|
|
A short biography:
Formed out of a group of college acquaintances, the Adjusters played their
first show to a bunch of University of Chicago students in a dank basement
in the fall of 1995. It was dirty and the sound was bad, but a movement was
born. The Adjusters' mission: play ska, but play it with soul. The band has
changed a lot since those days; we don't play fast ska anymore, frankly we
don't play much ska at all, and only two members remain from those days, but
the movement lives on.
Our recordings tell our mission and our roots; sad instrumentals, protest songs, love songs... in many genres; ska, reggae, soul, funk, jazz, you name it. But there is a common thread, a feeling and message throughout it all. That's crucial rhythm & blues. Don't expect to fully understand what we mean by reading this, you've got to listen to the music. It's not a specific genre of music, it's the soul and meaning in many genres that we feel are important, thus "crucial".
We've put out two full-length records, "The Politics of Style" on Chicago's Jump Up! Records in 1997 and "Before the Revolution" on New York's Moon Ska Records in 1998 and we're working on a third to be released on a as-yet-to-be-determined label. The first record is the definition of the Adjusters sound and attitude; raw powerful vocals, tight horn arrangements and a soulful backbeat. The second album presents a more mature sound with some further genre explorations and an attempt at a more unified sound. We're a live band at heart, just one that keeps getting trapped into doing comprehensive studio projects. The third album is the most ambitious studio project yet, a fusion of our soul/ska/reggae roots with a modern electronic production method and style. Trip-hop, drum and bass and hip hop fused with our traditional sounds.
What's with the politics? Well, we believe that music, especially the kind
of music we play, is inherently political. And as such there is a history
and culture we need to be cognizant of. There's also an opportunity to continue
a tradition of fighting for what's right; and we try to take advantage of
this opportunity as best we know how.