Fat Freddy's Drop

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Fat Freddy's Drop

Fat Freddy's Drop during a European tour in 2008. Left to right: Tehimana Kerr, Joe Lindsay, Chris Faiumu, Iain Gordon, Dallas Tamaira, Toby Laing, and Scott Towers.
Background information
Origin Wellington, New Zealand
Genres Dub, jazz, reggae, roots
Years active 1999-present
Labels The Drop, Sonar Kollektiv, Kartel Creative
Website Official site
Members
Joe Dukie (Dallas Tamaira, vocals)
Tony Chang (Toby Laing, trumpet)
Chopper Reedz (Scott Towers, sax)
Jetlag Johnson (Tehimana Kerr, guitar)
Dobie Blaze (Iain Gordon, keyboards)
DJ Fitchie (Chris Faiumu, MPC)
Hopepa (Joe Lindsay, trombone)
Former members
Fulla Flash (Warryn Maxwell, sax)
Tom Bilkey
Harry 'Snuck' Shearman

Fat Freddy's Drop are a seven-piece roots, dub, reggae, jazz, soul band from Wellington, New Zealand. Formed in the late 1990's around Wellington's small, close-knit music scene, the group's current and former members continued to play with other bands during much of their history. Fat Freddy's Drop is known for their live performances —improvised jam sessions. Songs appearing on their albums are gradually put together during several years of performances while touring.

The group began gaining international recognition in 2003 after their single Midnight Marauders was picked up by club disk jockeys in Europe. Their first studio album Based on a True Story was received very positively from European and Oceanic media after its release in 2006. It became the first independently distributed album to debut at first place on the New Zealand music charts, and won the Highest Selling NZ Album award. Fat Freddy's Drop continues to tour Europe, New Zealand, and Australia.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Formation (1999–2001)

Fat Freddy's Drop took shape during the late 1990s around Wellington, New Zealand's small, close-knit, music scene. The group's founder Chris "Mu" Faiumu had been performing with various groups, including the 15-piece dub group Bongmaster, for most of the decade under the name DJ Fitchie.[1] In 1999, he created an independent music label named The Drop with the help of his partner Nicole and several private investors. The Drop's first release was Dallas Tamaira's solo project; a 5-track EP Better Than Change. According to him, it was a learning experience in the business of releasing records.[2]

During this time, Mu would play improvised jam sessions at his seaside home with trumpeter Toby Laing and vocalist Dallas Tamaira. Originally they played over the beats of vinyl records; later Mu began using an Akai MPC sampler to provide a custom rhythm. All were well-integrated with other local musicians.[3] Tamaira was also in the group Bongmaster; Laing was a member of The Black Seeds.[4] The three would perform live shows at local clubs, in addition to shows with their other groups.[4] After the release of Mu's solo project, they released their first single Hope on The Drop label in 1999. The song was written and recorded over two days under the influence of LSD, according to later interviews.[3] Each tab of that particular "brand" of LSD, popular in Wellington at the time, featured the image of Fat Freddy's Cat from Gilbert Shelton's comic strip The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers. This ultimately became the inspiration for the band's name.[5]

Fat Freddy's Drop performing at Hotel Great Northern in Byron Bay, New South Wales in 2009

The group began organizing informal jam sessions in 2000, inviting other local musicians to play with them. These sessions lead to Fat Freddy's Drop gradually adding four new members; Warryn Maxwell on tenor and alto saxophone, Tehimana Kerr on guitar, Iain Gordon on keyboards, and Joe Lindsay on trombone.[3] Like the original three, all were familiar with each other from the local music scene.[6] Ian Gordon was also a fellow Bongmaster member. Warryn Maxwell was in the popular reggae group Trinity Roots.[4] Maxwell and Joe Lindsay, who make up the band's horn section, had both been students at the Wellington Jazz School years earlier.[7] A member later recalled that Mu was the "central point"; "the reason for the band getting together."[8]

Fat Freddy's Drop, sometimes referring to themselves as the "seven headed soul monster", continued to play live performances around Wellington and greater New Zealand.[citation needed] Most members continued playing with their various other bands at the same time. They built a reputation locally as one of the area's better live acts. Reviews of their shows throughout their career have been generally positive, and many note that no two shows sound the same because of their improvisational style.[citation needed] An already established group from Kaikoura, New Zealand named Salmonella Dub, which one member described as the "forerunner for Fat Freddy's", gave them several opportunities to play in front of large crowds in Australia and New Zealand.[2][3][9]

