Kassa Overall has been a fixture in the American underground for years, one of those fearless musical innovators in the vein of Robert Glapser, Madlib and Questlove. The drummer/producer recently stepped forward with the album ANIMALS on Warp Records, the British label that made name with the electronica of Aphex Twin en Autechre. His beats are innovative and Kassa Overall keeps developing them to new sounds in a live setting as well.
At a young age Kassa Overall started drumming and through his bohemian parents he became acquainted with jazz, folk, reggae and Indian music. Influenced by hip-hop, he learned how to make beats on his brother Carlos’s MPC sampler. ‘Our musical creation was always deeply connected to a bigger purpose and a kind of revolutionary tone,’ he says. Drum legend Billy Hart was his mentor during his musical education. ANIMALS features big-name performers from jazz, hip-hop and neo-soul, from Theo Croker and Vijay Iyer via Danny Brown and Shabazz Palaces to Laura Mvula and Nick Hakim.
Kassa Overall vocals/drums, Ian Finkelstein piano, Tomoki Sanders sax/vocals, Bendji Allonce percussie/vocals