San Francisco's Live Human, an instrumental trio of turntable (Carlos Aguiler, aka DJ Quest), bass (Andrew Kushin) and percussion (Albert Mathias), played improvised music that bridged hip hop and jazz. In addition, a technique of live sampling continuously reinvented their compositions during live performances.

Aguiler's scratchadelic art acts as the center of mass for Live Human Featuring DJ Quest (Cosmic, 1997), a groundbreaking stew of noise-jazz, cubistic hip hop and dislocated funk. Three of those tracks resurfaced on the EP Improvisessions (Fatcat, 1997), in particular Alien Church Gospel, one of their most innovative compositions.

The trio stretches its method on Monostereosis (Fatcat, 1999) to incorporate chamber music (Fancy), latin-jazz (One For D) and raga (Grasshopper). Quest's experiments with sound match Jimi Hendrix guitar masturbations and Anthony Braxton's saxophone monologues.

Elefish Jellyphant (Matador, 2000) is perhaps a more eclectic work, in that it runs the gamut from funk to ambient and is less centered on hip hop.

Bullet Proof Space Travelers (Built to Last, 2001) was a collaboration between DJ Quest and other djs.

After the spectacular Live (COD, 2002) and Breakseven (Cosmic, 2004), Live Human hybernated for a decade.