STS9
by Jesse JarnowFounded in Georgia in the late '90s, Sound Tribe Sector 9 quickly refined a style of dub-influenced, breakbeat-infused psychedelic music with a heavy emphasis on group improvisation, comparable to the work of jam band peers such as the Disco Biscuits, Lake Trout, and the New Deal.
Sound Tribe Sector 9's debut effort, Interplanetary Escape Vehicle (1998), was recorded soon after the group's formation and provides only scant hints of what the sound the band would develop, instead focusing on somewhat generic instrumental funk and jazz grooves. With the addition of percussionist Jeffree Lerner in 1999, the band's sound solidified into a powerfully original, highly danceable tapestry. Through constant touring, the group began to work up a large following among jam band fans. Two more releases -- Live (1999) and Offered Schematics Suggesting Peace (2000) -- captured both the band's developing sound and their increasing interest in ...