Hypnotic Brass Ensemble are a family, literally. Born in Chicago, these 8 brothers are all sons of their father Phil Cohran, who was a songwriter and trumpeter for Sun Ra.
With a heavy upbringing in the jazz tradition, the brothers also started listening to hip hop acts such as NWA, Public Enemy, Ice Cube and Eazy-E, bringing their music straight to the streets of Chicago, eventually moving to New York City where they played with the likes of Mos Def and Erykah Badu.
In May 2009, Blur and Gorillaz's frontman Damon Alburn released Hypnotic Brass Ensemble's first official full length studio album on his Honest Jons label to much critical success and grassroots buzz, garnering massive amounts of hits on their YouTube videos, as well as boasting coverage and features from the likes of the NY Times, New Yorker, Village Voice, Fader and others.
This video also features cameos from Madlib and Aloe Blacc, who were also present during the recent performance in Los Angeles.
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The Sounds of VTech / Hypnotic Brass Ensemble by Mochilla