British jazz/Hip-Hop outfit Us3 landed a Top 10 Billboard Hot 100 hit in the early ’90s with the release of “Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia),” the lead single from Us3’s debut, Hand on the Torch (1993). The song, which included a rich sample of Herbie Hancock’s 1964 single “Cantaloupe Island,” was ultimately certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Us3’s sophomore album, 52nd & Broadway, arrived in 1997, and was the last one to chart. Almost as quickly as Us3 ascended into pop culture consciousness, they seemed to disappear. Now, for the first time in more than a decade, Us3 has returned with a new single and video called “What Have We Done?” It marks a taste of the upcoming album, Soundtrack, which is scheduled to arrive on August 22.
As the title of the song suggests, frontman/producer Geoff Wilkinson is baffled by the state of the world, pointing out nature has “often been the victim” of both industrialization and post-industrialization. The track was strongly inspired by the Philip Glass-scored documentary Koyaanisqatsi, an 86 minute-long film featuring no narration—just nature and human’s technological innovation and its consequent threat posed to it.
“When I moved to London in my early 20’s, the first movie I went to see was Koyaanisqatsi,” Wilkinson tells AllHipHop. “I watched it one afternoon in a cinema in the centre of London and came out in the middle of rush hour. It was as if I was in the movie. I wanted the video for ‘What Have We Done?’ to reflect my feelings after watching the movie.”
Much like the film, “What Have We Done?” is devoid of lyrics. Using hi-hat patterns borrowed from Atlanta Trap music, the orchestral instrumentation is intended to spark a feeling of uncertainty and lack of balance sprinkled with glimpses of hope. The arrangements are provided by longtime Us3 collaborator and keyboardist Mike Gorman.
It’s been a long, arduous road for Wilkinson. In early 2014, he suffered a massive heart attack and was rushed to the hospital, where doctors needed to shock him multiple times and insert two stents and a defibrillator to keep him alive. Here, a man who didn’t smoke, eat red meat, do drugs and was in every low-risk category possible nearly dropped dead.
He later found out his father’s side had a history of bad tickers, so he chalked it up to genetics. He also noted the stress of releasing six albums independently in the previous 10 years without a label or manager “clearly didn’t help.” It was then he decided to give up music. But somewhere along the way, his spirit reawakened and he felt compelled to write music again. He had a studio built in his backyard and taught himself Logic.
“It’s great to be back after such a long time,” he says. “I’ve updated the sound to reflect a 21st century take on the fusion of jazz and Hip-Hop by mixing trap beats with an 18-piece horn section. It may sound different but the spirit is the same.”
“What Have We Done?” is currently available on all streaming platforms. Watch the video above and learn more about Wilkinson’s story below.
Related
