HYPNOTIC BRASS ENSEMBLE

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

2008-12-31T23:49:00.000-05:00

Keepin it movin

2008-04-23T15:49:00.003-04:00

After a brief reunion with the cultural community of Chicago, celebrating the First Fruits ceremony called Kwanzaa, of course we went back to NYC. But not for long. On the 22nd of that same month we were back in the CHI giving the Depaul University crowd some Hypnotic love. We don't get to do Chicago that often. But all that's changing.

2007-12-27T16:31:00.000-05:00

SAME AS IT EVER WAS

Overworked, overseas: HYPNOTIC and Mos in London, December 2007.

To all our fans worldwide, thanks for the love over the past year.

Check it out, even in 2008 some of America's finest have to go abroad to get critical acclaim and escape ignorance back home.

Chicago music expert/Tribune hack Greg Kot just published his list of "top local indie releases of '07"—10 artists who got it crackin while HYPNOTIC was sitting around being lazy and boring in the Chi, NYC, LA, London, Barcelona...at the North Sea Jazz Festival...and collaborating with everyone from Mos Def to Damon Albarn and Tony Allen. All that, done independently.

Can you think of any band more *indie* that HYPNOTIC?

Thankfully we had a number one record in Japan, Boomkat in the UK put yall up on the view that "Sanfoka" is one of the best songs of the year and now Tim Perlich at Now magazine in Toronto has selected the "Jupiter" CD as one of the albums of the year. Thanks Tim!

Maybe HYPNOTIC's not local enough!!!

Greg Kot's email address is greg@gregkot.com. Drop him a line and ask him if that's the case!

Or maybe just write a letter to the editor about Kot's shoddy-ass attempt at opinionmaking.

In the meantime yall let's hope Obama doesn't have to go over to Kenya to get elected Prez-o.

2007-12-21T13:21:00.000-05:00

~~EUROPE UPDATE~~

EUROPE TRIP IS BACKDATED, SCROLL BACK AND CHECK OUT WHAT HAPPENED!

It was a good trip, we'll fill you in over the next week or so...stay tuned!

2007-12-19T12:10:00.000-05:00

...AND WE'RE BACK NYC!!!

So come down and check us tonight!

2007-11-27T21:24:00.000-05:00

THAT NETHERLANDS FRESHNESS

If you get out there, Amsterdam has some raw barbers yall.

Just ask Smoov!

2007-11-26T22:09:00.000-05:00

ROTTERDAM: AFTER THE SHOW IT'S THE AFTERPARTY

Rotown? Down with brown. Who knew? WE LOVE HOLLAND MORE THAN EVER!

Scroll down, check out Hudah's champagne game and 360 doubled up with Ben and Len Stefani.

LOL.

2007-11-26T16:02:00.000-05:00

THIS IS EUROPE: ROTTERDAM: BLACK SOIL FILM FESTIVAL

Wow. Rotterdam. Rock star status we partied all night on Friday in London, blazed to the airport, flew to Holland and rolled in for the amazing, world class Black Soil Film Festival (get on their MySpace!). ! Remembering the love we got at North Sea Jazz over the summer (have yall forgotten?), we gave the good folks of Rotterdam a little taste of the "fresh air" HYPNOTIC, playing outside an art gallery to ratchet up hype for the show. Just a taste though! Then it was time to get it crackin at the Rotown venue.

To be brief, gotta say that the Rotown show was one of the best HYPNOTIC shows ever. Backstage the band got reckless and decided to debut a new 3 x 3 x 3 format— three hits of three songs with no breaks, not chatter, no backstory. The crowd loved it—really gave people a chance to get into the full detonation of the HYPNOTIC sound.

Anyways...the results were INSANE!!! Not the kinda show you take pics of, just one you remember forever.

Respect to Philip @ Black Soil (in the pic below). He set the band up lovely with a great introduction (at least it sounded great in Dutch). Plus dude's front row game is immaculate.

2007-11-25T16:06:00.000-05:00

MORE LONDON!

Had to throw a few Equinox pics up from the show at Shepherds Bush. Plus some videos from the fans in the stands...I don't hear any of yall complaining so...

2007-11-24T15:39:00.000-05:00

THIS IS EUROPE: LONDON: SHEPHERDS BUSH EMPIRE w MOS DEF

Photography copyright (c) danandsteve 2007.

This is how you get a party started. HYPNOTIC BRASS ENSEMBLE packed up that horn heat and took a Thanksgiving red eye to London, where they more or less stepped off the plane and on to the stage at the legendary Shepherds Bush Empire for a Friday night show with the mighty Mos Def. Needless to say the band was a little groggy after the overnight flight but needless to say...they bodied it!

We love London, can't wait to get back for more shows in a week or so!

Dan Wilton and Steve Bliss were on hand to record the magic, and you can order some actual-factual prints for your boo here.

SOLD OUT

2007-11-20T09:52:00.000-05:00

IT'S

REAL

2007-11-19T09:14:00.000-05:00

FLATTERY WILL GET YOU EVERYWHERE

Hudah and Yosh with the legedary Tony Allen, London July 2007.
Photograph by Liz Johnson

OK, looks like the HYPNOTIC BRASS ENSEMBLE tune "Sankofa" aka the remix of Tony Allen's "Losun" is hitting the streets.

"Where to begin with this incredible twelve? The A-side features the much-hyped Hypnotic Brass Ensemble (with a lineup featuring the sons of Sun Ra trumpeter Phil Cohran) taking on Tony Allen's "Losun" and creating one of the most astonishing pieces of music we've heard this year, managing to sound like a school brass band touched by pure genius. Hard to over-emphasise how good this is, for sure one of the singles of the year - and that's before we've even flipped over. The B-side features Salah Ragab and the Afro-Egyptian Ensemble whom you might remember from the amazing "Presents Egyptian Jazz" reissue on Art Yard right at the very start of the year, taking on two Tony Allen originals and turning them into sparkling African gems with a hint of Egyptian romance sprayed into the air. We just love this record - ESSENTIAL PURCHASE!"

Via Boomkat, available through Honest Jons.

RRREWIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIND!!!!!!!!!!

2007-11-15T17:12:00.000-05:00

INTERNATIONAL WEEK / GERMANY

Here's some scans of an article from the music magazine LOOP out in Germany. You might've seen these pics before but never before with German text! Eine musikalische Familienbande!

Nice work by photographer Bjorn Glusbrucht and stylist Alex Sportelli.

The clothes? Those would be G-STAR...

2007-11-12T10:39:00.000-05:00

INTERNATIONAL WEEK / SPAIN

It's international week here at HBE HQ, we're getting ready to head to Europe next week. This article's from Serie B magazine in Spain. Click on the pics to enlarge (ie enlarge your Spanish vocabularly).

Thanks to El Chavo, Susana and Santi for making it happen.

2007-11-09T10:49:00.000-05:00

CHICAGO HAPPENING

Is that velvet? KPC bodyrockin the frankiphone, Chicago, back in the day

Another anniversary of sorts: last year around this time Kelan Phil Cohran re-released his magnificent Malcolm X Memorial. If you don't know about that album you haven't been coming to class or doing your homework. For shame, nerds!

This weekend you can travel the spaceways to check KPC celebrate the album with a special performance at Borders in the Chi. It's at 3pm, giving you enough time to run over to Dusty Groove and pick up the fresh out, super-bossy, semi-bootlegged Japanese import of KPC's singles collection (image below) and make it a weekend of expansive sociospiritual edification.

Lesson of the week: cop doubles!