[edit] First records (2001–2006)

In 2001, a 70-minute recording of their performance at the Matterhorn club in Wellington was released as their first album Live at the Matterhorn. It consisted of four tracks averaging 18 minutes each.[10] A shorter version of the album's Runnin track was already well-known locally, having been played on the radio.[4] With no formal promotion of the album, word-of-mouth helped it to sell 9,000 copies in a few months.[5] Reviews of the album were generally favorable. Chris Andrews of Stylus Magazine praised the album as "prolific", "spontaneous", and a "fine debut".[4] Daniel Neilson of Fly Global Music said that while the band had shown the ability to "thrill a live audience" during previous shows, he criticized the album for being "too chilled". According to him, the lack of energy and tempo change from the beat "lollops along [...] occasionally enlivening the audience [...] but [is] overall lackluster."[10] Reviewers uniformly praised vocalist Dallas Tamaira's "smooth" and "soulful" voice; one reviewer calling him "the icing on a continually funky cake".

They continued to release 12-inch vinyl records over the next several years. One of these, Midnight Marauders, became their first step towards international recognition after it had been discovered and played by many DJs in Europe around 2003.[11] After hearing the record, German music label Sonar Kollektiv licensed and re-released it.[12] The London-based Kartel Creative label, affiliated with Sonar, also released several of their singles.[13] Partnering with the two labels, Fat Freddy's Drop began touring in Europe in what would become an almost annual trip.[13] Matthias Bohmbach, label manager for Sonar, says he was surprised when one thousand copies of Midnight Marauders were sold during a live performance by the band in Germany.[12]

They continued to tour in Europe and Oceania for the next several years, slowly building their reputation and fan base. At the 2005 New Zealand Music Awards, the band won awards in every category in which they were nominated: Best Group, Best Album, Best New Zealand Roots Group and the Peoples Choice Award.[citation needed]

[edit] Based on a True Story (2006–2009)

On May 2, 2006 Fat Freddy's Drop released their first studio album Based on a True Story. Reviews of the album and its singles were overwhelmingly positive from European and Oceanic media. IGN called it a "very laid back, but... very powerful album"[14] It became the first independently distributed album to debut at first place on the New Zealand music charts, which won them the Highest Selling NZ Album award.[5] The album's first single, "Wandering Eye", spent 17 weeks in the RIANZ Top 40 Singles Chart and peaked at number six.[citation needed] They would again win the People's Choice Award at the 2006 New Zealand Music Awards. The video for Wandering Eye won the title of Best Music Video.[15] Based on true story was not released in the United States until four years later. By 2007 it had sold 110,000 copies.[9]
"Wandering Eye" (2006)
The first single of Based on a True Story demonstrates the band's reggae and soul influences.
Problems listening to this file? See media help.

The tracks themselves are versions of the songs they had played live since the band formed. The band says that they developed gradually over 6 years on the road.[16] Mu mastered the album over 18 months at his home studio using Pro Tools.[9] He says that a challenge was fitting the long jam session tracks the band is used to performing into shorter album-length tracks.[16] "As the months rolled by we got a lot quicker and got the process streamlined."[6] The album's title is derived from this process of taking songs developed during live performances and turning them into album tracks.

Members at this time still performed with other bands, many musicians from which were featured on the album. Riki Gooch and Rio Hemopo, who together with Warryn Maxwell made up the band Trinity Roots, were featured as precusionists, replacing replaced Mu's MPC sampler for a "bigger sound".[1][16] Vocalists Hollie Smith, Ladi 6, and P Digsss were featured along with Bongmaster guitarist Aaron Tokona on several tracks.[17] Because of scheduling conflicts stemming from Fat Freddy's Drop members having commitments with other bands, they would record their individual parts at different times and mix them together later.[2] During an interview after the album's release, they said they believed that is was "healthy for members to be able to do other things", but that on the next album, they would like to be able to record all the tracks together in the same room the same way they play when on stage.[2]

They toured Australia, New Zealand, and many Europe for much of the next four years.[16][18] Most members at this time were fathers, a factor that affected their "touring stamina".[16] Warryn Maxwell left the band in 2007 for family reasons, and was replaced in live performances with Scott Towers. Towers had also attended Wellington Jazz School with Maxwell, and was later Joe Lindsay's tutor there.[8]

