Geoff Wilkinson [Us3]: Still Pushing Boundaries

Geoff Wilkinson

Largely known for their 1993 Top 10 global hit entry, “Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia), pioneering jazz / hip hop fusion collective, Us3, are finally back with their first new body of work after more than a decade long absence. 

Please introduce (for me) the members of Us3…

Technically I am the only member of Us3, although it has always been about collaborating with other people; rappers, jazz musicians, etcetera.

Let’s hop into this lead single, "What Have We Done?" — Tell me about this particular track; how did it even come to fruition?

This is the first track from the forthcoming album Soundtrack (August 22nd), and is a combination of trap beats with an 18 piece horn section, playing arrangements largely inspired by the horn arranger Gil Evans, and his work with Miles Davis in the late ‘50’s / early ‘60’s. This is the first all instrumental Us3 album I have released.

Of course "What Have We Done?" comes courtesy of your long overdue new LP, Soundtrack -- Conceptually, what does this title represent both to and for you all?

I called the album Soundtrack as it felt like it had a strong cinematic feel, as if it was an album in search of a movie. I would love for it to be used as an actual soundtrack to something!

How then does Soundtrack either differ and / or compare to previous Us3 efforts? 

This is the first all instrumental Us3 album.

That said, what was it about now, specifically in 2025, that prompted y'all's return to form?

I’ve been thinking about this for a long time, and this album was initially planned as a side project, but the more I got into it, the more I realized that if I had started Us3 in 2025 this is exactly what it would sound like, so I decided to release it as an Us3 album.

That said, what all exactly had / have y’all been up to, both personally and professionally speaking, during your lengthy musical hiatus? 

For the last 10 years I’ve been making library music, which is music mainly for background use on TV programs, movies, ads, etcetera. During that time period I’ve had over 1,000 tracks of library music signed, so I have been busy - just a bit more underground.

Reflecting, tell me your whole inception into music — When did you all first become interested in it? And, how did it all begin for Us3?

I first started DJ’ing in a club when I was 20 years old back in the early ‘80’s, and it all grew from that really. When I moved to London, I did lots of different jobs within the industry - I worked in record stores, at a distributors, I promoted gigs, produced festivals, was a music journalist for a while, and then ended up booking the bands at The Jazz Cafe in London. That was in the early ‘90’s when the hip hop and jazz fusion really started happening. Throughout all this I was dabbling around in various studios, and when I was working in The Jazz Cafe I had a track released on NinjaTune called “The Band Played The Boogie,” which led to myself and my then musical partner, Mel Simpson, being signed to Blue Note.

Geoff Wilkinson

Now you all are from London, England, correct? So growing up in “The Big Smoke," who all did / do you all consider to be your strongest musical influences? 

That’s an impossible question to answer as there were, and are, so many different influences. I have a very wide ranging taste in music, and try and incorporate various influences in the music I make.

That said, how do you all describe and / or define the style of music that you all create and / or perform?

I always called it Hip Hop Jazz because it has elements of both genres within it.

How and when did Blue Note Records initially enter into the picture?  

After we did “The Band Played The Boogie” (which had a Blue Note sample on it) I had a call from them and went to a meeting not knowing if they were going to sue us for the uncleared sample, but I somehow managed to persuade them to work with us by letting us use their back catalog as a sampling resource.

Switching gears here, what exactly do you all want people to get from your music?

I’m not going to tell people how to react, but if they’re mainly a hip hop fan I hope it will inspire them to check out some jazz, and if they’re a jazz fan I hope it will inspire them to check out some hip hop.     

If you all could collaborate with any one artist, living or dead, who would it be and why?

I would have loved to have Lee Morgan and Rahsaan Roland Kirk playing on an Us3 album!      

If you all could play any venue in the world, which one would you choose and why?

We’ve been fortunate to play in venues all over the world including America, Brazil, all over Europe, Japan, South Korea, China, and Russia. It would be difficult to choose one venue, but the most ornate venue we ever played was the Congress Hall in Warsaw, Poland, in October 1997.      

On a more serious note, are you all happy with the current state of music?

There is so much new music out there, there’s something for everyone! 

What do you all feel has and will continue to be the key to your longevity?

A willingness to push boundaries and try and do something new, that will hopefully keep people interested.        

How then have you all either changed and / or evolved over the course of the past three plus decades?

You would have to listen to all the albums and work that one out for yourself! 

Do you all have any other outside / additional (future) aspirations, maybe even completely away from music?

It would be an interesting challenge to score a movie.

To date, what has been your biggest career moment(s), at least thus far anyway?

Obviously the success of “Cantaloop” and the album Hand On The Torch took us all by surprise, it was a bit like baptism by fire!        

What’s an average day like for you all?

I don’t have average days, every one is different!

Please discuss how you all interact with and respond to fans... 

It’s pretty easy to get at me - the best route now is through the relatively new Instagram page @Us3official1

What is your favorite part about this line of work? Your least favorite? And, why?

I’ve always been a studio animal, I like the creation of something new. Bringing an idea to fruition is incredibly satisfying (if it goes well!). I confess I find the work involved in actually releasing something to be draining though. I find it difficult to be creative and organisational at the same time. Sometimes the act of creation needs a bit of chaos and trial & error before it all works out.

What advice would you all have for someone wanting to follow in your footsteps?

I wouldn’t advise anyone to get into the music industry nowadays, it’s changed beyond recognition in the last 30 years. It is much harder now for all musicians.

Looking ahead, say five or maybe even ten years from now, where do you all see yourselves?

My mum used to say, “Life is a journey, not a destination,” and that’s always been my attitude. I don’t know where I’m going, but I’m determined to have fun en route!     

As for the immediate, what's next for Us3? 

Get the new album out and see what the reactions are, and we’ll take it from there.

"Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)" is a bonafide classic — How did this particular composition come about? Who came up with its concept? And, please describe for me the overall studio vibe on that fateful day?

I just thought the sample would make a good funky hip hop track. It was my idea. There are only 3 x 1 bar samples of “Cantaloupe Island” in it. Rahsaan (the rapper) was a friend of a friend, and I had seen Gerard Presencer (the trumpet player) doing jazz gigs around town. This was one of those things that I could hear in my head before we actually made it, and all the pieces of the jigsaw fit together really well in the studio.

Is there anything I left out or just plain forgot to mention? 

I don’t think so..?  

Lastly, any “parting” words for our readers?

Please keep an open mind when listening to the new material, as it sounds quite different to any earlier Us3 stuff, but it’s still a fusion of jazz and hip hop, which is what Us3 has always been about.

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