Biography
Emerging from Georgia toward the close of the 1990s, Sound Tribe Sector 9 developed a dub-tinged, breakbeat-driven psychedelic approach that placed strong weight on collective improvisation, echoing the direction of jam-band contemporaries including the Disco Biscuits, Lake Trout, and the New Deal.
Their first recording, Interplanetary Escape Vehicle (1998), was captured shortly after the group formed and offered only faint clues about the sound they would later shape, concentrating instead on fairly ordinary instrumental funk and jazz patterns. The arrival of percussionist Jeffree Lerner in 1999 allowed their identity to coalesce into a strikingly original and intensely danceable weave. Persistent touring helped them build a sizable audience among jam-band listeners.
Two further releases, Live (1999) and Offered Schematics Suggesting Peace (2000), reflected both the band’s maturing style and its deepening engagement with Mayan mysticism and culture. The earlier set preserved the assured character of their nonstop stage shows, while the latter employed analog tape loops, a combination of live and studio tracks, and prominent contributions from guest flutist Kofi Burbridge to produce a more understated result.
Committed to spirituality, equality, and the surrender of individual musical egos, the musicians forgo solos, relying instead on brief, repeating figures that merge into a texture at once hypnotic and densely layered.
Sound Tribe Sector 9 shifted its base to Northern California in late 2000. Continuing to tour heavily, the group launched its own imprint, 1320 Records, which issued the albums Peaceblaster (2008), Ad Explorata (2009), and Axe the Cables (2010) along with the EP When the Dust Settles (2011). Festival appearances also brought wider recognition, with performances at major U.S. events such as Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, Coachella, New Orleans Jazz, and Outside Lands.
Their first recording, Interplanetary Escape Vehicle (1998), was captured shortly after the group formed and offered only faint clues about the sound they would later shape, concentrating instead on fairly ordinary instrumental funk and jazz patterns. The arrival of percussionist Jeffree Lerner in 1999 allowed their identity to coalesce into a strikingly original and intensely danceable weave. Persistent touring helped them build a sizable audience among jam-band listeners.
Two further releases, Live (1999) and Offered Schematics Suggesting Peace (2000), reflected both the band’s maturing style and its deepening engagement with Mayan mysticism and culture. The earlier set preserved the assured character of their nonstop stage shows, while the latter employed analog tape loops, a combination of live and studio tracks, and prominent contributions from guest flutist Kofi Burbridge to produce a more understated result.
Committed to spirituality, equality, and the surrender of individual musical egos, the musicians forgo solos, relying instead on brief, repeating figures that merge into a texture at once hypnotic and densely layered.
Sound Tribe Sector 9 shifted its base to Northern California in late 2000. Continuing to tour heavily, the group launched its own imprint, 1320 Records, which issued the albums Peaceblaster (2008), Ad Explorata (2009), and Axe the Cables (2010) along with the EP When the Dust Settles (2011). Festival appearances also brought wider recognition, with performances at major U.S. events such as Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, Coachella, New Orleans Jazz, and Outside Lands.
Singles