They eschew sampling altogether, preferring to write and perform as a live band. And perform they do, with an 150 days on the road per year. Although they’re primarily a self-contained act, they’ve also served as the backing band for a variety of indie hip-hop luminaries, including Atmosphere, Oddjobs, Sage Francis, and Aesop Rock.

This month, they’re heading out again with two months of shows currently booked across the U.S., running from January 18 through March 24. The last few dates will feature Quannum star Lyrics Born.

Heiruspecs got started in high school when bassist Sean “Twinkie Jiggles” McPherson and MC Felix began getting together with a rotating series of drummers for marathon freestyle sessions.

They soon formed into a solid five-man core, with Muad’Dib on vocals, Peter Leggett on drums and dVRG handling keyboard duties.

The group most recently toured the U.S. last fall on a musically diverse bill with Cake and The Walkmen.