Hypnotic Brass Ensemble

Originally from Chicago, the brothers started as a street ensemble, busking on the sidewalks before recordingtheir first single in 2004. They have performed with Mos Def, Aquilla Sadalla and Phil Cohran & recorded with the likes of Erykah Badu and Maxwell. Bringing together their musicianship, jazz roots and hip hop sensibilities HBE have toured relentlessly to become known as one of the hottest and most individual bands around. Featured last summer in Honest Jon's Chop Up shows the band played alongside Tony Allen, Damon Albarn & Candi Staton. Recorded on the back of the Africa Express trip to Lagos last October, during a three-day stop-over in London, with the drummer's stool shared by Malcolm Catto from the The Heliocentrics, Sola Akingbola from Jamiroquai, and the one and only Tony Allen. Another friend from the Nigeria trip, Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers turned up at the session: handed Paul Simenon's bass, parked up in the studio, he muttered, "Woah, so this is the thing that this was written on", hammering out Guns Of Brixton.