Kelan Phil Cohran at Borders
1539 E. 53rd Street
Chicagoland, IL 60615
3pm

2007-11-07T17:16:00.002-05:00

WELL, DONE

Well, eBay's "ramrodius" just got his *extra* copy of "Jupiter" off for $100+ bux. The record first came out (ie was sold out of a suitcase in Europe) almost a year ago to the day so that's a pretty steep climb. That's just crazy—almost as crazy as the "NYC Live" CD going for $55...all of it a weird commentary on a bunch of levels, from the plummeting value of the dollar (maybe $100 isn't that deep) to the basic way some people "get it" and other people don't—or the way some people front and some don't. At the same time there's been a run on our CDs and vinyl in the streets and select stores worldwide, some shops act like we're twisting their arms to take five records for sale over the counter and we haven't cracked real bookings in Paris or the West Coast. And you'll forgive us for feeling some kinda way about Jay-Z's new video and appearance on Letterman. Judging from the emails and the conversations in the streets a lot of you feel the same way. (Side note: if you question the President does that put you in the same box as LL?)

Anyways, the only HYPNOTIC CDs ever sold in stores have been a few done on consignment years ago to Reckless Records in Chicago, maybe 20 we left with our friends at Honest Jons on our first trip to London last year, and then some sold in a shop at North Sea Jazz Festival this past summer. And while it's been cool to say you can only get our music in person and watch the second party seller eBay auctions come and go, obviously we're all over YouTube, we've been pirated by the Russians and bootlegged in NYC. But there's more: the downside of yesterday's auctions was the flood of emails we received from disappointed fans who missed out on the action.

So change happens.

As of now the first two HYPNOTIC BRASS ENSEMBLE albums—"Flipside" aka the orange CD and "Jupiter" aka the green CD—are available for download via all international iTunes stores and Amazon.

Let's see how it goes.

2007-11-06T09:51:00.000-05:00

ATTENTION COLLECTORS!!

A near-complete* HYPNOTIC BRASS ENSEMBLE discography** is up for sale over to the eBay for another 24 hours (it's in the UK so you might have to the dollars to pounds to euros to yen thing). Looks like all dude's missing is the FLIPSIDE CD and the Tony Allen rework, but to be fair that's not out for another week or so.

We hollered at the seller "ramrodius" to find out just why he was unloading such gems. Dude hit us back talking about he has DOUBLES. Now that's bossy!!!

Anyways, happy bidding!

*yet sold separately.
**yes that means the mega rare "Jupiter" 10in.

2007-11-02T13:53:00.000-04:00

MEN AT WORK

Maybe HYPNOTIC BRASS ENSEMBLE is on its way to a Grateful Dead dimension. First the tripped out show this past Monday and now a taper (!) just posted up 93.4MB of audio from the gig. Dude did his thing and track IDed as well as he could, so you not only get a handful of raw mp3s—a a helter skelter version of "War" and some never-before-recorded jams like the classic cover of "Moments In Love"—but also the option to leave the chatty "interludes" off to the side. Takes a while to pull down but what else are you doing on a Friday at work?

Twist to this on the weekend. "Ladies this for yall. Grab somebody."

Full show:

HYPNOTIC BRASS ENSEMBLE Live at HIGHLINE BALLROOM 29 OCT 07

"War" (live at Highline Ballroom)

"Moments In Love" (live at Highline Ballroom)

2007-10-31T15:29:00.000-04:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

...if you're into that sort of thing...

...as some Bros obviously are...

2007-10-30T12:49:00.000-04:00

HYPNOTIC AT THE HIGHLINE

Last night's show was crazy, one of those rare ones when everything comes together in an explosion of sound and vision.

Highline Ballroom has incredible sound design and a great team of tech dudes so they had the band mic'ed perfectly...but of course that's just part of it—when it's all the way live there's no faking true musicianship. And that's where HYPNOTIC steps in; the Bros came on stage close to midnight and started tearing through songs like a band of madmen. At one point it got a little crazy, the guys started playing back and forth in the space around the mics, making the horns hits come out like percussive beats that sounded more like house music rather than your average everyday HYPNOTIC mind erasure...

...luckily we recorded off the boards. Maybe the Bros will be into posting a track or two just for the diehard fans.

Stay tuned!

2007-10-29T10:59:00.000-04:00

***TONIGHT***

HYPNOTIC BRASS ENSEMBLE w the Restless, Beatards and Foxy
HIGHLINE BALLROOM
431 W 16th st btw 9th and 10th Aves
11 PM

SEE YOU THERE!!!

2007-10-25T11:42:00.000-04:00

HYPNOTIC IS FOR THE CHILDREN

Remember field trips?

Yesterday HYPNOTIC had an early morning show uptown, playing for a full house of young people at HarlemStage's Aaron Davis Hall. It was waaay before noon, but when the band came on and blasted out "Brass In Africa" all the kids in the crowd really sent it up, it was kinda crazy.

Other highlights: the Q&A session that followed ("How'd you get those instruments in here?" "What's it like playing in a band with your brothers?"), the age-guessing game, 360 giving his drumsticks away to a screaming high school girl and the "Sankofa"/"Che Che Colé" dance competition, in which a little girl in a yellow parka broke out into the Soulja Boy "Crank That" Supaman dance...slipped up and didn't get any footage of that, lemme see if someone else has it...

2007-10-24T15:53:00.000-04:00

THE SHOW(S)!!

...And then there's

23 NOV SHEPHERDS BUSH EMPIRE w MOS DEF / LONDON

24 NOV BLACK SOIL HIP-HOP FILM FESTIVAL / ROTTERDAM

1 DEC w JEFF MILLS / GRONINGEN

2 DEC PARADISO w MOS DEF / AMSTERDAM

6 DEC JAZZ CAFE / LONDON

7 DEC MARQUEE w MIA / DUBLIN
SUGARCLUB / DUBLIN...OUR IRELAND SOLO DEBUT BLOWOUT!!!

14 DEC O2 ARENA w MADNESS / LONDON

15 DEC CARGO / LONDON

Some more dates to come, but everyone's getting antsy so here's enough to get you started!

2007-10-23T11:14:00.001-04:00

LONDON: MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!

2007-10-22T19:00:00.000-04:00

STORY OF THE WEEK

This Rican dude's been sitting in with HYPNOTIC BRASS ENSEMBLE!!

2007-10-18T13:56:00.001-04:00

~~TOKYO BLUES~~
BAD NEWS GOOD NEWS

Hey team, we're kind of blue today—our trip to Tokyo has been canceled due to venue woes. Looks like it's gonna be a little while til we're able to get out there and say thanks for making "Brass In Africa" the number one record in Japan a few weeks ago.

As Yosh might say—the flipside to this is Tokyo's loss is NYC gain. Happy to announce we're bossing up a show at HIGHLINE BALLROOM on Monday 29 October. Details soon come!

And YES we are blasting off to EUROPE again next month. Still last minute confirming a couple cities but we're doing some shows with MOS DEF, one with MIA and another with Detroit Underground legend JEFF MILLS...plus the usual solo show shenanigans. The early adopters out there have already started buying tix in London, Dublin, Amsterdam and when the full schedule is firmed up everyone else will be in the know as well! Stay tuned.

2007-10-16T14:44:00.000-04:00

IT'S COMING!!

News from London says that the vinyl pressing of the HYPNOTIC BRASS ENSEMBLE remix of Tony Allen's "Losun" is on its way.

The Bros went roots deep on the track, and call their version "Sankofa". It's dropping on Honest Jons so you know the label art is crisp...but for true heads the killer is the B-side: a couple of remixes from Sun Ra collaborator and Cairo jazz pharoah Salah Ragab.

