Jimi Hendrix-esque musical adventurer Jneiro Jarel presents his hip-hop A Team, Shape of Broad Minds. Continuing the journey started with their Blue Experience EP, which features fabled emcee MF Doom, their Craft Of The Lost Art debut album is a scenic road trip to the outer boarders of hip-hop territory and beyond. The voyage brings to mind the travels of fellow pioneers Tribe Called Quest, Herbie Hancock, Madlib, De La Soul and the late great J Dilla, amongst others, and forms an essential piece of summertime listening for fans of all of the above and wide winded music lovers everywhere.

Jneiro Jarel’s Shape Of Broad Minds supergroup comprises four other equally forward-thinking members. Cutting straight to the core of the crew we find right-hand man, fellow vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Jawwaad. This founding pair first met back in ‘94 during Jarel’s Houston dwelling days and whilst Jawwaad was just a kid.

Their similarly wide-minded cohorts are ‘Roque Wun’, ‘Panama Black’ and ‘Dr Who Dat?’ Roque Wun is the free spirited psychedelic singer, and major creative element of the group – a big fan of 80s New Wave, free jazz and; “anything that just wigs out!” Roc has recently started work on a parallel project with Jarel and Khujo of Goodie Mob [the group that gave the world solo and Gnarls Barkley star Cee-Lo]. Shape Of Broad Minds’ Atlanta representative Panama Black is a highly driven, straight-up rap animal, and a man who’s all about staying on top of his game.

The five piece puzzle is completed with the addition of Dr Who Dat?, a highly skilled producer who released the lush instrumental Beat Journey LP last year – a record described as “jam packed with amazing soulful beats” [by Dazed & Confused] and “the laid back hip-hop album of the year” [in Mixmag]. The good doctor is certainly the most mysterious and introverted member of the group, but when leading man Jneiro is having trouble in the studio the doctor is known to sneak in, administer some musical medicine, and cure all ills.

Lyricist and producer Jneiro Jarel began life in the same borough that gave rise to hip-hop: Brooklyn, NYC. With his mother in the Army early years were spent moving around the US with stops and stays in several cities and states coming before a prolonged stint in Houston - then in 1998, on the advice of Rich Medina, Jarel moved to Philly and has been calling the city home ever since. Having previously worked with Jazzanova, Count Bass D, and King Britt, as well as opening live shows for Special Ed, Mobb Deep and The Pharcyde; 2005 saw Jarel unveil his first solo album project Three Piece Puzzle. As well as producing the whole record, he also took the microphone proving his skills as a super-nice rapper too.

Craft Of The Lost Art’s multifarious highlights range from the banging beats and rhymes of Let’s Go [ft MF DOOM], BuddaFly Away and Beast From Da East; to the mellower lushness of Changes, Electric Blue and OPR8TR; and the more experimental jazz based stylings of opener Gorilla Mash, It Lives On [Ft Count Bass D] and They Don’t Know [ft Stacy Epps]. Shape Of Broad Minds full mind-expanding Craft Of The Lost Art debut will be released 3rd September and is preceded by the Blue Experience EP; both of which are brought to you via Lex Records.