Super Hi-Fi

Brooklyn-based Super Hi-Fi mixes jazz-inflected trombones, the rhythmic landscapes of Jamaican dub and touches of afrobeat and funk for a unique and heady mix memorably described as an ‘imaginary soundtrack from Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, The Specials and Led Zeppelin.’ Led by bassist and composer Ezra Gale, whose last outfit, the San Francisco-based Aphrodesia, took their take on afrobeat all the way to Femi Kuti’s Shrine in Lagos, Nigeria, Super Hi-Fi has been creating waves in the fertile New York music scene since 2010 and released their debut full-length album, “Dub To The Bone” (Electric Cowbell Records), in 2012.

The band’s unique double trombone-led sound, equally at home at a raucous dance party or an intense listening session, applies the improvisatory dub mixing approach to live performances of the band’s original compositions. It’s led to shared stages with John Brown’s Body, Rubblebucket, Beats Antique, Debo Band, Giant Panda Guerrilla Dub Squad and many others at venues like the Brooklyn Bowl, Maxwell’s, the Mercury Lounge, the Rocks Off Concert series and elsewhere. They’ve been active collaborators in the diverse New York music scene, hosting the popular monthly “Afro-Dub Sessions” at Rose Live Music in Williamsburg in 2011 that featured collaborations with everyone from DJ’s like Subatomic Sound System and Ticklah to former Liquid Liquid vocalist Sal P., and recently made it to the final round of WNYC’s annual “Battle of the Bands” at the legendary Greene Space.

The debut full-length, ‘Dub To The Bone,’ was crowned ‘Best Reggae album of the year’ from NY Music Daily and the #1 album of the week from the NY Daily News (Dec 2, 2012).
The band’s first release, the 7″ vinyl “Single Payer” (Electric Cowbell Records), was recorded by Brooklyn dub legend Prince Polo and received raves (“warm, enveloping, and heavy as lead” said Reggae Vibes) with a B-side of a radically deconstructed remix from Brazil-based dub producer Victor Rice. The band also released a split 7″ with Seattle’s Polyrhythmics featuring the “cinematic afro-dub” of “We Will Begin Again,” which Splinters and Candy called “Eerie, reminiscent of Rico Rodriquez work on the Specials’ Ghost Town.”

The band’s latest release, “Yule Analog Vol. 1- A Very Dubby Christmas”, is a re-imagining of Christmas classics like “We Three Kings” and “Little Drummer Boy” with blasting trombones, swirling tape delay and ass-shaking wallop. The album is a hit, with critics like InForty wishing “If only shopping malls were blasting this every holiday season”! The band has debuted the material to a raucous crowd of Santas at SantaconNYC, and looks to follow the album up with a new record of all original material in 2015.

Super Hi-Fi:

Rick Parker, Alex Asher- trombones

Jon Lipscomb- guitar

Ezra Gale- Bass

Madhu Siddappa- Drums