Born from the cultural melting pot of Brooklyn, NY, Mandrill represented an equally diverse and rich lineage of musical flavors. Started by three Panamanian brothers – Carlos, Lou and Ric Wilson – Mandrill was known for their heavy percussion, potent horns and body moving abilities. Fusing salsa, funk, rock and soul they captured the essence of Hip-Hop before there was such a thing, and would provide countless breaks that would help resurrect the culture and maintain it through the present day.

For over thirty years and through fourteen albums they have continually delivered beats and rhythms that inspire both the casual listener and sample thirsty producers, and while it would be impossible to choose one quintessential track, “Children Of The Sun” off their album Mandrill Is should strike a chord with the aforementioned ears.

“Children Of The Sun” begins its journey with some shy chords and subtle strumming of guitar strings, only to be swept into the current of a flute narrative. At the peak of it’s foreshadowing the congas, bass guitar and trumpets come crashing in and sets the groove off. Running for less than a minute, the song settles in with a more calming vocal chunk. However, just past the three minute mark the guitar once again leads us into something bigger, and exactly 3:16 minutes in they hit us with the funk. Lead again by thundering trumpets and nasty percussion, for 10 seconds we get blessed with a break that might puzzle an up-rocking B-Boy but will put a smile on the face of a modern listener simply because “Dey Know.” Of course the rest of the song is just as golden, but this is Hip-Hop and we love our breaks!

And that’s how you let the beat build, bitch.

Mandrill – Children Of The Sun

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