REWIND!!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-10-12T14:16:00.000-04:00

HBE + KPC TV

Four members of HYPNOTIC BRASS ENSEMBLE were on hand in Chicago this week as their father Kelan Phil Cohran taped an hourlong episode of the "H3O Show" on Chicago Access Network. Chitown community icon Dr Gloria Latimore Peace's long-running program covers "history, culture, health, nutrition, spirituality, performances by local artists, panel discussions on contemporary issues, and one-on-one interviews with experts in various fields." Cosmogonic conductor-instructor Kelan has been a guest on the show before but this time he wanted the Bros on camera as a way of bridging the generation gap in the community and reaching out to the young people of Chi with some positive, independent and focused role models.

As a result the conversation was kinda crazy, ranging in topics from the Cohran order's nontraditional upbringing and what that meant in and to the hood, HYPNOTIC's perspectives as black men with passports in the world and their experiences with gangs, drugs and the streets growing up.

Needless to say we're trying to get a hold of the tape after it airs.

For those in the Chi, the "H3O Show" is on CAN19 Fridays at 830pm and Sundays at 330pm. Youtube that please!

Here are some pics from the taping, taken before Kelan told Smoov to take off his hat lol.

2007-10-09T14:56:00.000-04:00

HYPNOTIC x MAXWELL

So yeah—last week we were in the studio on the late late night tip with icon that is Maxwell. Apparently dude's been holed up in the studio FOREVER working on a crazy trilogy of music entitled "Black Summers' Night". His fans probably already know the single "Pretty Wings" that's streaming over at his MySpace. Well yall aint gonna recognize it anymore, HYPNOTIC got in there opened that tune up with the classic HYPNOTIC sound !

The Wikipedia is talking about how Maxwell has been hard at work on this project for awhile, but who knows maybe it'll take even longer if Bros keep getting in the studio like that. That's cool though, apparently your man's first record that amazing "Urban Hang Suite" was finished in 1994 and shelved for two years before the label released it!

Either way, sooner or later babies are gonna get made to this!

2007-10-05T13:46:00.000-04:00

"BRASS IN AFRICA": IT'S REAL

Hello brass fans, well our private stock of the number one record in Japan finally came in.

It's bossy!

Only 500 were made and they're available only in Japan.

MAXWELL got one though. More on that story next week!

(Yes really!)

2007-10-01T18:18:00.000-04:00

BIG IN JAPAN PART TWO

Via Djouls:

"This is a cover version of the famous Johnny Pate original 'Shaft In Africa' which recently got sampled by Just Blaze for Jay-Z's 'Show Me What You Got'. Limited 7 inch - grab this quick!"

But just because the "Brass In Africa" record that's on the on the charts in Japan is pretty much a vinyl-only 7in for krazy rekord kollector types (the kind that buy our "Jupiter" 10in for $100 on eBay) doesn't mean the rest of our fans can't bump it!

Take a listen:

HYPNOTIC BRASS ENSEMBLE "Brass In Africa"

Bulljun remix

Is there an a cappella for "Show Me What You Got" floating around out there? It'd be dope to hear Jay with some HYPNOTIC horns!!

2007-09-28T22:05:00.000-04:00

NUMBER 1 IN JAPAN!!!

How great does it feel to say that?

Our elusive 7in record "Brass In Africa" is at the top of Jet Set's hit chart.

See you soon Tokyo!

2007-09-26T15:15:00.000-04:00

THE NEWNESS!!

We're gonna be talking about this for the next six months so we're gonna have to pace ourselves, yesterday HYPNOTIC BRASS ENSEMBLE returned to Truth & Soul studios in Brooklyn to record a new song—racing to get it out as a new 10in vinyl single in time for our trip to Toyko next month.

No details for now, just watch and listen.

2007-09-21T11:17:00.000-04:00

"ACTUALLY YES IT IS A NEW TROMBONE, THANKS FOR ASKING."

"Did I mention the hinges on the case are made of SOLID GOLD???"

Actually a couple Bros are shining with new brass lately. HYPNOTIC keeping that weight up!..(Of course, a sousaphone costs a lot more than a trombone, trumpet or cornet.)

2007-09-20T11:35:00.001-04:00

LEGENDS

Last night HYPNOTIC opened for some true freedom fighters: the father and son Leon and Eric Bibb with the incomparable protest singer Odetta headlining. Really crazy to be in the room with folks who have been on the civil rights battlefield for the past 50 years—gives you a sense of how far we've come but also how far we have to go.

Like everyone else, we're thinking about The Jena 6 in Louisiana. Stay tuned fam, we're working with Mos Def on some things to bring attention to the case.

2007-09-19T10:42:00.000-04:00

HYPNOTIC-ON-HUDSON

On deck: Jafar settles in. Briarcliff Manor, September 2007.

This is how we do it, the Mansion 3.0. HYPNOTIC BRASS ENSEMBLE has moved in to some new digs ~~up on the hill behind Briarcliff Manor Country Club~~ in an undisclosed location in Westchester County, roughly between the Hudson River, Bill Clinton's house and the Rockefeller Estate. It's good to get out of the city every once in a while, dunno what it is but NYC just seems crazy LOUD lately.

Anyways there will be more pics to come, you'll be able to check out the bossy crushed black marble look of the interior and ~~see the guys watching karate flicks and playing Playstation 24/7~~ get rare glimpses of the elusive HYPNOTIC lifestyle, silk bathrobe and slipper status. The house is actually on three acres of woods so you can bet there's about to be some crazy writing sessions "out back."

Oh yeah, and we're gonna have a housewarming party real soon. It's going down!

PS Note the hoop in the driveway...There's already been one basketball-related injury. Bros are taking their court game real serious.

2007-09-12T10:51:00.000-04:00

YOU WANT ~~FASHION~~ THIS???

It's Fashion Week in NYC. HYPNOTIC ain't really on all that whole catwalk vibe, we're keeping a low profile. But since our G-Star people from Holland are in town showing some flyy new looks for the fall/winter, it's a good chance to throw up some pics of custom pieces they made for the band earlier this year. G-Star's not like a lot of other clothing companies, they don't just send a box of clothes over with a note attached like "wear this." The whole team really spent a long time studying HYPNOTIC's music and lifestyle and then came up with something unique that was different for both the band and the brand...kinda like Sun Ra for the hood in 2010!

These photos are coming out in the German music magazine LOOP this fall along with an interview, so check for that, ask your penpal to send you one.

Next month we're linking up with the Dutch denim brand again, this time in Tokyo at the insanely bossy 100% Design event...it's our first trip to Asia!

2007-09-10T09:50:00.000-04:00

NAME THAT TUNE

The Bros are back in NYC and back at the lab—in the streets playing some new tunes for the people. Here's one that hasn't been recorded or released, what do you think of it??

I think this song is called _______________________________________.

2007-08-28T19:08:00.000-04:00

'ROUND MIDNIGHT

This just in, this just in. Just got word HYPNOTIC BRASS ENSEMBLE will be playing a late night show at Rose Live in Williamsburg this Friday. I repeat, HYPNOTIC BRASS ENSEMBLE will be playing a late night show at Rose Live in Williamsburg this Friday.

FRIDAY 31 AUGUST
11PMish
$7 AT THE DOOR
ROSE LIVE MUSIC
345 GRAND STREET (NOT AVENUE, SUCKAS!)
WILLIAMSBURG, BROOKLYN
G TRAIN TO METROPOLITAN
L TRAIN TO LORIMER

2007-08-23T11:17:00.000-04:00

KPC NEWS!!

It's true, we've been messin you up your whole head, teasing you with news of THE SHOW. Yeah it's gonna be otherworldly...but that's gonna be September 3rd. So while HYPNOTIC is getting its chops together in NYC, their father Bro. Kelan Phil Cohran is having a little warm-up of his own this weekend in the Chi.

