Percussionist Richard Olatunde Baker and drummer Lou Ciccotelli are Eardrum. Since forming in 1996, the duo have gleaned inspiration from free jazz, Afro-beat, musique concrète, and dub, attempting to build on the spirit of Sun Ra, Miles Davis, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Fela Kuti, and the outer reaches of 23 Skidoo. The duo's material is often dark, always hypnotic; nothing but pure rhythm with adventurous post-production touches. Initially signed to Leaf, issuing acclaimed recordings such as 2001's Side Effects, Eardrum sporadically reconvened for subsequent albums, including 2014's Colonised. Two years after making their 1997 debut with a 12" on Soul Static Sound, Ciccotelli and Baker issued the Last Night LP on Leaf. With help from several guests, all of the instrumentation was recorded live and was patched together in a rigorous editing process, Teo Macero style. Last Light Remixes, Vol. 1, a batch of reworkings from the likes of Monolake, Ashley Beedle, and the Sofa Surfers, was released in mid-2000. The duo made a full return in 2001, a year that saw the release of Side Effects, which featured contributions from renowned engineer Guy Fixsen (My Bloody Valentine, Laika), Nii Tagoe (African Head Charge), and Jason Yarde (Manu Dibango). Delving further into African-based musics, Eardrum again demonstrated a proclivity for tightly reined chaos. The duo recorded less frequently during the ensuing years. After third album Back to Now, Vol. 1 in 2007, they applied bhangra and fuji to their synthesis for Colonised, issued in 2014. ~ Andy Kellman