About M’lumbo

M’lumbo was founded in the mid-80’s by Robert “M’botto” Ray and “Zombie” Ron Boggs

Rob & Ron

as an escape from commercial music (they were then in, amongst other things, a “rock” band managed by Mick Jagger’s manager that included future Helmet leader Page Hamilton). To their surprise, early handmade cassettes began selling briskly at local record stores leading to radioplay on over 100 U.S. stations and many rave reviews.

They have since been featured on over 300 public, college and progressive radio stations worldwide (including syndicated shows featuring their music); have done commercials, films and work for MTV , MTV 2, Chrysler, Mini Cooper, and Hyundai; and have drawn countless enraptured reviews, received an ocean of comparisons to Miles Davis, Sun Ra and the Orb, and praise from such disparate avatars as Simpsons’ creator Matt Groening, Brian Eno, Carly Simon, DJs Olive and Spooky, Neil Young and Tom Waits, and have influenced some bands along the way (Sex Mob, Either/Orchestra).

They have given countless orgiastic and enthralling performances at both the original and second
Knitting Factory, recently played the third (Brooklyn) location, as well as numerous other N.Y.C. venues such as Joe’s Pub, S.O.B.’s, and St. Anne’s Cathedral, with opening acts such as Neotropic, Sean Lennon, Badawi, Mantronix, virtual reality inventor Jaron Lanier, Jojo Meyer’s Nerve, dj Muttamasik and Duncan Sheik with constant recommendations of their shows by Time Out New York and the Village Voice.

In 2000 their film System Noise (with wall-to-wall music and guest appearances by Gary Lucas, Badawi and Neotropic) won ‘best experimental feature’ at the New York International Film Festival, toured as a Slamdance feature and secured European distribution. Following completion of this film, M’lumbo recorded The Nine Billion Names Of God, an album of eight mind-boggling originals which combines accessibility with transportive transcendence that ‘will transport you to M’lumbo’s private twilight zone’ (Boston Herald)

“M’lumbo’s boho splendour! forget the Lounge Lizard’s fake jazz, this is fuck-jazz; highly accomplished and highly irreverent at once ‘Psychotronic’ skit-skatting through the musical spectrum in a hyperactive-inspired burst of creativity and rhythm” (B-Side) “Imagine a collision between Tackhead, Eno-era Talking Heads, Bill Laswell, 70s Miles Davis… Mere words cannot do justice to convey the musical construction that you are going to hear” (Dead Earnest)

M’lumbo “The Nine Billion Names Of God”

M’Lumbo offers up the latest chapter of their luminous journey through cinema, dreams, electronica, accoustica, humour, terror, sprituality, jazz, world, acid rock, drum’n’bass, classical and forms unknown, with each moment stamped, ineluctably and seamlessly. by M’lumbo‘s wild post-everything originality.

The band has over the years in its different incarnations released albums labels such as Warner Brothers, Staalplaat and World Domination. Group members have worked as sideman, directors, editors and sound designers to a host of world-class artists and clients ranging from MTV to Chrysler, ESPN to Abbey Lincoln, Mazda to Luther Vandross, Methodman to Pacha Massive, Gil Evans to P Diddy, Pharrell to Pearl Jam.

Their forays into psychedelic jazz have deepened with recent releases – Sacrifices to the Neon Gods, and The Angel Wars. They have been combining forces with celebrated soprano saxophonist Jane Ira Bloom for recent recordings and performances, the fruits of which can be heard on their brand-new collaborative release Celestial Ghetto.

“M’lumbo takes the familiar and makes the earth slide.”

– New York Newsday

“It’s Mickey Mouse, The Stanford University marching band, Santana and Syd Barrett rolled into one…borders on genius.” – Baltimore City Paper

“M’lumbo makes world music for some world other than Earth.” – Dirty Linen

“To approach a merely adequate description, try and imagine a combination of Miles Davis, Sun Ra traditional African music, and early Bonzo Dog Band…very exciting, filled with unbridled energy and humor. The musicianship is superb and the arrangements exceptionally creative.” – Alternative Press

A few videos

Free Will

Science Headquarters

The Invisible Plane