Mandrill

Mandrill on vinyl: funk, Latin and jazz from Brooklyn

In short: Mandrill were founded in Brooklyn in the late sixties by the brothers Lou, Ric and Carlos Wilson, who came from Panama. Their music mixes funk with Latin, jazz, rock and African rhythms – a colourful sound that many hip-hop producers later sampled. The Vinyl Room currently has 6 Mandrill records.

What makes Mandrill special?

In Mandrill almost everyone played several instruments: horns, percussion, organ and guitar take turns, and tracks grow from funk into Latin jams. “Just Outside Of Town” (1973) shows this variety, “Solid” (1975) gets harder and funkier.

“We Are One” (1977) came out on Arista, and later “Energize” followed on Montage Records – the band moved closer to disco and soul.

From our stock

First pressings

Records by Mandrill

→ Arista · Polydor · Funk · Soul & funk on vinyl

FAQ

Where do Mandrill come from? From Brooklyn in New York; the founders, the Wilson brothers, came from Panama.

What music did Mandrill play? Funk with Latin, jazz and rock – often in long, open tracks.

Why are Mandrill popular with hip-hop producers? Because of their grooves and horns, which were often sampled.

Which records do you have? Mostly albums from the seventies – 6 records in all.