Blaak Heat

Blaak Heat
OriginLos Angeles/Paris
GenresPsychedelic rock, Progressive rock, Surf rock, experimental
Years active2008–present
LabelsSvart Records
Tee Pee Records
Improvising Beings
MembersThomas Bellier
Mike Amster
Guillaume Théoden
Nicolas Heller
Henry Evans
Past membersTom Davies
Antoine Morel-Vulliez
Timothée Gacon
WebsiteBlaak Heat official website

Blaak Heat (formerly known as Blaak Heat Shujaa) is a French-American musical group whose recordings blend psychedelic rock with a number of outside sources, such as traditional Middle Eastern music, progressive rock, surf rock, spaghetti western, and metal.

The band was founded by Thomas Bellier and Antoine Morel-Vulliez in 2008 in Paris while they were graduate students at Sciences Po.[1] In 2012, the band relocated to Los Angeles, signed to Tee Pee Records, and subsequently hired Orange County-based drummer Mike Amster.[1] Blaak Heat has toured Europe and the United States, appearing at festivals such as Levitation Austin, Reverence Valada, and Red Smoke Fest.[2] The band collaborated with Nobel Prize-nominated Gonzo poet Ron Whitehead on two of their releases, leading to multiple live appearances with Whitehead in the US and Scandinavia. Blaak Heat's latest full-length album, Shifting Mirrors, was produced by Grammy Award-winning producer Matt Hyde and came out in the Spring of 2016.[3] It has been called "A new standard for a new generation" by PopMatters[4] and "Almost too good to be believed" by Loudwire.[5]

  1. ^ a b Jason Roche (2013-04-19). "Blaak Heat Shujaa: Desert Rockers". LA Weekly. Retrieved 2015-05-27.
  2. ^ "Past Shows". Archived from the original on 2015-05-28. Retrieved 2015-05-27.
  3. ^ "Blaak Heat Release Shifting Mirrors May 13". Retrieved 2016-10-13.
  4. ^ "Blaak Heat Shifting Mirrors". Retrieved 2016-10-13.
  5. ^ "Rumblings From The Underground". Retrieved 2016-10-13.