Hypnotic Brass Ensemble: Lullabies to Hypnotise

Musicians often talk of the Extrasensory Perception they feel when their communal playing gels and they start to anticipate what each other is about to play. Factor in the bond of a band of eight close knit brothers (plus non-sibling drummer, Gabriel Wallace) – drilled by their bandleader/educator and Sun Ra Arkestra trumpeter father, Phil Cohran – and you can imagine what levels of alchemy the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble can reach on a good day.

And to hear member Gabriel "Hudah" Hubert tell it, there aren’t too many bad ones. “Our parents had a plan for us, long before we decided to be involved in music,” he says. “We were up before school every day to put in a few hours of practice. Sure, some of us strayed as teenagers, but we couldn't stray too far!”

Having since risen from the streets of Chicago with their 2004 debut, when you hear the prolific brass outfit – either on record or at one of their many upcoming festival dates – you'll thank the Creator that they stuck with the masterplan. If you've sampled Gorillaz' recent Plastic Beach album you'll be aware of the shifting, mesmerising lines the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble weave – a feature that Gabriel suggests originally inspired their handle. “We were busking by the El train in Chicago when a passerby said to us ‘You guys just hypnotised me'. That seemed as good a name as any!”

So how did the link up with Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett's cartoon posse come about? “Well, we've been travelling back and forth to London since around 2007,” says Gabriel. “An associate of ours introduced us to the guys at Honest Jon’s [Albarn's label] and we were asked to remix a track for Tony Allen, Fela Kuti's drummer. He dug it so much we ended up supporting The Good The Bad and The Queen on their London engagements. They were blown away by the chemistry we all had in the studio, so we leased our album to the label, and when it came to recording Plastic Beach, it was a no-brainer.” And what about Damon himself?' “He's given us a lot of support and guidance, for a guy in his position it means a lot to up and comers like us.”

Fresh from (sort of) headlining Glastonbury as Gorillaz’ special guests last month, HBE continue their trek well into the summer months, both in their own right and with their illustrated conspirators. “We'll be doing around 20 or 30 dates around Europe in July and August,” marvels Gabriel. “So the logistics of that are what we're currently occupied with.”

Another unique selling point, as if these guys needed any more; they are fiercely independent and have a hand in every aspect of their business. “Yeah, if you wanna talk to us, you just call up. There's no PR, no middle men. We do have a booking agent but apart from that – being independent means more control. What we really want to do is set an example to the bands coming up, to show them what organisation and commitment can achieve. Our father told us the music we play was cosmic, so we try to live up to that.”

The brothers might find themselves in the unique position of playing a diverse, genre-bridging festival circuit in the coming months, but a gruelling schedule has left them oblivious to the sheer range of bands they’ll be playing alongside.  “I haven’t had time to check that out yet,” Gabriel admits. “But you know Miles Davis said there are only two types of music, good and bad. I try to keep my ears open and listen to everyone. When we were young we were all crazy about hip-hop, and personally I'm a big Bob Marley fan.”

And what can the curious expect when the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble roll up to T in the Park this month, or the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival come August? “You know like back in the day when you could be sure the band was gonna kick ass – you were gonna see them throw down? That’s what we're working toward. With repetition comes the flow.”