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BIOGRAPHY
Who is this manic Master of Ceremonies who openly confesses to the two
grand black bohemians said to be lunatic Sun Ra and George Clinton, and
whose antics certainly remind us of a young Herman Sonny Blount and his
Solar Arkestra?
King Khan and The Shrines have been spreading their love like peanut
butter since 1999. A youngblood King Khan on his royal Buddhistic
journey decides to sow some wild oats in Germany, where he finds true love
and fulfills his life long dream of leading a super bad ass 10-piece
soul inferno!!!!
"I didn't just want the audience to have an aural orgasm. I wanted an EYEGASM too!!!" - King Khan.
The line-up includes 60 year-old Chicago-born, Ron Streeter (the
live-percussionist of Curtis Mayfield, Stevie Wonder, and many other
Soul-Legends), a horn section consisting of Simon Wojan (member of
Kranky Records recording artists Cloudland Canyon), Ben Ra (Germany's
John Coltrane), and famous French rockabilly saxophonist Big Fred
Rollercoaster. The rhythm section of the Sensational Shrines has been
called "a German/French version of the Freak Brothers".
Their first album THREE HAIRS & YOU'RE MINE, released in 2002, was produced by Liam
Watson and recorded in the legendary Toe Rag Studios in London, England. A second full-length, MR. SUPERNATURAL, followed in
2004. King Khan and The Shrines became an all-star international
movement. Numerous gigs followed all across Europe with the Black Lips,
Enon, Demolition Dollrods, Mr.Quintron & Ms. Pussycat, even an
after-party for 50 Cent in Norway. They headlined Toronto's NXNE
festival in 2006 playing three nights in a row and even had a member of member of the Sun Ra Arkestra join their brass section.
In 2007 King Khan made the soundtrack and film score for "Schwarze
Schafe" a major motion picture in Germany. The soundtrack included
music from The Black Lips, The Spits, Gris Gris, Quintron and more.
That same year, King Khan also released WHAT IS?! which received critical
acclaim from all over the world, landing at #33 on Pitchfork's Top
Albums of 2007 while their track Welfare Bread landed at #66 on Pitchfork's Top 100 Songs of 2007.
In 2008, King Khan's musical dynamite was, for the first time, widely available in the U.S. of A. A greatest
hits of his greatest hits, the cream of a very creamy crop - this is
the Supreme Genius of King Khan and The Shrines at their absolute
very best. The entire 11-person psychedelic-soul big band revue toured extensively through North America that summer, leaving behind them a colorful spell of amazement and wonder.
In April 2009 King Khan and The Shrines re-released WHAT IS?! in North America.
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