The Menagerie

The Menagerie is a Brighton-based hip hop group featuring many contributors to Professor Elemental projects.

History
Paul Alborough, then performing in hip hop circles as "Elemental" provided the impetus for the formation of the group when he introduced Tom Caruana to Dr Syntax & Nick Maxwell. They made their album debut with the release of Wild Kingdom in 2005, following it with several years of touring as a live act.

Following time for solo projects, the group occasionally came back together for collective projects, adding new members such as Baba Brinkman who performed the title track for the group's second album, Irregular Spirits, released in 2013. The album also featured vocals by Professor Elemental collaborator Sadie Jemmet on the track "Shelter You". Further contributors included Dizraeli, Teej, Longusto, Jon Clark, Mole, Vecks, and Koaste. The majority of the album was recorded over a single weekend in Somerset at Tom Caruana's home.

September 2017 saw the release of the group's third album, Odd Beast. The album featured collaborators old and new, with additions from Clev Cleverly, Sabira Jade, and Al, the Native. The album's second track, Make Good Art, would interestingly prove the first in a trilogy of songs, the second and third of which would appear on Professor Elemental albums. The album was positively received in a review from Glasgow University Magazine for its featuring of "rappers who don’t lean into misogyny, take themselves too seriously and can be frank about their eccentricity."

Releases

 * Wild Kingdom - 2005
 * Irregular Spirits - 2013
 * Odd Beast - 2017

Members
Regular Members


 * Elemental (Paul Alborough) - Vocals
 * Dr Syntax - Vocals
 * Nick Maxwell - Scratches
 * Tom Caruana - Mixing and Producing

Contributors


 * Al, the Native - Odd Beast
 * Baba Brinkman - Irregular Spirits
 * Clev Cleverly - Odd Beast
 * Dizraeli - Irregular Spirits
 * Jon Clark - Irregular Spirits
 * Koaste - Irregular Spirits
 * Longusto - Irregular Spirits
 * Mole - Irregular Spirits
 * Sabira Jade - Odd Beast
 * Sadie Jemmet - Irregular Spirits
 * Teej - Irregular Spirits
 * Vecks - Irregular Spirits