Pocket Dwellers
| Pocket Dwellers | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Genres | Hip-hop |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Labels | Blue Note |
| Members |
Dennis Passley Nigel Williams John Griffith Marco Raposo Gord Shields Christian McKibbin Sheldon Moore |
The Pocket Dwellers (sometimes known as the "Mighty Mighty Pocket Dwellers") are a seven-member experimental hip-hop group from the Toronto area. They have been performing since 1996. The band's main genre is hip-hop, but their music is influenced by jazz, funk, soul and breakbeat.
History
They released their first full-length record in 2000 after they signed a recording deal with the ill-fated Song Corp. Soon after the October release the label had investors pull out and the label went bankrupt in early 2001. It left the Dwellers in limbo because the highly anticipated release of Digitally Organic was sort of lost in the labels inability to support the product.
The next release was the album recorded live at a club in Toronto called th Reverb. It included excerpts from back to back sold out performances. The recording was released under Urbnet records and did well in re-establishing the band's image for performing live and with unparalleled energy.
In 2005 they signed with Blue Note/EMI and released PD-Atrics. The recording was more hip hop based and involved less live instrumentation than had been employed in the past.
Members
- Dennis Passley "Deknow" – tenor saxophone
- Nigel Williams "N.I.Gel" – vocals
- John Griffith "Quest" – saxophone, flute
- Marco Raposo "Red" – drums
- Gord Shields "Jupiter" – bass guitar
- Christian McKibbin "Holy C" – guitar
- Sheldon Moore "S-luv" – turntables
- guest musicians:
- Brownman Ali – trumpet
Discography
Albums
- Limited Edition - EP (1998)
- Digitally Organic (August 29, 2002)
- Lifecheck (August 19, 2003)
- PD-Atrics (October 4, 2005)
References
Pocket Dwellers at allmusic.com