Superhuman Happiness

Superhuman Happiness was founded in 2008 to seek joy and love through shared rhythm and melody, composed and improvised. Their mission is to pursue a happiness greater than that experienced by an individual mind. The first release, Fall Down Seven Times Stand Up Eight, was an EP of instrumentals written by Stuart Bogie and recorded in his friend’s basement on an 8 track tape machine. It includes performances by Luke O’Malley, Eric Biondo, Jordan McLean, Ryan Sawyer, Ryan Ferreira, Oren Blowedow, Zachary Mastoon, Aaron Johnson, Chris Vatalaro, Eli Asher, and Brian Chase of Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The song “Human Happiness” was released on a split 45 with CSC Funk Band on Electric Cowbell Records. It is Superhuman Happiness’ first release.

Between 2009 and 2012 the group became a staple of the music scene at the now defunct venue Zebulon in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The band performed regularly and hosted many guest musicians including saxophonist Colin Stetson, trumpeter Michael Leonhart, drummer Patrick Wood, Alex Toth and Kalmia Traver of Rubblebucket, and Jordan McLean of Antibalas. The band grew and changed gradually over the years, developing new approaches to song based music fused with improvisation – all within the context of live dance music. The closing of Zebulon was an injurious blow to Brooklyn’s music scene, and Superhuman Happiness was unable to find a comparable venue that invited the relaxed creative interplay that Zebulon cultivated. The venue was mentioned in David Byrne’s book How Music Works and Superhuman Happiness dedicated their album Hands to the venue. While the group was developing the music for Hands, performances at Zebulon were integral to their process.

Drummer Miles Arntzen, at the time 19, was publicly auditioned for the group (initially unbeknownst to him). Bogie had been practicing and work-shopping ideas in Miles’ parents basement in the West Village for several months. When the time seemed right, Bogie booked an untitled show at Zebulon for the two to perform as a duo. After each improvised piece, another member of the Hands Superhuman Happiness line up joined the music onstage, ending with the full band in the incarnation that appears on the record.

In 2011 the group released an EP entitled The Physical Music which they recorded in David Sitek’s Stay Gold studio down the street from Zebulon. Four of the songs were released on 45s, GMYL/Hounds on Electric Cowbell Records, and Needles and Pins/Oh Tatiana on Royal Potato Family. The later began Superhuman Happiness’ relationship with Kevin Calabro and his Royal Potato Family label. This relationship quickly became integral to Superhuman Happiness as a functioning entity, and soon after solidifying Calabro’s involvement, the group began performing more consistently. Notable performances include Celebrate Brooklyn (2010, 2011), MassMOCA (2013), Lincoln Center Out of Doors (2013), the Fall Down Festival (2013), All Good Festival (2013), Equifunk Festival (2012), The Undead Jazz Festival (2012), and Burlington’s Precipice Festival (2013).

The majority of tracking for The Physical EP was done over a 5 day period in 2009 when Bogie was unable to join TV on the Radio for a planned promotional tour due to financial constraints. As a consolation to Bogie, the group generously offered him studio time and enough cash to hire an engineer. The album features the work of Jared Samuel, Eric Biondo, Jeremy Wilms, Torbitt Schwartz, Patrick Wood, Ryan Ferreira, Dan Huron, Jon Natchez, Colin Stetson (Bon Iver, Arcade Fire), Sarah Neufeld (Arcade Fire), Michael Leonhart (Steely Dan), Sahr Ngaujah, Shaneeka Harrel, Abena Koomson, Jordan McLean and Aaron Johnson (Antibalas), and Luke O’Malley, Bogie’s long-time production partner. The sessions were often lose proceedings as drop in personalities made their way onto the record. Additional recording at Bogie’s apartment included his mother, Kathy Bogie, among the chorusters in GMYL.

The song GMYL attracted the attention of record producer Paul Heck, who quickly became a supporter of Superhuman Happiness. Heck invited the group to record several songs for Red Hot compilation records, including Red Hot and Rio 2, “Um Canto de Afoxe Para o Bloco do Ile” featuring Cults and Superhuman Happiness, and Red Hot & Riot 2 Fela Kuti’s ITT featuring Sahr Nguajah and Kuti’s No Buredi feat. Amayo of Anitbalas, Sinkane, and Nneka. Red Hot served as the music supervisors for the film How To Survive a Plague, and as producers for the event Red Hot Fela Live at Lincoln center out of Doors. The group continues to work with Red Hot, most recently Bogie and Grey McMurray created The Watchmaker (2014) for the Red Hot & Bach compilation. The pair created, produced and released a pieced based on an extrapolation of 8 bars from Bach’s Cello Suite No 3.