Hypnotic Brass Ensemble

Overview

What do Chicago hip-hop horn band Hypnotic Brass Ensemble have in common with the von Trapp family? Well, pretty much nothing actually, besides the fact the band comprises a whole bunch of instrumentally dexterous siblings. Eight of Hypnotic Brass Ensemble's nine members are the sons of Sun Ra Arkestra trumpeter Phil Cohran, and they're mixing up a traditional brass sound with rhythmic hip-hop and big-band jazz.

You might think there's only so much you can do with a brass horn, but the boys keep their sound fresh by mixing in influences they've been picking up since they began performing together from as young as three years old. Growing up listening to their father's trumpet jazz, they later flirted with sonic rebellion by hiding under the covers listening to Public Enemy and Ice Cube. And after spending years busking on streets and subways, they did what no nine-piece brass band from the South side of Chicago had done before: work with Mos Def, Gorillaz and Wu Tang's Ghostface Killah.

Hypnotic Brass Ensemble are lending their horns to the Avalanche DJs Presents club night on Friday, but Saturday's solo show is where they will really show Sydney that horns and jazz at the low single-digit hours of Sunday don’t necessarily indicate that the night is drawing to a close.