Hillside

Hillside, a soul trio based in Los Angeles, California, USA, began their recording journey in 1996 by issuing a self-titled album on the independently run Organized Fun imprint. The lineup of Anthony ‘Rox’ Brown, Wayne Cockerham and Eric ‘Junx’ Jenkins used the project to showcase a refined fusion of classic vocal R&B harmonies alongside grooves and melodic lines rooted in soul and funk traditions. Early resistance from the wider industry toward what the members called ‘the live, instrumental thing’ prompted them to establish Organized Fun themselves; the label operated through distribution via Bellmark, allowing the trio to handle production of the album in-house. Their emphasis on acoustic drums in place of programmed beats, combined with a deliberate avoidance of samples and a reliance on live keyboards, bass and drums, separated their classicist approach from the prevailing wave of male R&B acts. The release gained initial exposure through the single ‘Pearl’.