Mahjongg was formed in
Columbia, Missouri in 2001 by
University of Missouri students Hunter Husar and Jeff Carrillo. Drummer Josh Johannpeter and violinist/multi-instrumentalist Caryl Kientz joined the band later that year, and bassist Gabriel Wallace was recruited just prior to a 2002 tour. In 2004 Mahjongg released the EP
Machinegong on Cold Crush Records, a label co-run by
Pretty Girls Make Graves bassist Derek Fudesco. Fudesco had been so impressed by Mahjongg's demo that he signed the band without having seen them perform. That same year Mahjongg relocated to Chicago, Illinois, becoming part of the "Columbia Diaspora" which included bands such as
Cave,
Warhammer 48K,
Londo Mondo and
Waterbabies. Their first full-length album,
Raydoncong, was released on Cold Crush in 2005. Both
Machinegong and
Raydoncong received positive reviews, and in 2008 Mahjongg released their second album
Kontpab on
K Records. The title is a
portmanteau of avant-garde composer
Karlheinz Stockhausen's "
Kontra-Punkte" and the breakfast cereal
Pablum. Vijles and Kientz left the band upon the release of
Kontpab, to be replaced by Mikale De Graff and Dan Quinlivan. Carrillo moved to Nashville in 2008 and quit the band in 2009. In 2008 Mahjongg released the single "Free Grooverider", which the band characterized as a protest song.
Grooverider is a prominent
drum 'n' bass DJ and producer who in 2008 was sentenced to four years imprisonment in Dubai for possessing marijuana. From its inception, Mahjongg sought to break from
post-punk conventions, incorporating
Afrobeat rhythms, samples, dissonance and
glitch into its sound. Everyone in the band sang, and Husar, De Graff and Quinlivin shared duties on synthesizer, computer manipulation, guitar and ancillary percussion. With the departure of principal guitarist Carrillo, the band moved towards a more dance-oriented sound. Their 2010 album
Long Shadow of the Paper Tiger featured less guitar work and was more reliant on electronics and elements of
techno and
house music. Mahjongg has collaborated with recording engineer Benjamin Balcom since 2003. Together they built a studio called Minbal which opened in February 2009. Mahjongg played their last show with members De Graff, Quinlivan, and former guitarist Carrillo as part of the BitchPork festival on July 16, 2011. Founding members Hunter Husar and Josh Johannpeter formed a new two-piece band in 2015 called "HUJO". ==Other musical contributions==