HiM - Biography

Obsessed by deep dub, USA-based musician Douglas Scharin named his HiM (His Imperial Majesty) project in deference to Haile Selassie, the Ethiopian emperor and spiritual leader of Rastafarianism. Scharin had previously provided percussion in bands such as Rex, June Of 44 and Codeine, and HiM (not to be confused with the Finnish goth metal band HIM) was initiated as a Scharin solo project.

HiM's 1995 debut, Egg, emerged after the first of these bands had purchased some new recording equipment - the self-taught drummer says he began to "fool around" with the equipment in an attempt to learn basic studio techniques. From this process, Scharin created a genuinely intriguing recording of manipulated exotic percussion.

Over time, the HiM project has morphed from a solo one to a semi-stable band that has featured as many as 10 members including Rob Mazurek (cornet), Bundy K. Brown (bass), Jeff Parker (guitar), and Scharin's former June Of 44 colleagues Sean Meadows (guitar) and Fred Erskine (bass).

Inspired by and compared to Can, A Certain Ratio, King Tubby and Miles Davis, Scharin merges a mass of different influences such as jazz, afrobeat, rock, electronica and dub. A planned HiM album with Joe Goldring (bass, ex-Swans) was issued under the Out In Worship moniker because the release lacked the "deep, deep bass groove' that Scharin believes is imperative to any release as HiM.

2000"s Our Point Of Departure has been referred to as HiM's "year zero" record, the point at which it became, for all intents and purposes, a new band distinct from Scharin's earlier four-track excursions. The 2003 album, Many In High Places Are Not Well, notably introduced vocals into HiM's array of sounds, with contributions from Christian Dautresme and Múm's Kristín Anna Valtysdóttir.