[edit] Dr Boondigga and the Big BW (2009–present)

In 2009 the band's second studio album, Dr Boondigga and the Big BW was released. The BBC called Fat Freddy's Drop "New Zealand's most critically acclaimed band since The Clean", and hailed Dallas Tamaira as "one of the most soulful singers of his generation."[19]

Like Based on a True Story, it was recorded at Mu's home studio over the course of 2 years.[16] According to him, "I take the Big BW to mean The Big Brain-Wash and Dr Boondigga is some evil creature who’s trying to sign us to a major label.”[18] Songs on the album evolved from those they have been playing at live show over the years, some from very early in their career. Alice Russell's duet with Dallas on the album's single The Camel, for instance, was recorded in 2006 when she was in Wellington with The Bamboos. Members say that musical influences they picked up touring in Europe -including contemporary German, Portuguese, and Bhangra music- influenced the sound of Boondigga.[18]

Unlike Based on a True Story, most of the album was recorded with all members playing at the same time, instead of recording pieces and mixing the tracks later. They say they now consider Fat Freddy's Drop their main musical priority.[6] As of 2009, Fat Freddy's Drop is still independently owned and distributed by their The Drop label.[2]

[edit] Discography

Date of Release Title Label Chart Certification Catalog Number
Albums
2001 Live at the Matterhorn The Drop/KARTEL Gold (NZ) KCDL005
2005 Based on a True Story The Drop/KARTEL/Sonar Kollektiv 1 7x Platinum (NZ) KCDL002/SK072CD/SK072LP
2009 Dr Boondigga and the Big BW 1 2x Platinum (NZ)
EPs
2004 Hope for a Generation KARTEL - - KCDL001
Remixes
2003 Five Day Night Carbon Records - -
DVD
2006 Fantastic Voyages Vol. 1 The Drop - -

[edit] Featured appearances

The group have appeared on many compilations since their inception both in New Zealand and internationally. The following is a list of these albums that have featured tracks by Fat Freddys Drop.

  • (1999) - 21st Celebration (NZ) (Radio Active) - Hope
  • (2000) - One Love (NZ) (Radio Active) - Wairunga Blues
  • (2001) - Loop 002 (NZ) (Loop Recordings) - Little One (Live At McDonalds)
  • (2001) - Styles Upon Styles Part 1 (NZ) (Sugarlicks) - Runnin' (Studio Version)
  • (2002) - Loop 003 (NZ) (Loop Recordings) - Runnin
  • (2002) - Loop 004 (NZ) (Loop Recordings) - Bluey
  • (2002) - The Green Room 001 (NZ) (Loop Recordings) - Runnin
  • (2003) - Weekend Sessions (NZ/AUS) (Liberation Music) - Seconds
  • (2003) - Whooper Chopper Seaside Extravaganza (NZ) (Whopper Chopper Trust) - Willow Tree (Live in Berlin at Cafe Moskau)
  • (2004) - The Eclectic Sessions Vol. 2 (UK) (Trust The DJ Records) - Hope
  • (2004) - Best Seven Selections (Best Seven/Sonar Kollektive) - Hope & This Room
  • (2004) - Conscious Roots (NZ) (Capitol Music/Moving Production) - Hope
  • (2005) - Conscious Roots 2 (NZ) (Capitol Music) - Ernie
  • (2005) - Dub Conspiracy (NZ) (record label unknown) - Mightnight Marauders (Live on Gilles Peterson)
  • (2005) - The Green Room 004 (NZ) (Loop Recordings) - Hope
  • (2007) - Nu Reggae (FR) (Wagram Music) - Wandering Eye

[edit] Singles

Year Single Album Charted [20] Certification
2002 "Midnight Marauders/Seconds" - -
2002 "Midnight Marauders/Dub Workout" - -
2003 "Hope/Bluey" - -
2003 "This Room/Ernie" - -
2004 "Hope 3 Generations Walking remix" - -
2004 "Seconds/Grounded" - -
2005 "Flashback/Midnight Marauders (Live on Giles Peterson)" - -
2005 "Wandering Eye" 6 -
2008 "The Camel" 14 -
2008 "Pull The Catch" 17 -

