Live Human
Biography
Formed in San Francisco's Bay Area, Live Human were a 3-piece experimental hip-hop ensemble, consisting of Albert Mathias (drums) and Andrew Kushin (upright bass) - both former members of jazz / improv collectives , alongside Carlos Aguiler (aka DJ Quest) - a member of renowned Battle DJ collectives, The Space Travellers and The Bulletproof Scratch Hamsters.
Initially tracked down after the discovery of a debut (live) LP, the band became the first artists to release an album on FatCat in March '99.
Following the success of their first FatCat 12" ('Improvisessions'), they released the album 'Monostereosis: the New Victrola Method' in March 1999. Occupying a unique space in the genres of both free-improvised jazz and hip-hop, no instrument here is subordinate to any other, and they instead utilised a processs they call 'live sampling', in which they draw freely from their own compositions in order to perpetually recontextualise and re-energise their own music.
A further 12" ('Orange Bush Monkey Flower') was released shortly after the album, before the group left to sign for the Matador label.
