Born out of a passionate, lifelong love of music, Tongue Helmet initially started as a collaboration between two longtime friends, Timbuktu and Danny Miles. Now joined by familiar powerhouse talent Coins / Peter Project and DJiRATE, the group is complete. A long-simmering creative dream for over a decade, this project combines the talents and experience of veteran musicians from seemingly distinct genres, bringing together surprisingly compatible sounds.
Timbuktu (Tim Wallace), a veteran of the underground hip hop scene, is a prolific emcee, producer, and mix engineer known for using charm and a twist of dark humour to get his anomalous lyrics across. A key member of the Canada-wide Backburner collective, and the groups Teenburger and Swamp Thing, Timbuktu has released countless records and received multiple award nominations including an ECMA, MNS, and a London Music Award.
Danny Miles is best known as the drummer of Juno Award-winning alternative band July Talk, and brings a vast array of musical chips to the table. Miles’ roots and influences come from decades of underground alternative rock and hip hop music; his heavy groove based drums and alternative ear push the project into the realm inhabited by the likes of The Dust Brothers, Dan the Automator, or DJ Shadow.
Accomplished producer/composer Coins (Peter Chapman) is a multi-instrumentalist who provides an added depth and texture, employing everything from vibraphones, pianos and vintage organs all the way to esoteric modular suitcase synths and talk box vocoders. DMC champion, DJiRATE (Ward Pitfield), is integral to the group’s sound and live performance, laying down the element of vibrant yet classic turntablisim.
Co-Produced by Timbuktu and Danny, Tongue Helmet is a collaborative work in its purest inspirational form. The project provides a unique, updated look at a classic psychedelic hip-hop sound. Anyone who is a fan of Deltron 3030, Beastie Boys (think Paul’s Boutique) or Beck (Odelay era), will find themselves vibing to Tongue Helmet
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