On Sunday KPC will be honored as a Jazz Warrior (!) at Jazz In The Alley 2007 in Dunbar Park (behind Dunbar HS, 29th & Calumet Av...one street west of King Drive)...and looking at the schedule below it seems he's also gonna be doing a bit of presenting in the evening. Oh sure there's also a natural haircare Q&A and a headwrap workshop...but given the growing audiences at his spellbinding performances this year, you know the real roots work is going down at 6:15pm. Someone EMAIL US and put us up on the mental expansion!

2007-08-21T14:06:00.000-04:00

COLLECTED PIECES OF WORK

HYPNOTIC BRASS ENSEMBLE at Lions Den, NYC August 2007.

WOAH...This dude Djouls in Paris has compiled a complete HYPNOTIC BRASS ENSEMBLE discography over at his his aptly-titled Music You Don't Hear On The Radio. Even if you're living with the music daily it still sort of brings a tear to the eye to see it all lovingly laid out in living ~~color~~ HTML with the proper attention to detail, fact-checking and artwork/design.

On the flipside it also brings in to focus just how focused this band is: three CDs, two 10in singles and a couple wild cards thrown in for good measure...and if you know us like we know us, you know we're just getting started. Anyways, bookmark this in your browser!

Complete HYPNOTIC BRASS ENSEMBLE discography here.

2007-08-17T09:04:00.000-04:00

LION UP

Preach! Gabriel Benyehudah aka Da Lion of Judah in Harlem USA, August 2007.

We're at the Lion's Den tonight, taking the stage around midnight. We're back in NYC and we bout to GET THE PARTY STARTED.

2007-08-16T09:26:00.000-04:00

...AND WE'RE BACK

Home runs: the Baji twins...and Jackie Robinson, Harlem USA, August 2007.

HYPNOTIC BRASS ENSEMBLE roared back into NYC last night with its full sound: four trumpets, two trombones, one baritone, one sousaphone, a drummer and that South Side Chitown swagger that made a tough city like NY open up and accept the Bros as nine of their own. HYPNOTIC will represent Chicago greatness to the dirt but it's always a pleasure to play for our people wherever they may be in the world. Last night the nation came out to see us at Jackie Robinson Park in Harlem...Friday night we hope they'll be out at the Lions Den at 214 Sullivan Street downtown.

Props to headliner Leela James who ripped it...see you in Chicago! And thanks to Erika, Michelline and Simone at City Parks Foundation for the look. Let's do it again next year!

2007-08-15T11:22:00.000-04:00

UPTOWN BABY!

Look out Harlem, Bros flew back to NYC yesterday and are about to get it ~~crackin~~ poppin all up in your area TONIGHT. See ya at 7.

Last time we played uptown it was kinda insane. But you knew that.

UPDATE: Just realized the show link doesn't have the address. We're at Jackie Robinson Park, that's looking like the A train to "four-fifth", that's 145th street to all you downtown kids and Brooklyn troopers.

2007-08-09T12:30:00.000-04:00

THROWBACK THURSDAY

HYPNOTIC BRASS ENSEMBLE @ Lions Den, October 2006. Photography Adam Schatz.

Woah, I posted that show info on Monday then a few days later I remembered how crazy last October's Lions Den show was.

Anyways, see you next week. If not then, maybe in the Chi?

SPECIAL SHOW ANNOUNCEMENT

2007-08-06T12:04:00.000-04:00

15 AUGUST @ JACKIE ROBINSON PARK / HARLEM / with LEELA JAMES

17 AUGUST @ LIONS DEN / NYC

3 SEPTEMBER @ AFRICAN FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS / CHICAGO / with KELAN PHIL COHRAN AND THE CIRCLE OF SOUND REUNION...FIRST CHICAGO SHOW IN THREE YEARS!!!

2007-08-02T22:40:00.000-04:00

POST SCRIPT: NIAGARA FALLS

He actually said "wow": Hudah at Niagara Falls, Canada July 2007.

The HYPNOTIC BRASS BOOSTER award goes to Aina London, she drove to Toronto by herself to watch HYPNOTIC play. Then she and LT drove back to the Chi together as Hudah, the Baji twins and Equinox drove back to NYC. We met up briefly at the border—the Falls, you can see the bridge to the USA in the background—an epic sight at the end of an epic journey.

2007-07-31T12:36:00.000-04:00

"SANKOFA" AT HARBOURFRONT CENTRE TORONTO

Like I've been saying, this tune began as a remix to the Tony Allen song "Losun"—it's coming out as a 12in single on Honest Jons very very soon.

2007-07-30T11:32:00.000-04:00

OUTTAKE: LEGAL ALIENS

Amal Baji stunts his special-issue $200 48 hour Canadian visa while 360 gets beamed up and out of Toronto.

2007-07-29T22:12:00.000-04:00

YO, CANADA!

All ~~insane, ill-conceived, absurd~~ good things must come to an end, and the HYPNOTIC BRASS ENSEMBLE July Tour 2007 was no exception. On Saturday we woke up in Paris, flew to Toronto and muscled our way through a well-produced show at the city's gorgeous Harbourfront Centre—an open-air theater right there on the pristine waters of Lake Ontario. We rocked the opening slot for Miami's Haitian sound system sensation Sak Pasé as part of the Centre's World Routes: Global Hip Hop programming and if we were tired (and we weren't...aight?) the crowd didn't seem to notice, we got crazy love from the few thousand people who ended up packing the pier as well as tasteful appreciation from the rich folks pulling up in their yachts (yes really)...talking 50-foot status yall!

It was our first gig in Toronto and trust we'll be going back, hopefully for some dates this fall. "T-dot" has everything the band looks for in a city...and let's leave it at that!

Changing up the look on these pics a bit, just to show the scope of the gig. Click to enlarge.

Props to Dalton at Harbourfront Centre for the link.

2007-07-27T17:27:00.000-04:00

STORMING THE CASTLE
SILES: DAY 2

Yes there is a castle. Yes there are stray dogs. Yes the HYPNOTIC BRASS ENSEMBLE lifestyle is out of control.

2007-07-25T23:50:00.000-04:00

UNSTOPPABLE!!
SILES: DAY 1

This is the life we're living: we've ended up in Siles, Portugal at Festival Músicas do Mundo—the country's largest world music festival. We're sharing the bill with some legends and luminaries, including Malian diva Oumou Sangaré, Ethiopian jazz lion Mahmoud Ahmed, Indian polyrhythmicist Trilok Gurtu and English reggae jammer Bitty McClean...playing with Sly & Robbie! But you know how we do, HYPNOTIC isn't content to leave until we've left our mark...so we're banging out in the narrow cobbled streets of this quiet island town.

This is a crazy way to end a hard month of hard playing—we've been moving so fast that the laid-back vibe here in Sines caught us off guard. During the day it's mostly hippie kids hanging out playing drums, smoking hash and talking to stray dogs...then at night it gets crazy, thousands of people showing up for the nightly festivities held inside the ruins of a castle sitting on a cliff above the sea. Each night's headliner is slated to take the stage at 2:30am, it aint nothing but a party out here yall and we're not getting much sleep.

2007-07-23T11:11:00.000-04:00

FRANKFURT 007 STATUS

Bros are feeling the upgrade this time around, we about style never about fashion.

Here's last year November 2006 in the same spot.

2007-07-22T23:04:00.000-04:00

"HYPNOSE AUF TROMPETEN"

That's what the newspapers called it. We closed out our time in Frankfurt with a mesmerizing show at the city's Historical Museum as part of Kunstlerhaus Mousonturm's "Summer In The City/Jazz im Museum" programming—in this case an 11am show in the museum's garden courtyard.

