Album Notes

Us3’s fifth album Schizophonic sees producer Geoff Wilkinson’s rolling cast of rappers and musicians returning to the task of fitting the pieces of the jazz and hip-hop puzzle into one kaleidoscopic whole.

Building on the group’s mammoth 50-date/14-country 2005 European tour, the sound of Schizophonic is a lively, raucous and uptempo affair with a heavy emphasis on live playing married to crunchy hip-hop beats. The album features two new rappers, Akil Dasan and Gaston, both of whom Geoff found at New York’s legendary underground hangout the Nuyorican Poets Café. Akil’s rhythmical mastery is put to the test on a variety of beats ranging from straight-up hip-hop to Brazilian sambas to straight-ahead jazz breaks. Gaston specialises in an intricate twisting wordplay that’s guaranteed to have you laughing hard, scratching your head, and snapping your neck all in the same breath.

All members of the Us3 live band are also featured, including the blistering trumpet of Chris Storr, the soaring saxophone stylings of Ed Jones, the funky muscle of double bass player “Level” Neville Malcolm, and the unique turntable mastery of DJ First Rate. Mike Gorman, Sean Hargreaves and John Crawford take turns at the pianists chair, while (60 year-old!) newcomer Ernie Cranenburgh lays down some truly beautiful jazz guitar.

Schizophonic bounces from the Brazilian samba school sampling “Kick This”, to the lyrical hip-hop sarcasm of “Huff & Puff”, through the 60s soul-jazz vibe of “Girls U Like”, to the furious jazz drums & Monk-like piano of “Get Busy”. Gaston recounts a desperate tale of child abuse in “Don’t Even Ask” complimented by the delicate brushes, moody piano and brooding horns. And if you came to dance flip to the 21st century bossa groove of “Much 2 Much”. Schizo indeed.


Reviews:-

"Thirteen years on from Cantaloop and Geoff Wilkinson is still a master in the art of producing jazz-centred hip hop that combines a heavy emphasis on musicality with an energetic danceable funk."
Notion July 2006

"Album number five and the originality isn't wearing off anytime soon, making the listeners the main beneficiaries. From jazz to hip hop via the influences of a world of music, Us3 are still as on-the-button as they ever were."
DJ magazine May 2006

"It is very often the case that sensationalist bands will outsell more talented and groundbreaking ones by many times, and that is certainly the case here. In terms of the music alone, Us3 are certainly musically far superior to the likes of Fiddy or Eminem, but they don't talk shit about guns and they don't have fake prison tattoos. Don't believe the hype, Schizophonic is right up there with the best of 'em."
www.subbacultcha.com May 2006

"How can a band that has an ex-Scratch Pervert and a 60-year old jazz guitarist playing alongside each other be anything but great? Schizophonic is a demonstration of blistering instrumentalism, toe-tapping beats, razor-sharp rapping and world class arrangement."
www.myvillage.com May 2006

"Us3 continue to meld the best elements of hip-hop and jazz better than the majority of their contempories. A great album."
www.thebeatsurrender.co.uk June 2006