The Heliocentrics

March 14, 2009

Good luck trying to categorize their music. Led by the relentless drummer Malcolm Catto, the UK collective’s objective lays quite a ways beyond what ordinary listeners know or expect. They possess the consistency and musicianship that seems to have been lost somewhere in the analog to digital shuffle over the past thirty years. In an alternative galaxy, where the orbits of Hip-Hop, Funk, Jazz, Psychedelic, Electronic, Avant-Garde and Ethnic music all revolve around “The One” – that’s where you might find The Heliocentrics.

A listen to a song or two reveals no small influence from the funk universe of James Brown, the disorienting asymmetry of Sun Ra’s music, and the cinematic scope of Ennio Morricone. The sublime fusion of David Axelrod. But The Heliocentrics’ music isn’t retro. It’s brand new. And it’s timeless.

Personnel:
Malcolm Catto – drums & piano
Jake Ferguson – bass & Thai guitar
Mike Burnham – modular synth & effects
Jack Yglesias – flutes, percussion & santur
Adrian Owusu – guitars, oud & percussion
James Arben – clarinet, tenor & baritone sax
Ray Carless – alto, tenor & baritone sax
Max Weissenfeldt – vibes & percussion
Khadijatou Silcott-Fraser (K2 Wordplay) – vocals

The Heliocentrics – Out There; Now-Again Records, 2007