Biography
The Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band operates as an enigmatic German deep funk ensemble whose instrumental approach has earned them the informal title of the world's greatest cover band. Their signature style blends spacious atmospherics with irresistible grooves that center on the steel pan drum native to Trinidad and Tobago. When paired with standard rhythm section instruments, this percussion voice assumes an almost singing quality while retaining its percussive foundation.
The collective surfaced in 2007 via Mocambo Records with a debut single containing Meters covers titled "Look-A-Py-Py" and "Ease Back," both of which attracted international attention. A follow-up single the next year reimagined 50 Cent's "P.I.M.P." through dubwise production and Afro-Latin horn accents. Six years of silence ensued before the group resurfaced in 2014 on Plain Jane with "Bacao Suave," their initial original composition, coupled with an instrumental treatment of Hi-Tek's "Round & Round."
Big Crown issued the band's first full-length effort, 55, in 2016. Alongside new material, the album featured distinctive reinterpretations of Dennis Coffey's "Scorpio," Faith Evans' "Love Like This," Cat Stevens' "Dog Was a Doughnut," and John Holt's "Police in Helicopter." Their second album, The Serpent's Mouth, appeared in 2018 and balanced fresh compositions against notable covers including Jan Hammer's "Crockett's Theme," Chakachas' "Jungle Fever," Dr. Dre's "XPlosive," Mobb Deep's "Burn," and Lennie Hibbert's "Real Hot." Additional singles emerged in 2019 and 2020, among them readings of the Jackson 5's "Great to Be Here," Gang Starr's "All for tha' Cash," Grace Jones' "My Jamaican Dub," Erykah Badu and Madlib's "The Healer," Jay-Z's "Dirt Off Your Shoulder," and Sylvester's "I Need Somebody to Love Tonight."
Expansions, the third long-player, arrived in July 2021. Co-produced by Björn Wagner and Brooklyn-based Steffen Wagner, the twelve-track set incorporated 1970s Italian soundtrack influences and psychedelic elements within a pronounced funk framework. March 2024 brought BRSB, which mixed four originals with West Coast hip-hop tributes such as Game and 50 Cent's "How We Do," Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg's "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang," Tupac's "Got My Mind Made Up," Drake's "Hotline Bling," and Mura Masa and A$AP Rocky's "Love$ick," plus a dub-infused take on Claudja Barry's "Love for the Sake of Love" retitled "Love for the Sake of Dub."
The project originated in 2006 as an anonymous offshoot of the Mighty Mocambos, a horn-led German instrumental outfit. Multi-instrumentalist Björn Wagner, its sole publicly identified member, developed the concept after residing in Trinidad and Tobago, where local players instructed him on steel pan technique. He later commissioned a custom instrument fashioned from a 55-gallon oil drum by master builder Louis C. Smith. Upon returning to Germany, Wagner elected to pursue the steel pan explorations outside the Mighty Mocambos' existing funk, soul, and hip-hop blend. All other personnel have remained undisclosed.
The collective surfaced in 2007 via Mocambo Records with a debut single containing Meters covers titled "Look-A-Py-Py" and "Ease Back," both of which attracted international attention. A follow-up single the next year reimagined 50 Cent's "P.I.M.P." through dubwise production and Afro-Latin horn accents. Six years of silence ensued before the group resurfaced in 2014 on Plain Jane with "Bacao Suave," their initial original composition, coupled with an instrumental treatment of Hi-Tek's "Round & Round."
Big Crown issued the band's first full-length effort, 55, in 2016. Alongside new material, the album featured distinctive reinterpretations of Dennis Coffey's "Scorpio," Faith Evans' "Love Like This," Cat Stevens' "Dog Was a Doughnut," and John Holt's "Police in Helicopter." Their second album, The Serpent's Mouth, appeared in 2018 and balanced fresh compositions against notable covers including Jan Hammer's "Crockett's Theme," Chakachas' "Jungle Fever," Dr. Dre's "XPlosive," Mobb Deep's "Burn," and Lennie Hibbert's "Real Hot." Additional singles emerged in 2019 and 2020, among them readings of the Jackson 5's "Great to Be Here," Gang Starr's "All for tha' Cash," Grace Jones' "My Jamaican Dub," Erykah Badu and Madlib's "The Healer," Jay-Z's "Dirt Off Your Shoulder," and Sylvester's "I Need Somebody to Love Tonight."
Expansions, the third long-player, arrived in July 2021. Co-produced by Björn Wagner and Brooklyn-based Steffen Wagner, the twelve-track set incorporated 1970s Italian soundtrack influences and psychedelic elements within a pronounced funk framework. March 2024 brought BRSB, which mixed four originals with West Coast hip-hop tributes such as Game and 50 Cent's "How We Do," Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg's "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang," Tupac's "Got My Mind Made Up," Drake's "Hotline Bling," and Mura Masa and A$AP Rocky's "Love$ick," plus a dub-infused take on Claudja Barry's "Love for the Sake of Love" retitled "Love for the Sake of Dub."
The project originated in 2006 as an anonymous offshoot of the Mighty Mocambos, a horn-led German instrumental outfit. Multi-instrumentalist Björn Wagner, its sole publicly identified member, developed the concept after residing in Trinidad and Tobago, where local players instructed him on steel pan technique. He later commissioned a custom instrument fashioned from a 55-gallon oil drum by master builder Louis C. Smith. Upon returning to Germany, Wagner elected to pursue the steel pan explorations outside the Mighty Mocambos' existing funk, soul, and hip-hop blend. All other personnel have remained undisclosed.
Albums
Big Crown Vaults Vol. 4
2025
BRSB
2024
Expansions
2021
The Serpents Mouth
2018
55
2016
Ease Back
2007
Look-Ka Py Py
2007
Singles
