Ape Is High

from the LP Mandrill Is, Polydor Records, 1972



Perhaps the only crew on Earth to have given Funkadelic a run for their money, Mandrill was a multi-racial & multi-ethnic group that assembled in the borough of Brooklyn, never achieving the fame their talent warranted but enduring, among heads anyways, as one of the most eclectic and beloved of all American funk bands. This album alone contained touches of prog rock, jazz, latin, funk, soul, psych rock and even experimental craziness (see “Universal Rhythms” on this LP for an example, it’s the source of Beck’s sample in “Hotwax”, “…who are you? I’m the enchanting wizard of rhythm. why did you come here? I came here to tell you about the rhythms of the universe…”). This track generously showcases their abilities, including 2 unique bridges and, as outdated as the words may seem, it still lifts my mood to hear them chant, “…do do do what you what to do; be be be what you what to be…” Indeed, this ape is high…