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The Heliocentrics

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

The Heliocentrics are an English music collective from London that combines funk, jazz, psychedelia and influences from library music. The group centres on drummer and producer Malcolm Catto, bassist Jake Ferguson, guitarist Adrian Owusu and multi-instrumentalist Jack Yglesias. Library music is music originally made for use in film and television, and that sense of cinematic atmosphere comes through in their work.

Music and breakthrough

The debut album Out There was released in 2007 on Now-Again Records. They then collaborated with the Ethiopian musician Mulatu Astatke on the album Inspiration Information (2009). That album received the Gilles Peterson Worldwide album of the year award that year. The pianist Jamie Cullum included it in 2013 in his list of five essential jazz albums. There was also the soundtrack Lloyd Miller & The Heliocentrics (2010) and a collaboration with Orlando Julius. The group played on a track on The Outsider by DJ Shadow, from 2006.

Influence

In 2013 13 Degrees of Reality was released on Stones Throw. In 2017 came A World of Masks, with vocals by Barbora Patkova, and the film music for the British documentary The Sunshine Makers. In 2020 Infinity of Now and Telemetric Sounds followed, and in 2023 Legna, a collaboration with The Gaslamp Killer. The Heliocentrics show how jazz, African music and funk can together form a sound of their own.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to a track from Inspiration Information and notice how the band combines the Ethiopian music of Mulatu Astatke with funk and jazz. Which instruments do you hear first?

Discography

Studio albums

Categories: Artists