Urban Vault caught up with German five-member Hip Hop collective TRIBEZ. to ask them some questions about their recent release the PARAGON EP and more…

The five-member collective TRIBEZ. from Bavaria/Munich/Germany has long been known as ‘THE’ Hip Hop band out of Germany. Acclaimed live performances, festival shows and productions with the Who-Is-Who of German emcees are included in their biography. The TRIBEZ. consists of Dam Sick (Drums), Ningu Storm (Keys), FunkDogg (Bass), Ben Treimer (Guitar) Rufflow (Turntables).

What‘s the name of your band and what does it stand for?

Man, that‘s kind of an embarrassing story. We had trouble finding a cool name, so we came up to use Tribe from A Tribe Called Quest and something Chinese like Wu-Tang. So it was ‘Tribes Of Jizu’ and really, nobody spelled it right at the beginning. Finally, we dropped Jizu. There’s absolutely no meaning about the name.

Where are you from?

Bavaria in the deep south of Germany. It’s hard to get some weed but you can be wandering around drunk pretty everywhere.

How long have you been making music together?

The Band started in 2014

What does a Hip Hop live band make up and what are the challenges reinterpreting classic Hip Hop beats?

Mostly we recreate sounds with software instruments if it’s necessary. Our drummer uses triggers and Ableton beside his drum set. Moog Sub 37 for 808 sounds. The DJ is spinning samples if necessary. Sound Design is king. If you choose the wrong setting, a Dilla Beat’s going to be like a nut stabbing jazz-rock-fusion thing. Yeah and then there’s the groove, and the feeling, and the fun, and the taste and stuff like that.

Tell us about the projects/albums you have released so far?

We dropped one EP called ‘Dedicated’ and some remixes for German Rap tunes so far. The EP is pretty old…enjoyable in some way. And there’s a Collabo Album with German rap legend AFROB called ‘Beats, Rhymes & Mr. Scardanelli’ with a bunch of great features on it. Definitely enjoyable.

The EP entitled ‘Paragon’ is your recent release. What can listeners expect from this record?

We had a lot of backup from JJ Whitefield. A musical genius coming from psych rock and old school funk. His band Poets Of Rhythm is legendary. We put a lot of energy into creating an atmosphere sounding like a space trip… more Space Odyssey by Kubrick than this ‘Gravity’ movie. Don’t get us wrong. ‘Gravity’ was awesome but we use a lot of analog synths, amps, and stuff, understand? And yeah we got some dope as rappers on it. Maniac. Companion of the band since day one putting one hell of a performance on the tracks. And we got features. AG, El Da Sensei, Pawz One and Phat Cat. Having this New York Underground Real Talk Real Rap Shit on the record…we couldn’t ask for more.

Who else have you collaborated with so far in your career?

A long list of passionate German rappers. Usually, we back them live.

Who would you like to collaborate with in the future?

Everybody who’s friendly and got skills.

Any live shows, tours or festivals planned for 2020?

Our next Loop Sessions Tour Dates are:
16.04. Freiburg, Jazzhaus
17.04. Munich, Ampere
18.04. Regensburg, Alte Mälzerei
23.04. Berlin, Lido
24.04. Hannover, Faust
25.04. Hamburg, Uebel & Gefährlich
26.04. Cologne, Volta

In a few words sum up your thoughts about Urban Vault and what we’re trying to do?

Putting a spotlight on artists and music aside from the hype. We just love your mission.

Thank you for your time and may you carry on making dope, fresh music…

Thanks! We owe u a drink.

TRIBEZ. – Paragon EP via iTunes/Spotify

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