Ninja High School were a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

dance-punk Dance-punk (also known as disco-punk, punk-funk or techno-punk) is a post-punk subgenre that emerged in the late 1970s, and is closely associated with the disco, post-disco and new wave movements.Rip It Up and Start Again: Post Punk 1978-1984 ...

band, based in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, who merged hip hop and

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk ...

influences. It consisted of Matt Collins, Gregory Collins, Adrian Cvitkovic, Star DT, Whitney Kemble, Catherine Ribeiro, Steve Kado and Wolfgang Nessel. Craig Dunsmuir of

Glissandro 70 Glissandro 70 was a Canadian Afrobeat band based in Toronto, Ontario. Its members are Craig Dunsmuir ( Kanada 70, Guitarkestra) and Sandro Perri (a.k.a. Polmpo Polpo), who play an blend of dance and experimental rock styles.

has also been associated with the band.

History

The group has its origins at parties in

Guelph, Ontario Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as "The Royal City", Guelph is roughly east of Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Highway 6, Highway 7 and Welli ...

, where frontman Matt Collins rapped while looping samples of

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...

. NHS released an EP and a full-length album on

Blocks Recording Club Blocks Recording Club was a Canadian co-operative of musicians, which served as both a collaborative artist community and a record label for its member artists.CBC Radio 3 CBC Radio 3 is a Canadian digital radio station operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, which plays a relatively freeform mix of indie rock, indie pop, alternative hip hop, folk, country and electronic music. The service, which lanuc ...

. In 2005, the band signed a distribution deal with German record label

Tomlab Tomlab is a German record label based in Köln. It has released works by bands such as The Books, Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, Deerhoof, Thee Oh Sees, Les Georges Leningrad, and acts associated with Blocks Recording Club, such as Final ...

,Hailman, Jason (January 11, 2006).
The Class Size Is Increasing For Ninja High School
, ''

Chart A chart (sometimes known as a graph) is a graphical representation for data visualization, in which "the data is represented by symbols, such as bars in a bar chart, lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart". A chart can represent tabu ...

''. Retrieved October 24, 2010. which also released the two-song "It's All Right to Fight" as part of its Alphabet Series. They performed their last show in December 2007 at

Sneaky Dee's Sneaky Dee's is a concert venue and Tex-Mex restaurant in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Originally opened in 1987 on the north west corner of Bloor Street and Bathurst, it moved to its present location at College and Bathurst in 1990. History 562 B ...

in Toronto. They performed a one-off "reunion" show at the closing celebration of Blocks Recording Club in May 2015 at Tranzac Club in Toronto.

Reception

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'' has referred to the band as "popular theoretical-rap cheer squad Ninja High School". ''

'' magazine wrote that the album ''Young Adults Against Suicide'' "is thoughtful, catchy and, for a lo-fi recording, it sounds awesome" and went on to call "Invasion Party" "hands-down one of the best tracks of the year." ''Young Adults Against Suicide'' reached the top ten of some college and alternative music charts in Canada.(November 12, 2005). "The Charts", ''

Edmonton Journal The ''Edmonton Journal'' is a daily newspaper in Edmonton, Alberta. It is part of the Postmedia Network. History The ''Journal'' was founded in 1903 by three local businessmen — John Macpherson, Arthur Moore and J.W. Cunningham — as ...

'', p. E3.

Discography

* ''We Win!'' (2004) * ''Alphabet Series H'' 7-inch (2005) * ''Young Adults Against Suicide'' (2005) * ''The Terminator Mixtape'' Cassette (2007)

References

{{Authority control Canadian indie rock groups Dance-punk musical groups Musical groups from Toronto Musical groups established in 2004 Musical groups disestablished in 2007 2004 establishments in Ontario 2007 disestablishments in Ontario