Thievery Corporation | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Labels | ESL |
| Members | Rob Garza Eric Hilton |
| Website | ThieveryCorporation.com |
Thievery Corporation is an Americanelectronic music duo consisting of Rob Garza andEric Hilton. Their musical style mixes elements ofdub,acid jazz,reggae,Indian classical,Middle Eastern music,hip hop,electronica, andBrazilian music, includingbossa nova.
Thievery Corporation was formed in the summer of 1995 at Washington D.C.'s Eighteenth Street Lounge.[1] Rob Garza and Lounge co-owner Eric Hilton were drawn together over their mutual love of club life, as well asdub,bossa nova,ReggeEDM, andjazz records. They decided to see what would come of mixing all these in a recording studio, and from this, in 1996 the duo started theirEighteenth Street Lounge Music record label.[2]
The duo drew attention with their first two 12-inch offerings, "Shaolin Satellite" and "2001: a Spliff Odyssey", and with their 1996 debut LP,Sounds from the Thievery Hi-Fi.
In 2001, they releasedSounds From The Verve Hi-Fi, a "best of" compilation of 1960s–1970s material ofVerve Records that includesJazz,Bossa Nova andLatin Jazz works from artists likeCal Tjader,Wes Montgomery,Sérgio Mendes & Brasil '66,Luiz Bonfá, among others.
In 2002 they releasedThe Richest Man in Babylon on their ESL label. This fifteen-track album is similar in sound andtimbre to their earlier 2000 release,The Mirror Conspiracy[according to whom?], and features performances by vocalistsEmilíana Torrini,Pam Bricker, and Loulou.
In 2004, they releasedThe Cosmic Game, which has a darker, more psychedelic sound thanThe Richest Man in Babylon. The album also featured more high-profile guest singers on it, includingPerry Farrell,David Byrne, andWayne Coyne ofThe Flaming Lips.
In 2006, the group releasedVersions, a selection of remixes by Thievery Corporation for other artists. They toured around the United States, playing atLollapalooza.[3] The tour was photographed by Rob Myers, Thievery Corporation's sitar and guitar player, in theBlurbphoto bookThievery Corporation 2006.[4] In 2006, the band also recorded "Sol Tapado" for theAIDS benefit albumSilencio=Muerte: Red Hot + Latin Redux produced by theRed Hot Organization. As well, in the 2006 release ofTiger Woods PGA Tour for Xbox, their music was featured as the soundtrack to the game.[5] Also in 2006, Puma Ptah, then known as Ras Puma, joined and toured with Thievery Corporation and continues to tour with them today.[6]
The group released their fifth studio album,Radio Retaliation, on September 23, 2008. It was nominated for theGrammy for best recording package.[7] Thievery Corporation's tour started out with five consecutive sold-out shows at the9:30 Club in Washington, DC.[8]
They were the opening act on August 1, 2009, forPaul McCartney atFedExField inLandover, Maryland.[9]
On July 27, 2010,Babylon Central, the cinematic directorial debut of founding member Eric Hilton, was released. Set (and shot) in Washington, D.C., the film follows tripwire events in the interconnected lives of its characters, each influencing power brokers' schemes to manipulate international currencies.[10]
In June 2011, Thievery Corporation released their sixth album,Culture of Fear, which also featured the vocal stylings of Puma Ptah, then known as Ras Puma, on the tracks: "Overstand" and "False Flag Dub."
In January 2012, Thievery Corporation launched a remixes contest in conjunction with Dubspot.[11] The same year, Eric Hilton from Thievery Corporation produced the debut album,Archives, for Washington D.C. based reggae band "The Archives."
The band releasedSaudade on March 25, 2014, viaESL Music.[12]
On January 11, 2017, the band released the song "Ghetto Matrix" from their albumThe Temple of I & I, which was released on February 10, 2017, again via their ownESL Music label.[13]
On April 20, 2018, the band releasedTreasures from the Temple via ESL Music.[14]
Throughout their career, the duo has repeatedly expressed their fondness forBrazilian culture in interviews and liner notes of their releases, especially of the 1960sBossa Nova music movement.[15] Some of their earlier recordings were accompanied by artwork paying specific homage to classic releases by bossa nova artists likeJoão Gilberto (hisself-titled 1973 album) orTom Jobim (Stone Flower). Their1997 debut album is also dedicated to the memory of Brazilian musicianAntonio Carlos Jobim, who died three years earlier.
The language of the group's lyrics throughout their career includeEnglish,Spanish,French,Italian,Persian,Portuguese,Romanian andHindi. This reflects the group's world music influences.
Thievery Corporation has taken liberal political stances on various issues, opposing war and what they regard as exploitative trade agreements, while supporting human rights and food programs.
In September 2005, the group participated in the Operation Ceasefire concert, with the objective of ending theIraq War.
From their press release regarding their albumRadio Retaliation, Garza said:
Radio Retaliation is definitely a more overt political statement [...] There's no excuse for not speaking out at this point, with the suspension ofhabeas corpus, outsourced torture, illegal wars of aggression, fuel, food, and economic crises. It's hard to close your eyes and sleep while the world is burning around you. If you are an artist, this is the most essential time to speak up.
— Rob Garza[16]
Thievery Corporation are vocal advocates for theWorld Food Programme, seeing hunger as "...something basic, really elemental, that transcends boundaries around the world."[17]
Full members[18]
Touring and studio musicians[18]
Touring and studio vocalists[18]
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [19] | US Dance [20] | AUS [21] | AUT [22] | BEL (FL) [23] | FRA [24] | GER [25] | ITA [26] | NZ [27] | UK [28] | ||
| Sounds from the Thievery Hi-Fi | 1996 | — | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| The Mirror Conspiracy | 2000 | — | — | 56 | 48 | — | 45 | 32 | 26 | 22 | 76 |
| The Richest Man in Babylon | 2002 | 150 | 2 | 40 | 45 | — | 43 | 42 | 22 | 9 | 139 |
| The Cosmic Game | 2005 | 94 | 1 | 46 | 48 | 25 | 66 | 50 | 25 | 24 | 74 |
| Radio Retaliation[29] | 2008 | 35 | 1 | — | — | 64 | 108 | — | 59 | 35 | 175 |
| Culture of Fear | 2011 | 52 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 39 | — |
| Saudade[30] | 2014 | 58 | 2 | — | — | 51 | — | — | — | — | 78 |
| The Temple of I & I[13] | 2017 | 111 | 4 | — | 18 | 30 | — | 37 | — | — | — |
| Treasures from the Temple | 2018 | — | 8 | — | 21 | 113 | — | 49 | — | — | — |
| Symphonik | 2020 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Singles released onESL Music, unless noted.[31]
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