Thievery Corporation

Thievery Corporation, the Washington, D.C. duo of Eric Hilton and Rob Garza, emerged in the mid-1990s and became one of electronic music’s most distinctive and influential acts. Their production skills are known for blending trip-hop, acid jazz, dub, bossa nova, soul, reggae, hip-hop, Indian classical music and more, the duo developed a global sound rooted in musical exploration and an antiwar, pro-humanity perspective. After releasing early singles on their own Eighteenth Street Lounge (ESL) label, Thievery Corporation issued their debut, Sounds from the Thievery Hi-Fi, in 1996. Their breakthrough, The Mirror Conspiracy (2000), expanded their sound with live instrumentation and vocalists, while The Richest Man in Babylon (2002) introduced a stronger political voice. “Lebanese Blonde” later reached a wider audience through the Grammy-winning Garden State soundtrack. Their catalog continued to evolve: The Cosmic Game (2005), featuring David Byrne, Perry Farrell and Wayne Coyne, explored darker psychedelia; Radio Retaliation (2008) blended protest music with Afrobeat and go-go; Saudade (2014) embraced bossa nova; and the Jamaica-recorded The Temple of I & I (2017) immersed itself in dub and reggae. In 2020, Symphonik reimagined signature songs with Prague’s FILMharmonic Orchestra. Across three decades, Thievery Corporation has remained defined by genre-crossing production, global collaboration, political consciousness and an unmistakable cosmopolitan sound.