modus operandi which also served them well when choosing the remarkable Seaming To to vocal the title track to 2002’s “Something Wicked This Way Comes”).
The third string to the Herbaliser bow is, of course, their live show. Not content with being great DJs, and once again long before the trend for dance acts going ‘live,’ Wherry and Teeba put together a crack group of musicians (many with a strong background in jazz and soul) to bring their recordings into full-on technicolor, three dimensional life.
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