When he was four years old bassist Stephen Bruner, aka Thundercat, found his instrument of choice, which made him a late bloomer in the Bruner household. His brother Ronald had been playing the drums since he was two. Ronald Bruner senior used to play drums with The Temptations and taught both his sons their first steps in music. Where Ronald junior developed into a renowned jazz drummer, the musical career of Thundercat turned out to be more capricious. He toured with soul man Leon Ware, recorded with jazz musician Stanley Clarke and hip hopper Snoop Dogg and still performs with trash band Suicidal Tendencies. In 2011 Thundercat's first solo record was released, The Golden Age of Apocalypse, co-produced by Flying Lotus. The album is an exciting, fresher-than-fresh mix of jazz, soul and electronic music that not only radiates a curiosity for new roads to travel, but also demonstrates a deep respect for the roots of jazz. A critic once called this North Sea Jazz guest "a mutated jazz cat," and that is meant as a compliment.
