Music:
Member Since: 12/2/2006
Band Website: www.subfonk.com
Band Members: My decks, computer, vinyl and cd collection, bass, keyboard and guitar, BUT ESPECIALLY ALL my music buddies, anyone happy to share enjoyment of good music, and my damn self. To get a better sense of all that, see the slide show to the right.
TRACKS IN THE PLAYER
1. Fat Daddy: Boy's A Liability: A scratch interlude - of which there are many - off the Chocolate Lover EP, which actually kicks things off after Loco's intro. Really love this beat; can you guess where the vocal sample is from?
2. Kev Brown feat. Kenn Starr & Quartermaine: Say Sumthin (Fat Daddy Remix): my remix of Kev Brown's "Say Sumthin'", a most beautiful track and a great album. If you haven't yet checked out Kev's stuff, please do, he deserves your attention.
3. Mr. Complex feat. Phaorahe Monch: Gitcha Gitcha Gitcha (Fat Daddy Remix: A basic neck snapping beat, a little bit of old school jacking of classic beats, and 2 amazing MCs trading lines - off one of my mix tapes.
4. 1999 EP Medley: Sampler of three of the remixes on the 1999 Remix EP: High'n'Mighty's anthem "B-Boy Document" (with Mos Def), El Da Sensei's underground MCs bonanza "Frontline" & Mos Def's "Next Universe".
5. Next Men feat. Grap Luva: Break The Mould (Fat Daddy Remix): Done at the same time as Kev Brown remix. Love Grap, fresh since Mecca and the Soul Brother, plus he's raised his game since then, collaborating with many, notably Kev Brown & Little Brother. Check it out.
6. Fat Daddy (My Space) Scratch-a-ton: messing around with a few scratches over a fat Nervous beat - check out the ragga break in the middle, I think it comes off quite nice.
7. Underclassmen: This is Hip-Hop: Another track off the 2002 Chocolate Lover EP - be sure to check out UCM latest new album, "Underclassic", just out, with beats by ALK and my man Phil Pro, and a few dope guests (www.myspace.com/theunderclassmen).
8. Ol Dirty Bastard: Shimmy Shimmy Y'all: A funky take on the mega hit of the Wu mad lad, nice for the dancefloor. Rest in peace, o you crazy one.
9. Back 2 Life & Crazy In Love: a kind of fast food remix of Soul To Soul's classic Back 2 Life koint, and some more scratching using Beyonce's "Crazy In Love". It's off the 2006 Party Hits mix tape which we'll eventually post on www.subfonk.com... is it making you itch yet?
Influences: PRODUCTION / BEAT-MAKING
On the hip-hop production tip, it's simple: I would say my main (conscious) influences have been the works of DJ Premier, Pete Rock and DJ Spinna. For more information on this topic, listen to the extra tracks in the mp3 player above and/or visit the corresponding blog.
MUSIC IN GENERAL
This is the most important of all - where do I start? It goes from hard rock (my roots) through jazz (thanks Miles) to hip-hop, then to soul, via tango... too long for this section. If you want more, I put some thoughts in the corresponding blog (see links on the right).
However, there is one artist I have to highlight here. He has a special place in my heart because, in recent years (still discovering his work), his music has moved me like nothing else. When I listen to him sing, and his music, it completely tears me apart emotionally; it’s as if he is opening the gates of my soul, freeing it from the shackles of the reasonable mind. Les McCann described it best when he said :
He is one of the all-time great singers. He’s the perfect person for cleansing. When you want to cry and get that release of pent-up things on a loving level, that’s what he was about. That’s what I get out of his music. When I listen to him, I just let go and cry. He covered a wide spectrum of emotions, so there’s no way to put what he does in wordsâ€.
No there isn’t; I don’t believe in God but if I did, I’d think Donny was it, looking at me from where he is as his music unfolds. He left us too early and I wish he was still around so that I could express my gratitude for his music, for the love that it helps unlock in my heart.MOVIES
So many, but let's name just a few:
- Matrix 1, 2 and 3 (people who diss 2 and 3 don't get it)
- Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels
- Shawshank Redemption
- The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
- Down By Law (& any Jarmusch, he is fresh!)
- Smoke
- Kill Bill 1 & 2
- House Of Flying Daggers & Hero
- Fight Club (ignore the end, it goes off the rails)LITERATURE
- Hermann Hesse: Steppenwolf
- Umberto Eco: Foucault's Pendulum
- Thomas Harris: Hannibal
- Eldridge Cleaver: Soul On Ice
- Frank Furedi: Mythical Past, Elusive Future
- Emmanuel Todd: Après l'Empire
- Ken Kesey: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
- Hunter S. Thompson: Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas
- Walter Mosley: Bad Boy Brawly Brown
- Nietsche: Antichrist
- Will Self: Great Escape
- Graham Masterton: The Devils Of D-DayCOMIC STRIPS
I'm from the French/European school of thought, so....
- Le Grand Pouvoir du Chninkel
- Moebius: L'Incal
- Moebius: La Caste des Méta Barons
- Balade au Bout du Monde
- Rubriques à Brac, de Gotlib
- Le parfum de l'invisible, de Manara
- Gaston Lagaffe, of corrse!
- A la recherche de l'ultimate mix (super funky strip set to the backdrop of the early hip-hop/mid 80s period, merci Damien)
Sounds Like: I got different musical styles, but in terms of hip-hop, I like my beats hard and melodical, so that it can make the mind travel. The Underclassmen always tell me that "the Fat Daddy shit is like that "94 shit", which is a major compliment to me. 1994 was a significant year for me because my father died and that meant a lot of changes, so everything was very vivid. Plus, musically, hip-hop was amazing; that was the year of "Illmatic" and a bunch of numerous other classic joints. So if you tell me my style is the 94 shit, that's more than fine by me. I guess my influences also show through in my work, but for me, it's a way of honouring the people who inspire me, while doing my own thing. But, hey, don't take my word for it, be your own judge; to help you along, check out some more of my work by clicking on the mp3 player above.
Record Label: Fat Men Unite Records
Type of Label: Indie