As you might imagine is the case to be for latenighthousepartyrocking "cold-blooded heroes of funk", HYPNOTIC doesn't have an early morning jazz brunch set ready to go, we aint that type of show...So we more or less did what we always do, ~~some Bros stayed up all night at a salsa club and then just rolled to the show ready to play~~ we put together two stunning sets of stirring spiritual music to explore the meridians of this all original HYPNOTIC material—almost two hours of intense, focused playing and that's something you don't always get to see or hear from this band. Plus an encore!

Germans love jazz and they love brass, but still...over 800 Frankfurters packed into the museum's garden? Check out LT getting his Phil Cohran on, bringing knowledge to the people!

Thanks to the Mousonturm staff for great hospitality. Let's bring it back!!

2007-07-21T04:58:00.000-04:00

WAR: THEN AND NOW

Stumbling thru a Frankfurt train station last night I came up on the spot where we played last November—the handheld camera footage ultimately becoming groundwork for the crazy insane DIY video for "War" that got the internet goin nuts.

We might have to retire that clip pretty soon, though. In Barcelona we shot a new video for the song with talented young director Santi Gonzalez Aguado. Santi's done some award-winning video work including stuff for M. Ward and El Chavo, so when he reached out we said cool.

The video should be cool, each of the Bros was shot in front of a bluescreen so Santi can freak everything out later in post-production. Dude kept saying something about having the whole band onscreen at the same time in different colored boxes, which made me think of the throwback "Brady Bunch" opening...but I figured maybe they didnt have that show in Franco-era Spain so I kept the thought to myself.

Anyways props to Santi and his team for all the hard work. Check out the dope pics his ~~girlfriend~~ colleague shot on set.

2007-07-19T17:13:00.000-04:00

FRANKFURT, AGAIN

That was then: LT at Robert Johnson Club, Offenbach, November 2006.

Well, we're back in Frankfurt again. It's kinda cool to walk out the train station and know where you're going—in this case back to the grimy (but wifi equipped!) hostel we crashed in last year as we re-upped and got it crackin on the HYPNOTIC mythmaking you've been following. We're staying in some posh accommodations this weekend for our show at the Frankfurt Jazz Museum but you know how we do we always stay close to our roots. Ok maybe this will be our last hostel stay ever but tomorrow we're gonna get up and hit the Zeil market with our horns, we got a lot of love last time so we're ready to bring it back.

Here's a youtube from last year's trip, seems like forever ago. Gypsies, where ya at??

2007-07-18T16:29:00.000-04:00

A LITTLE OFF

This is what we do on our off days, get fresh tattoos. In Amsterdam! 360 got a map of the world on his arm—he's gonna fill in all the countries he goes to. Clef got the Kemetic greeting "Hetep" done, and Smoov, got "Smoov" is some weird script.

Now we're out to FRANKFURT.

2007-07-17T10:10:00.000-04:00

NORTH SEA JAZZ FESTIVAL: OUTTAKES

HYPNOTIC had an amazing time at the North Sea Jazz Festival. Respect to all the other artists (Snoop killed it), shout out to Wynton Marsalis, and many thanks to the great festival staff and the folks from Mojo who really looked out for the Bros—Natalia, Eva, Aldo and Ron.

Also holler at the kid Ruben Atlas, he's been working on a documentary on HYPNOTIC for the past year ago and he came out to record our historic appearance in Rotterdam.

Also thanks to Marije from G-STAR for making the trip up to Rotterdam with fresh fits. She rolled up in the custimo G-STAR Raw Defender Land Rover 8-seater and drove Bros to the first show. Bossy, it's the only way to travel.

2007-07-16T10:40:00.000-04:00

"SANKOFA" AT NORTH SEA JAZZ FESTIVAL

Here's how we left things in Rotterdam. This is a new song the Bros have been working on for a few months, it started off as a remix to the Tony Allen song "Losun" and now it continues to grow to be an official HYPNOTIC crusher. (The record's gonna come out soon on Honest Jons records as a 12in single pretty soon so check for it.)

2007-07-16T09:26:00.000-04:00

EXTRA EXTRA

LT and his sousaphone holding down the front page of Holland's leading "intellectual" newspaper. HYPNOTIC BRASS ENSEMBLE, the thinking person's favorite brass ensemble.

2007-07-16T06:53:00.000-04:00

NORTH SEA JAZZ FESTIVAL DAY 3

HYPNOTIC closed out a triumphant debut at the North Sea Jazz Festival by rocking the "Yukon" venue—ideally a massive boxy tent but swiftly turned into a sweatlodge halfway thru the band's first tune "Jupiter". Yukon was our biggest stage of the festival and we really packed people in, it was sweltering inside but folks kept cramming in the doors at the back of the spot, braving the thick heavy air just for a chance to trip out on the HYPNOTIC psychedelic experience one more time.

2007-07-15T07:24:00.000-04:00

NORTH SEA JAZZ FESTIVAL DAY 2

Last night—or this morning, rather, since we played at 1:30am (?!?!?!)—HYPNOTIC BRASS ENSEMBLE stormed back up into the North Sea Jazz Festival to deliver another crushing set of all original music. The hot thing about the 1:30 marquee slot is that it was timed blast off right as some of the big headline shows were letting out. You'd think that'd be aight, all the thousands of festival patrons streaming past the band on their way out into the night and thus giving us a chance to show tons of people what we're all about. Didn't turn out exactly like that though.

You know some shit is going down when artists ARRIVE to the gig after midnight, and that's what we did when our driver dropped us off at the front doors of the venue—we were coming IN as people were going OUT. Save all the blood diamonds and Jesus pieces, we came in the doors like some kind of true ghetto superhero hooded out Rolling Stones brass rock band from the future of the very next moment. We do what we want when we want. We wear our sunglasses at night. A crowd built around us for the next hour and by 1:30 the drama was lit, we had to wait for whatever jazz legend was playing to finish up in some concert hall so we could give the people what they wanted. But they wanted it now, the future they wanted they wanted it right THEN—so much so that the vibe was getting hectic, a thousand or so people waiting in the lobby of the venue as the clock ticked towards 2am, HYPNOTIC standing there with heat in their hands ready to put it down, it was about to be a rally or a riot.

We finally got the green light to play and started in on "Mushallah". Our set was pretty much over after that, the whole festival transfixed by tones they'd never heard or anticipated and maybe never even dreamed of, you know how HYPNOTIC music is it's the sound you always wanted but were always afraid to hope for. People clapping, people dancing, people crying, coming right up to the band as they played and wanting to embrace the Brothers, people on upper levels leaning over the railings, someone shut down the escalators and more people packed on just to get a view—trying to see what, exactly, was the source of that sound.

The rest of the set was a mass of heat and light with no beginning and no end, the Bros throwing themselves in to the heart of their songs to see what new brilliance they could pull out, the crowd churning in front of them, above them, every place all around, the band sending love out and the people sending it back. I think it ended at some point, not sure when or how.

2007-07-15T06:57:00.000-04:00

IN STORES NOW

Well, here at North Sea anyways. We're changing up the usual HYPNOTIC game and letting the good folks at the IT RECORDS booth bump the product for us. No surprises, they keep selling out. With Dutch sales tax of 20% these are basically promo, but then again this country has great healthcare, nice roads and legalized marijuana. Attention Europe, when we come out here heavy our CDs are gonna cost like 78 euros. Holla.

2007-07-14T07:57:00.000-04:00

LAST NIGHT

The last few moments of the classic "Balicky Bon" at last nights show at NSJF. This was about 10pm, Rotterdam has eternal summer sunsets.

