The band's music draws on a diverse range of influences (including reggae, blues, funk, dub, jazz, ragga and acoustic folk) and combines live playing with samples and programming, resulting in an organic sound that has sometimes been compared to a British version of Arrested Development.
Urban Species' consistent core figure and effective leader has been Peter "Mintos" Akinrinlola, but the band's line-up has at various times included other producers and rappers plus many of the best musicians from the London funk and jazz-funk scenes.
The band was founded in Tottenham, North London, England, by childhood friends Peter Akinrinlola (who took on the rapper's name of "MC Mint", later revising it to "Mintos") and Winston Small (who provided beats under the name "DJ Renegade").
[2] Growing up in the 1980s, both shared an interest in various underground music including hip-hop (which at the time was restricted mainly to its electro and rap subdivisions), dancehall reggae, rave and blues.
For sampleable material, they drew extensively on the stock of jazz and funk records owned by Renegade's older brother, which came to shape their organic, live-sounding musical approach.
[2] Inspired by this initial success (which, as an unsigned act without commercial backing, they were unable to immediately follow up), Mintos and Renegade eventually produced a second self-funded and distributed single called "Got To Have It".
[2] As a consequence – and following well-received support slots for MC Solaar, Guru's Jazzmatazz project and the Stereo MCs – the band developed a strong live reputation and soon attained headline-act status.
[2] The band had extended the musicality of their concerts to their recording sessions, incorporating live instruments alongside the samples and programming, and going for a spacious, organic feel to the album atmospheres.
With Mintos now in overall charge of the project, Urban Species began to move towards a more collective approach (similar to that of their contemporaries Massive Attack) in which the group's core membership was less important than the opportunities offered by collaboration.
The two songs featured on the EP (the title track and 'Changing of the Guard') were both collaborations with 1960s American jazz-folk-soul singer Terry Callier,[2] whose career had recently been reinvigorated in the UK by the interest of the acid-jazz community.
These included veteran British rappers Blak Twang and MC Mell'O', plus singers Elizabeth Troy, Jeffery Darnell (a fellow Talkin' Loud signing), future house star MJ Cole and singer-songwriter Imogen Heap.