Soul Coughing ( 1992– 2000) was a New York-based band whose music blended elements of hip-hop, jazz, and rock. Their style of music was described by members of the band as "deep slacker jazz."
The band was composed of Mike Doughty, vocalist and guitarist (usually known then as 'M. Doughty'); Mark De Gli Antoni, who played synthesizer and sampler; Sebastian Steinberg, who played the double bass; and drummer Yuval Gabay. The four members met while working in various functions at The Knitting Factory, an experimental music club.
The band released three albums: Ruby Vroom ( 1994), Irresistible Bliss ( 1996), and El Oso ( 1998). Also released following their breakup was Lust in Phaze ( 2002), a greatest-hits complilation including a few b-sides and other rarities.
Soul Coughing had an unusually strong following in the state of Minnesota in the mid- 1990s, with anecdotal reports indicating that perhaps one in eight recordings (i.e. 12.5%) by the group were sold there—a remarkable amount considering that the state's population, just under five million, is less than 2% of the United States population.
Industry observers have noted that the group's decline in popularity coincided with a wave of media consolidation that was occurring across the United States at the time, possibly leading the group to be dropped from many playlists.
Soul Coughing were noted for their use of unconventional samples, looping snippets from, among others, Raymond Scott (in their songs "Bus to Beelzebub" and "Disseminated"), the Andrews Sisters (in "Down to This"), Howlin' Wolf (in "Down to This") and a Chris Rock monologue (in "$300"). They were also noted for singer M. Doughty's stream-of-consciousness lyrics, reminiscent of beat poetry in both content and half-sung, half-spoken delivery.
