* En anglais uniquement
Identified as Betamax Killer, Danalogue the Conqueror, and King Shabaka -- aliases of drummer Maxwell Hallett, keyboardist
Dan Leavers, and saxophonist
Shabaka Hutchings --
the Comet Is Coming describe their sound as "apocalyptic space funk," consciously and purposefully melding jazz, funk, electronica, psychedelia, hip-hop, and improvisation. Named after a BBC Radiophonic Workshop recording, the boundary-shattering trio woodshedded for a few months and emerged fully formed on South London's fertile, highly collaborative, slipstream jazz scene and began recording almost immediately. Signed to Leaf, they issued the acclaimed EP
Prophecy in 2015 and followed with their debut long-player
Channel the Spirits in 2016; it was nominated for the Mercury Prize. The trio signed to Impulse Records two years later and released
Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery in the winter of 2019.
The London-based musicians had several outlets prior to their 2013 formation and were involved in a number of concurrent projects.
The Comet Is Coming was formed that year after the duo
Soccer96 -- Betamax Killer and Danalogue the Conqueror -- were playing a gig and spotted "a tall shadowy figure" hanging out near the stage with a saxophone in hand. They invited him up to play and delivered their first completely improvised set. Received enthusiastically by the audience, they decided to form
the Comet Is Coming to explore their mutual love of
Sun Ra,
Jimi Hendrix,
John and
Alice Coltrane,
Can,
Mahavishnu Orchestra, techno, house, grime, and future-forward hip-hop. Besides Hallett and
Leavers'
Soccer96,
Hutchings performed and recorded with
Melt Yourself Down,
Sons of Kemet, and other groups. Emboldened by jam sessions,
the Comet Is Coming signed to the Leaf Label, where they issued
Prophecy, an intensely rhythmic and animated EP of five mostly concise tracks, in November 2015. Their debut full-length, 2016's
Channel the Spirits, further consolidated the band's reputation as a raucous, hard-hitting intergalactic groove machine with strong apocalyptic tendencies and was short-listed for Great Britain's Mercury Prize.
After
Sons of Kemet issued their charting Impulse! debut
Your Queen Is a Reptile in 2018, the label also signed
the Comet Is Coming. The future jazz outlaws re-entered the studio and emerged with their label debut,
Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery, early the following year. According to the trio, it was "a 21st century take on spiritual jazz that is part
Alice Coltrane, part
Blade Runner," and featured a vocal performance from guest
Kate Tempest on first single "Blood of the Past." They followed the set with a companion EP entitled
The Afterlife in the fall. ~ Andy Kellman