The Heliocentrics on DeBaser: cosmic jazz, funk and psychedelia

The Heliocentrics

Musical Group

Forlisteners into experimental jazz, psychedelic funk, krautrock, beat-heads, and crate-diggers seeking boundary-pushing grooves.
6 Reviews 0 Definitions 1 Charts

The Profile

The Heliocentrics are a British collective led by drummer/producer Malcolm Catto, known for a psychedelic, jazz-funk and experimental approach that folds in hip hop and krautrock influences. They first appeared with Out There (2007) and have released albums on Now-Again Records, working both solo and in collaborations.

London-based collective led by Malcolm Catto; debut album Out There (2007); acclaimed releases include 13 Degrees of Reality (2013) and A World of Masks (2017); collaborations include projects with Mulatu Astatke, Lloyd Miller, Orlando Julius and Melvin Van Peebles; active on Now-Again Records; known for Quatermass-era studio sessions and jam-driven compositions.

Five reviews chart The Heliocentrics’ blend of psychedelic jazz, funk and krautrock: from the 2007 debut Out There to 13 Degrees of Reality, From the Deep, and A World of Masks. Themes include cosmic atmospheres, jam-built structures, and heavy rhythm. Malcolm Catto is highlighted as a central force, with nods to collaborations and Quatermass-era sessions.

Notable Quotes

❝ Imagine music created with the spirit of Miles Davis the experimenter, with Zappa-esque instinct and ethics, and infused with kraut cosmicity.

❝ Miles would be proud.

❝ The Heliocentrics are a fluid that doesn’t stagnate, music in which to drown, undoubtedly among my favorites of the last ten years.

❝ where psychedelia takes the lead and manipulates a puppet made of vintage jazz, avant-garde, ethnic melodies, floating abstract hip-hop, and muffled funk.