Mitchum Yacoub + Jungle Fire Mitchum Yacoub is an Egyptian-American producer, multi-instrumentalist, and DJ based out of San Diego, CA. As a lifelong drummer that has supported many projects in the vein of Afrobeat, Soul, Funk, and Reggae, he's been slow-brewing a unique feel for roots and dance music. Inspired by artists like Fela Kuti, Dr. Dre, and James Brown, his music harkens back to Africa in the 70’s with the bass and drums turned up a notch. Strong, repetitive grooves layered with Afro-Latin percussion and vibrant, tightly executed horn lines that call all dancers to the floor. Yacoub has played alongside roots music heavies like Tinariwen, Lee Scratch Perry, Antibalas, Jungle Fire, and Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto. His group supported Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 for six shows across the U.S., while he traded on percussion and drum kit for Kuti's band: Egypt 80 (formerly of Fela Kuti).The experience trained him well in the rhythmic strength of the music and earned him and his band a place in the global scene of Afrobeat. Originality, musicianship, and a massive sound are three marks keeping this group on the road and a fast-growing festival favorite. The highly acclaimed release of his debut album, “Living High in the Brass Empire”, (2023 All-Town Sound) showcases his unique approach to roots music and abilities as a composer, engineer, multi-instrumentalist and producer. The record features a cast of brilliant musicians from San Diego, including the horn section with Travis Klein and Bradley Nash (Sure Fire Soul Ensemble), Wesley Etienne (Steel Pulse), and vocals by Divina Jasso (Boostive). The album has garnered attention from KEXP, BBC6 and KCRW, placing “Los Muñequitos” in Jeremy Sole’s Top 10 songs of 2024. With the next record in motion and touring picking up, it’s clear that Mitchum Yacoub’s rise is just beginning. The JUNGLE FIRE sound digs deep into Afro/Latin Funk with an approach that is authentic and highly explosive. The Los Angeles–based 10-piece TropiFunk juggernaut pulls its influences from the music of legends such as Irakere, Ray Barretto, James Brown, Fela Kuti, and Manu Dibango (just to name a few) while creating a melting pot of Afro-Caribbean and West African rhythms with a heavy breakbeat funk. Originally conceived as a one-off project in 2011, JUNGLE FIRE quickly gained attention by lighting up local clubs and underground warehouse parties in Los Angeles’ thriving funk/soul scene. A healthy buzz about the band spread by word of mouth, eventually connecting them to Colemine Records, the Ohio-based indie soul label which cut their first 7” single, “Comencemos” (a cover of Fela Kuti’s “Let’s Start”). Lauded by DJs, radio stations, tastemakers, and rabid funk fans across the globe, “Comencemos” (with its B-side, the original tune “Tokuta”) sold out internationally and paved the way for the band’s second Colemine release, “Firewalker.” In September 2014, the group’s debut LP Tropicoso was released to great critical acclaim via Los Angeles’ own Nacional Records. Their follow-up album Jambú (also on Nacional Records) debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard Latin charts in February 2017, leading to many features in films, commercials, and TV shows including spots for VICE, Lipton, Starbucks, NIKE, the 2019 Emmy Awards, and the soundtrack to Lionsgate’s How to Be a Latin Lover starring Eugenio Derbez and Salma Hayek, among many others. The band is set to release a self-titled album consisting of all new original material in February 2020. JUNGLE FIRE’s members’ diverse musical and cultural backgrounds are a direct reflection of the musical and cultural landscape of Los Angeles, with the city’s unique international and multicultural mix of sounds and flavors being critical components of the group’s sound. Individually and collectively, JUNGLE FIRE’s musicians have recorded, toured, and/or played with Stevie Wonder, Breakestra, Ozomatli, Rhye, Quantic, Alice Russell, De La Soul, La Santa Cecilia, Celia Cruz, Natalia Lafourcade, LCD Soundsystem, U2, The Greyboy Allstars, and Kelis, among many others. JUNGLE FIRE’s live performances serve up a healthy dose of originals and deep Afro/Latin Funk covers, all cooked up together in a live mix-tape style—ensuring an energy that is nothing short of burning. Juno Records (UK) accurately sums up the JUNGLE FIRE live show experience: “Few bands live up to their name in the way JUNGLE FIRE do... each JUNGLE FIRE jam blazes the floor with real power.” Since their inception, JUNGLE FIRE has played an impressive number of club dates and festivals both domestic and abroad, sharing the stage with the likes of Shuggie Otis, The Blackbyrds, Lee Fields, Charles Wright, Brownout, and The Budos Band. During the winter of 2013, JUNGLE FIRE embarked on a massively successful 8-city tour of the UK, playing to packed venues at every stop, including headlining Craig Charles’ Funk Club (Band On The Wall) and BBC 6 Radio. The band’s performance at the 2014 Mompox Jazz Festival (Colombia) was hailed as one of the high points of the event by the local press. In 2015, they played to a full dancing house at New York City’s Lincoln Center Out of Doors Festival, gave two sold-out back-to-back performances at São Paulo’s famed SESC Pompéia, and headlined Los Angeles’ 2016 NYELA celebration for a crowd of over 50,000 attendees. After their well-received performances in Madrid and Barcelona in October 2017, JUNGLE FIRE returned to Spain for a 6-city tour in July 2018, earning standing ovations in festivals including Tenerife’s famed Canarias Jazz & Más. The band spent most of 2019 composing and recording new music for varied projects (including their first foray into film scoring) and are currently setting tour dates in Europe and the Americas in support of their upcoming February 2020 self-titled release via Nacional Records. The JUNGLE FIRE Family consists of: Steve Haney (Percussion) Alberto Lopez (Percussion) Sam Halterman (Drums) Joey Reina (Bass) Sam Robles (Baritone Sax, Flute) Judson McDaniel (Guitar) Patrick Bailey (Guitar) Sean Billings (Trumpet) Very Special Guests!