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b "Bongmaster". Muzic.net.nz. http://www.muzic.net.nz/artists/205.html. Retrieved 2009-08-25. 
  2. ^ a b c d e DJ Fitchy, Joe Duckie. (2005-08-01) (Mp3). Interview with Fat Freddy's Drop from Holland. Toazted. Event occurs at 00:00:00. http://www.toazted.com/interview/676/Fat-Freddy-39s-Drop.html. Retrieved 2009-08-25. 
  3. ^ a b c d Lusk, John (2007-06-27). "Wellington roots". Guardian.co.uk. http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2007/jun/28/popandrock.urbanmusic. Retrieved 2009-09-06. 
  4. ^ a b c d e Andrews, Chris (2003-09-01). "Fat Freddy". Stylus Magazine. http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/fat-freddy/live-at-the-matterhorn.htm. Retrieved 2009-09-06. 
  5. ^ a b c Blake, Jason (2005-10-17). "Fat Freddy's Drop". The Sydney Morning Herald. http://www.smh.com.au/news/cd--gig-reviews/fat-freddys-drop/2005/10/17/1129401188725.html. Retrieved 2009-09-06. 
  6. ^ a b c "Fat Freddy's Drop". NZ Girl. 2008-04-27. http://www.nzgirl.co.nz/articles/6077. Retrieved 2009-08-25. 
  7. ^ "Fat Freddy’s Drop". Rave Magazine (Australia). 2009-06-23. http://www.ravemagazine.com.au/content/view/15747/30/. Retrieved 2009-08-25. 
  8. ^ a b McGrath, Liz. "Fat Freddy's Drop - DROP THE BEAT". Electronic Beats. http://www.electronicbeats.net/Music/Features/Fat-Freddy-s-Drop-DROP-THE-BEAT. Retrieved 2009-08-25. 
  9. ^ a b c Umile, Dominic (2007-03-01). "FAT FREDDY'S DROP". Remix Magazine. http://remixmag.com/artists/electronic/remix_fat_freddys_drop/. Retrieved 2009-08-25. 
  10. ^ a b Neilson, Daniel (2008-11-02). "Fat Freddy's Drop - Live at the Matterhorn". Fly Global Music. http://www.flyglobalmusic.com/fly/archives/asiapacific_reviews/fat_freddys_drop_live_at_the_m.html. Retrieved 2009-08-25. 
  11. ^ Iain Gordon, Joe Lindsay, Jim Mora. (2006-11-01) (Mp3). Fat Freddy's Drop - NZ Live. Radio New Zealand. Event occurs at 00:00:00. http://www.radionz.co.nz/genre/allprogrammesbygenre/music/talk?551217_result_page=F. Retrieved 2009-08-25. 
  12. ^ a b Fat Freddy's Drop. (2006-01-01) (Adobe Flash). Fat Freddy's Drop - NZ Live. NZ On Screen. Event occurs at 00:00:00. http://www.nzonscreen.com/title/fat-freddys-drop-2009. Retrieved 2009-08-25. 
  13. ^ a b "Fat Freddy's Drop". Kartel Creative. http://www.kartelcreative.com/artist.php?aid=3. Retrieved 2009-09-06. 
  14. ^ Vasconcellos, Eduardo (2006-04-08). "Fat Freddy's Drop -- Based on a True Story". IGN. http://music.ign.com/articles/705/705276p1.html. Retrieved 2009-08-25. 
  15. ^ Hunkin, Joanna (2006-10-19). "Fat Freddy's, Bic Runga star at Music Awards". The New Zealand Herald. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=10406561. Retrieved 2009-09-06. 
  16. ^ a b c d e f Drever, Andrew (2009-06-16). "Interview - Fat Freddy's Drop". The Vine. http://www.thevine.com.au/music/articles/interview-_-fat-freddy's-drop.aspx. Retrieved 2009-08-25. 
  17. ^ "Based On A True Story". SmokeCDs.com. http://www.smokecds.com/cd/37406. Retrieved 2009-08-25. 
  18. ^ a b c "Fat Freddy's Drop". FasterLouder.com.au. 2009-06-30. http://www.fasterlouder.com.au/features/19137/Fat-Freddys-Drop.htm. Retrieved 2009-08-25. 
  19. ^ Lusk, John (2009-08-24). "Dr. Boondigga & The Big BW Review". BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/jw9x. Retrieved 2009-08-25. 
  20. ^ "New Zealand single charts". charts.org.nz. http://charts.org.nz/search.asp?search=fat+freddys+drop&cat=s. 

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fat_Freddy%27s_Drop"