Black Market Brass recently celebrated their tenth year as a band. Rather than round out the decade with more of the same, they’re headed into new territory. Hox (Colemine Records), the third LP from BMB, is due September 8th. It’s a new take on afro-beat fused with heavy, hypnotic, sci-fi sounds that reflect the band’s myriad of influences as record collectors. “The writing process was different this time,” shared saxophonist Cole Pulice. “We didn’t leave the traditional afro-beat sound behind, but we did allow ourselves to pull from different places with less hesitation.”

While the band continues to be centralized in Minneapolis, several members have relocated around the country in recent years. Hox is the result of an ambitious goal to continue pushing boundaries as a 9-piece band despite the distance between members. Each musician challenged themselves to create demos of original material, and from those scattered ideas a small selection was voted on to continue workshopping. A throughline started to emerge once they were able to gather together in person.“That’s when it goes from a group of songs to a Black Market Brass record. It gets chewed up, digested, and becomes part of the DNA of the band.”

The nine-member group returned to Future Condo, a Minneapolis-based studio where they recorded their previous LP Undying Thirst (2020) and several other 45s. John Peters, a co-owner of the studio, recorded and mixed the record. The band credits John for helping them achieve their sound in the studio over the last few years.