2007-07-13T23:57:00.000-04:00

WHEN THE SHOW WAS FINISHED 360 SAID, "AFTER 'WAR' I EXPECTED ALIENS TO COME DOWN OUT THE SKY AND SAY, 'YEAH, WE HEARD Y'ALL."

2007-07-13T23:34:00.000-04:00

NORTH SEA JAZZ FESTIVAL: DAY 1

It's really difficult to explain everything that's going on right now, HYPNOTIC BRASS ENSEMBLE is detonating minds here in Rotterdam. Now that we're at the festival it's pretty clear that the event organizers have set us up to be one of the highlights of the entire weekend—that's really crazy considering the bill includes Herbie Hancock, Ornette Coleman, Steely Dan, Snoop, The Roots, Amy Winehouse...and SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE. NSJF is amazing because they're really into mixing up "genres" and all that...you know HYPNOTIC music is all music but it's like older dude said after we played our first set: "This is where the real jazz music is."

We played twice today, first at the "Harlem" space which is basically the center of the massive venue where all the shows are held. Our set was in the early evening and the festival had just started, so the place had that frenetic craze you feel when something's about to go down, everyone walking around hectic trying to decide whats not to miss etc etc. All that changed when we pulled out that heat and started in with "Jupiter"...you know the song so you know how its energy can change the dynamics of a room and that's what happened, almost as if, and i know this sounds grandiose, but almost as if HYPNOTIC took everyone in the place to another level, opened them up and got them ready for the music ahead. Because of the venue design when you play at Harlem you can look up and see 3 floors of people leaning over the railing and staring down at you, it's almost like playing inside of a mall or a space station. By the end of "Jupiter" people on all three levels of the venue had gathered to watch and the festival was at a standstill. We went on to stun with a short, intense set of some of our original certified bangers. By the end of the second tune the crowd erupted into massive applause before the band played the last notes of the song.

Later that night we played at the "Tigris"—a gazebo and deck space on top of the venue itself. 10 minutes before we started it was kind of empty, people getting drinks and enjoying the amazing weather (a balmy sunset that lasted til about 11pm). By the time we got on stage, though, the roof had really filled up with people seeking us out, wanting to hear more of the madness from hours before. Again the band played out of its mind. This shit is on another level.

2007-07-12T11:55:00.000-04:00

NORTH SEA JAZZ FESTIVAL: WE HAVE ARRIVED

2007-07-11T10:48:00.001-04:00

IN THE WORLD

Did you think we forgot you? We blazed Barcelona and banged out in London. It's been crazy epic so far. Full update to come, just hold on we're racing thru space. Tomorrow we're playing the opening night gala at the North Sea Jazz Festvial. Insane!

2007-07-04T19:42:00.000-04:00

HELLO BARCELONA

WE ARE HYPNOTIC BRASS ENSEMBLE AND WE HAVE COME TO PLAY FOR YOU.

2007-06-28T23:39:00.000-04:00

PASSPORTED

360 and friends at the US Passport Office, Philadelphia June 2006.

Another trip to Philly, another passport secured. He worldwide now, guess that means ya boy 360 is packing up the drumkit and heading to Barcelona on Monday. Europe watch out. Serious!

2007-06-27T10:53:00.000-04:00

MANY RIVERS TO CROSS

As promised Equinox Blogspottingtons was up in Chicago's Funky Buddha last week for a stellar show from Kelan Phil Cohran. KPC's definitely been on the rise and doing new things lately, he had a few well-received art gallery performance type shows in Wicker Park a few weeks ago—then at this gig he GAVE away a song on CD to the first 10 people in the door...and y'all know KPC never gave away his music!

Anyways this was one of those special shows, collegey kids were sitting in rapt attention on the floor at his feet, old school South Side hepsters hanging out on the banquettes, KPC putting forth hardcore ancestral vibes on the trumpet, French horn, harp and frankiphone...plus the cosmic video projection! The man's a movement unto himself.

I know KPC doesn't like to "mix energy fields"...but we have to ask: When we gonna get the HYPNOTIC BRASS ENSEMBLE x Kelan Phil Cohran tour happening???

Respect to Lavon Pettis and CoCo Esad from Sol Cyrans and the whole Ground Lift mag crew. Shouts to Bros Sirami, Cephus, A1 and Mushallah holding down the merch table...I see you sirs!

2007-06-26T12:04:00.000-04:00

THIS IS PURPLE KUSH

...it's Yosh's new horn, though you might not be able to tell they way Smoov and Rocco are getting their Captain Kirk double up on. Bros are in Chicago this week rehearsing for the European pillage to begin the 3rd of July (see sidebar on left).

If you're miss the sound of their magnificent horns (and mellifluous voices) here's a great interview Hudah and El Cid gave to Radna Rumping of Dutch National Radio's "Future Vintage" show. Audio here.

2007-06-25T11:26:00.000-04:00

~~EUROPEAN TOUR~~
TOUR OF EUROPE

Without further ado, here are our CONFIRMED dates for the month of July:

3-6 JULY @ BBB / BARCELONA with G-STAR

9 JULY @ TOWER OF LONDON / LONDON / with THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE QUEEN

10 JULY @ CARGO / SHOREDITCH with DJ KENTARO

11 JULY @ PLAN B / BRIXTON

12 - 15 JULY @ NORTH SEA JAZZ FESTIVAL / ROTTERDAM

22 JULY @ KUNSTLERHAUS MOUSONTURM / FRANKFURT

25- 26 JULY @ FESTIVAL MUSICAS DO MUNDO / SINES

28 JULY @ HARBOURFRONT CENTER / TORONTO

There are a couple more dates floating around there unconfirmed so please keep checking back here daily for the updated schedule. And we'll see you out there!

2007-06-19T09:04:00.000-04:00

"THESE GUYS ARE BANANAS"

Lotta times people film in the streets and you don't really know what they're gonna do with it. Sometimes it turns out aight tho, like this Bushwicky-looking production called the Middle Show.

2007-06-18T15:26:00.000-04:00

MONDAY MADNESS: WE'VE GOT THE INTERNET GOIN NUTS

Woah, people are whylin out about the Mos Def Big Band x HYPNOTIC BRASS ENSEMBLE live at the Apollo James Brown mp3s that materialized on the internet. You can get them here and here.

Message board are also chattering about Kelan Phil Cohran. The boss of the bosses, father of HYPNOTIC, is eBaying a personal copy (!) of his mega rare OG 7in EP release of "New Frankiphone Blues" b/w "Black Beauty" and "African Look"...it came out in 1967 on KPC's own label Zulu records, it's a piece of history and you can get at it here until Tuseday just after noon Chicago time.

If you miss out on the auction, take the hundreds of dollars you'd spend on a little piece of vinyl and buy a plane ticket to the Chi. KPC is giving a deep listening session this Thursday at the Funky Buddha Lounge. Equinox is hoping to be up in the place and if that's the case you'll get the full update here!

2007-06-15T11:06:00.000-04:00

APOLLO OUTTAKES:
HYPNOTIC WITH CHRIS TUCKER, THE USUAL PICS OF ROCCO AND SOME LIVE MP3S THAT YOU DIDN'T GET FROM US

Like I said, you didn't get these from us. Thanks to someone getting the live taping in full effect at Monday night's Apollo show with Mos Def.

Mos Def Big Band w/ HYPNOTIC BRASS ENSEMBLE
"Funky Drummer (live at the Apollo)

Mos Def Big Band w/ HYPNOTIC BRASS ENSEMBLE
"Make It Funky (live at the Apollo)"

2007-06-14T19:49:00.000-04:00

BIG IN JAPAN!!!

DJ BullJun back in NYC, June 2007.

