Twenty-five years into their genre-defying electronic music career, Thievery Corporation's founding principles of D.I.Y. and inclusion have become key themes in mainstream social conversation. After a dozen highly acclaimed full-length albums, remix LPs, concert recordings, and over two decades of incendiary live performances that have thrilled audiences worldwide, Thievery Corporation's music and message is more relevant and important now than ever.
That lack of filter enabled Garza and Hilton to mine their musical inspirations and create one of the most unique bodies of work in electronic music, respectfully incorporating tastes of international cultural styles, without ever falling into the trap of cultural appropriation. "We always wondered: with so much incredible music in the world, why would anyone limit themselves to one genre? Well, we found out — it's far easier to stay in one lane than to genre hop!" laughs Hilton. Garza elaborates: "When we started, we were influenced by music from all over the world, flipping through bins in second hand record stores for LP's from Brazil, India, Iran, Jamaica, jazz records…..we wanted to make music where you didn't know whether it was recorded today or a decade ago." Thievery Corporation's music has always looked toward the future while paying homage to the past, starting with their groundbreaking debut LP, 1996's "Sounds From The Thievery Hi-Fi," which both introduced the world to Garza and Hilton as producers and set their course as pioneers of song-based electronic music with wildly diverse vocalists.
The band's legendary D.C. headquarters, the Eighteenth Street Lounge, became an epicenter for a diverse group of people and staff from all over the world, which in turn had a profound influence on their musical output. "D.C. was very cosmopolitan, lots of places to see international live music and jazz," says Garza. "We'd run into people from all over the world and invite them to play with us — so Thievery became an extension of that, both on our records and in our live performances." Indeed, Hilton and Garza's "Outernational" approach created a world reflected by the artist's ideals of diversity and acceptance. "25 years after we started, it seems like the world is catching up," Garza opines. "Social consciousness is more mainstream, awareness of the importance of inclusivity…it's so encouraging to see so many people working towards these goals in America." Hilton agrees. "Thievery is a reflection of who we are, it evolved from our musical tastes. Artists who were for the people, like The Clash, Fela Kuti, Manu Chao were so important to us, and engaging in social ideas has always been a part of what we've tried to do." People don't refer to Thievery Corporation as "World Music," but it's safe to say that their music and ethos is global in its scope and ahead of its time at every turn.