The Herbaliser began in mid-1990s London as a studio project built on samples, turntables, and a shared love of hip hop, funk, and cinematic soundtracks. Founded by DJ Ollie Teeba and Jake Wherry on the Ninja Tune label, the project quickly developed a recognisable language: dusty breaks, dramatic horn lines, and grooves that nodded equally to rap, jazz, and library music. By the time of their second album, the music moved beyond the sampler. An expanded live band translated the layered studio productions into something more elastic and immediate. Over the years, The Herbaliser Band became a regular presence on stages that bridged electronic music and jazz, where improvisation and beat culture could meet.

Following the end of the original duo, The Herbaliser Band has reformed around long-standing members, with Ollie Teeba on turntables at its core. The current ensemble revisits material from the Ninja Tune years, drawing on albums such as Remedies, Blow Your Headphones, and Very Mercenary. In live form, the music feels less constructed and more fluid. Horns stretch over breakbeats, percussion thickens the rhythm, and scratches cut sharply through the mix. At Jazz Middelheim, The Herbaliser Band sits at the crossroads of jazz instrumentation and hip-hop production, showing how groove, improvisation, and sound-system culture have long shared a pulse.