Met up with our guy DJ BullJun today, he's back from Tokyo with a bunch of stuff including a new mixtape and proofs for a special limited-edition Japan-only 7in record we cut for him—a HYPNOTICized version of the classic "Shaft In Africa". Check the photo, yeah we called it "Brass In Africa"...

The other crazy thing is that we—well, the cover of our "War" b/w "Mercury" 10in vinyl record—made the cover (yes, the COVER) of "Dance Music Report", which is basically Japan's go-to guide for the best of the best in music. Yes!

We'll be out in Japan at the end of October. See you then Tokyo!

2007-06-12T14:39:00.000-04:00

THE BIG PAYOFF

THIS JUST IN!!! HYPNOTIC EXXCLUSIVE! Our uptown connect just passed us this footage of "The Big Payback" from yesterday's soundcheck. Posted with the utmost respect for Mos Def, James Brown and the Apollo.

2007-06-12T10:11:00.000-04:00

TRIBUTARIES

Mos Def and HYPNOTIC on the red carpet, Apollo Theater Planet Earth, June 2007

Last night we played at the Apollo with Mos Def and his Big Band—it was a James Brown tribute/Apollo benefit with tix going for $1000. With all that $$$ in the audience you know we had to do what we do and that's what we did, we made that shit official! HYPNOTIC fans will know this was our fourth gig with Mos and it was definitely a funky good time. We only did three songs: "Funky Drummer" (shouts to Chris Dave on the skins), "Make It Funky" and "The Big Payback". But the band was game tight and we crushed the set.

James Brown's iconic saxman Maceo Parker was in the house, he played a massive version of "Funky Good Time" soloing on and on like a bizarro world John Coltrane playing jukejoint. Amazing, yo, history right there. Earlier in the day he caught us at soundcheck and was digging on who we are as a band...like getting props from the man himself!

A few snaps from the step and repeat on the red carpet...plus a random one with Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick!

2007-06-11T11:56:00.000-04:00

BACK IN IT

June Baji at the legendary Apollo Theater, Harlem USA June 2007.

We're smashing out a grip of James Brown tunes with Mos Def at the Apollo tonight. Tix are $1000 each but hopefully someone will be up in there youtubing the funk out of it. HYPNOTIC hasn't been on that stage since "Showtime At The Apollo" January 2002, it's nice to be back.

Also back online this week. More G-STAR exclusive pics from that quick Holland run-out a week or so ago, plus that Sun Ra trip to Philly with Rocco and Smoov—more on that as well.

Rock with us...

Oh yeah and we're gonna post that Europe schedule very very soon, just confirming the last few dates. Trust us it's gonna be worth the wait so hollerate.

2007-06-06T16:22:00.000-04:00

MORE TREES PLEASE

No surprises here, our trip to Amsterdam has us appreciating the glory of the Creator's green earth. We still rep the streets but we had a day off so we practiced in the woods of Prospect Park in Brooklyn. We're back in Amsterdam next month—as well as four days in Rotterdam at the ultra-prestigious North Sea Jazz Festival...plus a bunch of more Europe dates in Barcelona, London, Frankfurt and Paris. Stay tuned for all that, we're confirming.

For now enjoy the trees.

2007-06-04T11:45:00.000-04:00

GANGSTA WRAPPING

Who got the keys to my jeep? June Baji at G-STAR HQ, Amsterdam June 2007.

In addition to dressing the hottest brass band in the world in premium denim, G-STAR has also left their mark on other icons of fine style as well, from an eight-seat Land Rover called the Raw Defender to bottles of ~~prosecco~~ Rawsecco.

LOL Rocco still stunting the passport in his pics.

Trust, we're trying to borrow that truck next month.

2007-05-31T12:16:00.000-04:00

HBE X G-STAR @ ARNHEM MODE BIENNIAL

So we flew in to Amsterdam we went out to the G-STAR campus, first to get fitted in fresh dips for the show in Arnhem later that week. Team G-STAR has been hard at work in the atelier studying HYPNOTIC BRASS ENSEMBLE and getting ready for the collaboration. It was kinda crazy, they'd been working off of reference photos of the band from our last meet up at NY Fashion week back in January...

The gear was a change-up from how most people see the Bros, but if you really know HYPNOTIC you know we're ever changeable and we've got crazy styles. Throw the G-STAR gear on us and we're gonna take it to our dimension. Check out Rocco getting his ~~B2K~~ ~~Bow Wow~~ modeling game on.

Anyways after the fitting, Roland from G-STAR gave us a tour of the company's campus—it really gave us a sense of perspective for just how cool the relationship could be, just looking at all the other projects they've worked on in the past, everything from a line of dope hoodies and tshirts with everything designer Marc Newson to denim-covered rhinos.

Of course that's just part of the story. Next post i'll tell you what they did to the INSTRUMENTS.

2007-05-25T16:54:00.000-04:00

INTERNATIONAL PLAYERS WITH PASSPORTS

Tarik Graves aka Young Smoov aka Smoov Harvey and Uttama Potolo Ra Hubert aka Rocco aka Roc Obama for President stunting their newly-issued state issued IDs, Philadelphia May 2007.

Yeah so Rocco and Smoov went to Philly and got passports in like 2hrs. Yall know what that means, we international again. Next week HYPNOTIC BRASS ENSEMBLE is out in Netherlands at the Arnhem Fashion Biennale. It's a fashion x art look and we'll be rocking with our team at G-STAR so you know next week's updates are gonna that raw.

Let's hope Rocco makes it, after getting his passport he fell down some stairs in the subway or something like that. SMH.

2007-05-22T16:37:00.000-04:00

BACK AT IT

Yeah yo...Lincoln Center...Brooklyn Academy of Music...makes sense that now we're set to play a JAMES BROWN TRIBUTE at the APOLLO THEATER with MOS DEF. That'll be June 11. It's a benefit for the Apollo in memory of JB so you know there's gonna be plenty of light and heat in the place. Plus Maceo is schedule to perform!

For tix call 800.618.3444.

PS Yall know you missed shots of these hoodies, RIP Sean Bell.

UPDATE: Yo people are saying tix for the show are like $1000, $850 of which is tax deductible. That's diesel, someone pls hook up an after party for us in Harlem so we can all kick it.

SPECIAL SATURDAY ANNOUNCEMENT

2007-05-19T21:16:00.000-04:00

YEAH SO THE GENERAL CONSENSUS IN THE BAND IS THAT WE WONT BE PLAYING IN THE 42ND STREET SUBWAY STATION FOR A WHILE

2007-05-18T13:08:00.000-04:00

FADER FRIDAY

Fader's a good magazine—it's what you might read if you weren't clicking back here all the time for updates, or wandering the dusty streets of this latter-day Babylon trying to find out where HYPNOTIC BRASS ENSEMBLE is playing next. Anyways the writers over there have been doing an okay job at tracking down the Bros, hopefully they'll keep covering us in bigger ways. Anyways big up to Eddie Stats for the write-up and Geordie Wood for the photo. If you wanna read the whole thing you can buy it at a newsstand or get it for free thru iTunes as a podcastimo pdffington.

I tried to gaffle the article part below, try to click on it but im not sure the text will be big enough.

2007-05-17T13:59:00.000-04:00

L.A. WRAP-UP PARK IV: HOLLYWOOD & HIGHLAND

Couple more for the ladies and the stans out there...back to ~~regularly scheduled~~ the usual programming tomorrow.

2007-05-16T15:53:00.000-04:00

L.A. WRAP-UP PART III: ON THE BEACH PART II

Cid pumping that wax, Venice Beach May 2007.

More flicks from the West Side. After rocking that song with the band on Fri night Ms Maia came out to Venice to check up on the band over the weekend. She brought her piccolo and got it crackin with Clef on baritone, Hudah on trap drum and Yosh laying on the trumpet.

Below bros are gonna complain most of the pics are of Yosh but hey he was getting around that day. That's him teaching baritone to his little cousin, him with a gutter punk chick in search of shrooms and him with a couple of Afrikan dimez who brought us vegan motherland cuisine.

2007-05-14T12:31:00.000-04:00

L.A. WRAP-UP PART II: ON THE BEACH

It's a grind and hustle week in the HQ. I'm just gonna throw up mad BEACH WEEK pics and VISUALIZE.

2007-05-09T11:20:00.000-04:00

SONGS FOR THE FATHER:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY KELAN PHIL COHRAN

80 Years Young! KPC shining on his Earth Day, Chicago May 2007.

Last night HYPNOTIC BRASS ENSEMBLE was privileged enough to play a private engagement for the boss of the bosses: the musical mystical Kelan Phil Cohran. In addition to throwing "octogenarian" on a resume that already includes multinstrumentalist, astronomer, educator, activist and Africanist—as well as boldface names like Sun Ra, EWF and Pete Cosey—KPC literally fathered HYPNOTIC. He's "Brother Phil" to a lot of people in Chicago and around the world, but he's "Pops" to Hudah, Cid, LT, Baji, Yosh, Clef, Rocco and Smoov.

So it was a good a homecoming as any when the band pulled out the brass to play "War" and the new song for their father at a South Side Chicago dining hall packed with family and close friends. As you'd expect the sound had more levels than usual and everyone in the place was overwhelmed by the irrevocable reality of it all—one man's lifetime of relentless struggle and restless perseverance made really real, not just in the flesh but multiplied ad infinitum and then blasted through the Now to suggest some future way for the people. Amiri Baraka once wrote he was "strong from years of fantasy and study" and at eighty years old Kelan Phil Cohran is a testament to that life of a visionary who never compromises, who never sold out.

At some point during the evening, a close family friend got on the mic and said that growing up she thought of the Cohran order as "back to Africa...the hard way." Thing is, when life is this rich, you sometimes forget how hard the way is.

UPDATE: KPC will be giving an "innerview" today via Swank Society. It's at 6:30pm Chi time (7:30pm NYC time)...Check it out!

2007-05-08T14:34:00.000-04:00

L.A. WRAP-UP NO. 1: FAIS DO DO

OK so Friday nite we played an amazing show at LA's Fais Do Do. You already know how we do so there's no need to go on an on about we ripped it blah blah blah—especially since the show was blessed with the presence of the inimitable Maia, a mother to HYPNOTIC BRASS ENSEMBLE and an amazing vocalist, flautist, harpist and actor in her own right.

Ms Maia got onstage and ripped freestyle lyrics to the band's newest song: a remix of a Tony Allen beat we're turning in to Honest Jons. I was gonna sit on it til later this week but i guess Mother's Day came early. Enjoy.

2007-05-07T14:14:00.000-04:00

L.A. STORIES

360 shining on Venice Beach, May 2007

Sometimes we get complaints that our drummer doesn't get enough love on the blog. He does his thing though, so today 360 is holding down the HYPNOTIC internet all by himself.

We're flying back to the East Coast today, having played all weekend in LA and gotten our melanin up as well. Full Cali wrap-up beginning tomorrow...

...which also happens to be 8 May which is Kelan Phil Cohran's 80th birthday. We'll be back in the Chi for that momentous occasion—can't give the full details on all that yet but it's supposed to be major!!

2007-05-03T09:12:00.000-04:00

THROWBACK THURSDAY: DRAPERS AND A CRISP POLO EDITION

That was then: Hudah and Yosh on Venice Beach, 2004.

And this is what they sounded like. "It's like a made-for-TV-movie," Hudah said. "Each day I feel like I'm waking up for another episode."

Well Los Angeles tomorrow night we're yall bringing the next episode: next level HYPNOTIC BRASS ENSEMBLE.

The show's at Fais Do-Do 5257 W Adams Blvd (Cloverdale/Adams Blvd. midway between Fairfax Ave. and La Brea Ave. / one block south of the 10 Fwy). $10 at the door and all the usual goods inside (ps you cant get them shits at Amoeba!).

Saturday you know we gonna be back on Venice Beach!!!

2007-05-01T14:25:00.000-04:00

ORANGE ALERT!!

Yo no other way to say this but WE'RE COMING TO LOS ANGELES. THIS WEEK. Call it our Cinco de Mayo West Side Jumpoff Mini Tour 2007 and holla back.

It's all starting with a Friday nite show at Fais Do-Do.

You know it's gonna be whyle out so stay tuned for details on that show and other goings down. Obviously you know we're gonna hit Venice Beach...and we're gonna hit hard!!!

2007-04-30T13:43:00.000-04:00

WEEKEND RECAP

L-r: Messieurs Cleezy Bone, Young Roccimo Baritonington and Tuba Tizz, Esq.

***Yes we kept checkin James Mooney's photography (as seen above).

***Yes we rocked uptown at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture with lady of the blues Shemekia Copeland.

***Yes you heard us on the radio...missed the broadcast in your city? Check the Studio 360 feature on your favorite brass knuckles HERE.

STAY TUNED FOR L.A. CINCO DE MAYO WEEKEND SHOW INFO

2007-04-27T15:20:00.000-04:00

2007-04-27T14:34:00.000-04:00

DOUBLE TROUBLE WEEKEND

The Baji twins on 14th, April 2007. Photos by James Mooney, check the gallery!

Check it good people, two chances to hear HYPNOTIC BRASS ENSEMBLE for FREE this weekend:

On Saturday we're gonna blaze an opening set for Shemekia Copeland at the Schomburg Center in Harlem as part of Carnegie Hall's Neighborhood Concert Series.

If you can't make it uptown for the gig, WNYC's Studio 360 will be airing a piece on your favorite brass band this weekend. National radio schedule here so tell friends to tune in*. In NYC we'll be on at the following times:

10:45am, Saturday - 93.9FM WNYC
7:45pm, Sunday - 820AM WNYC

For impatient internet cheaters, the piece will also be online starting tonight right here. Plus itunes podcast and RSS. Thanks to Sarah Lilley for all her hard work.

*Chitown friends and fam will have to do the online thing since the show isn't airing out there. Insane!

2007-04-24T22:49:00.000-04:00

SLOW NEWS WEEK

But only because we're working on lots of stuff to report...a HYPNOTIC radio feature is airing this weekend, and shortly we'll have some news about shows in LOS ANGELES. We bout to have a Cinco de Mayo tour jumping off!!!

In the meantime, enjoy the cat. Which band member does it remind you of?

2007-04-19T12:59:00.000-04:00

IT'S A NEW ERA

Throw your burner in the sky.
Photos by N “SMAXX SILLY” Morgan, for sFs GFX, © 2007

Not sure what it says about these days in which we're living, but it feels like getting a look on Palms Out and Strictly Fitteds just seems right and certainly feels better than waiting around for the Entertainment Industrial Complex (from music magazines to music labels) to find out about HYPNOTIC BRASS ENSEMBLE and then figure out how to get down with the program. The way it is right now certain people get it and know how to come at Bros with the right angles. Case in point: these photos are from today's edition of Strictly Fitteds ("Size Matters" lol) and in addition to some raw flix they also coming correct with the words, viz. "Think of the JBs, Tower Of Power, Fishbone, Earth Wind & Fire. Throw in a dash of Outkast for good measure. Tie that up and and you’ve got just a TASTE of what HYPNOTIC delivers." Just a taste true that but what a taste ma!

What the drill, can we get a New Era collab crackin?