Cut Chemist
Encyclopedia
Lucas MacFadden better known as Cut Chemist, is an American
DJ
and record producer
. He is a former member of the funk Latin band Ozomatli
, and of hip hop
group Jurassic 5
. He has collaborated with fellow turntablist DJ Shadow
on a number of projects.
-based rap group Unity Committee, and debuted on vinyl
on the B-side of Unity Committee's 1993 single, "Unified Rebelution". The track, "Lesson 4: The Radio" was an ovation of Double Dee and Steinski
's "Lessons 1-3."
Preceding the vinyl release, Unity Committee formed Jurassic 5
, along with another group, Rebels of Rhythm. Cut Chemist contributed avidly to the group, adding "Lesson 6: The Lecture" to Jurassic 5's eponymous EP, and co-producing the entirety of the record. Between then and other releases, he explored remix
ing alongside DJ Shadow
and Liquid Liquid
, and performed doing outside work (sampling and scratching
for Less Than Jake
, and appearing with Ozomatli
). From late 1996 to early 1997, Cut Chemist recorded his album debut, Live at Future Primitive Sound Session, with Shortkut of Invisibl Skratch Piklz
.
Cut Chemist did not appear on their latest album Feedback. In May 2006, he indicated to Billboard
that he had left the group.
Cut Chemist's first full-length solo album, The Audience's Listening
, was released on July 11, 2006. The album includes the pre-released song "The Garden", which features a bossa nova
style, vocals from Astrud Gilberto
's Brazilian song "Berimbau", and berimbau
instrumentals.
The song "The Audience Is Listening Theme Song" from The Audience's Listening has been featured in a 2G Apple
iPod nano
advertisement.
More recently, Cut Chemist has opened for Shakira
in 2007 on the European leg of her Oral Fixation Tour
, and at the press conference held by car-maker SEAT
to promote their sponsorship of the shows.
Cut Chemist made an appearance in the 2007 comedy Juno
, playing a high school chemistry teacher, playing on his "chemist" stage-name. His logo was present in this scene in the form of a large pair of prop scissors suspended over a beaker.
Cut Chemist joined DJ Shadow
on a world wide tour to support their new mix The Hard Sell
beginning in early 2008. Kid Koala
opened for them. Dates included Dallas, New York, San Francisco, Melbourne, Toronto, Vancouver, London, Hamburg and Paris among others.
In October 2008, Cut Chemist's video for the song "What's the Altitude" featuring Hymnal was removed for violating a WMG
copyright.
Cut Chemist is featured in the award-winning documentary This is the Life, chronicling the music movement which was birthed at The Good Life Cafe in South Central Los Angeles. The Good Life is the open-mic workshop where he first performed with Unity Committee in the early 1990s and launched Jurassic 5.
Most recently, Cut Chemist was featured in the film Up In The Air
under his name Cut Chemist as the conference DJ who introduces Young MC.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
and record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
. He is a former member of the funk Latin band Ozomatli
Ozomatli
Ozomatli is a seven to ten piece band playing primarily Latin, hip hop, and rock music, formed in 1995 in Los Angeles. They are known both for their vocal activist viewpoints and their wide array of musical styles - including salsa, jazz, funk, reggae, rap, and others.In a 2007 NPR interview, band...
, and of hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
group Jurassic 5
Jurassic 5
Jurassic 5 was an American alternative hip hop group formed in 1993 from members of two previous groups, Rebels of Rhythm and Unity Committee by rappers Charles Stewart , Dante Givens , Courtenay Henderson , Marc Stuart , and disc jockeys Mark Potsic and Lucas Macfadden...
. He has collaborated with fellow turntablist DJ Shadow
DJ Shadow
Joshua Paul Davis better known as DJ Shadow is an American music producer, DJ and songwriter. He is considered a prominent figure in the development of instrumental hip hop and first gained notice with the release of his highly acclaimed debut album Endtroducing....., which was constructed...
on a number of projects.
Career
Cut Chemist became known through the Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
-based rap group Unity Committee, and debuted on vinyl
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
on the B-side of Unity Committee's 1993 single, "Unified Rebelution". The track, "Lesson 4: The Radio" was an ovation of Double Dee and Steinski
Double Dee and Steinski
Double Dee and Steinski was a duo of hip hop producers, composed of Doug "Double Dee" DiFranco and Steven "Steinski" Stein. They achieved notoriety in the early 1980s for a series of underground hip-hop sample-based collages known as the "Lessons"....
's "Lessons 1-3."
Preceding the vinyl release, Unity Committee formed Jurassic 5
Jurassic 5
Jurassic 5 was an American alternative hip hop group formed in 1993 from members of two previous groups, Rebels of Rhythm and Unity Committee by rappers Charles Stewart , Dante Givens , Courtenay Henderson , Marc Stuart , and disc jockeys Mark Potsic and Lucas Macfadden...
, along with another group, Rebels of Rhythm. Cut Chemist contributed avidly to the group, adding "Lesson 6: The Lecture" to Jurassic 5's eponymous EP, and co-producing the entirety of the record. Between then and other releases, he explored remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
ing alongside DJ Shadow
DJ Shadow
Joshua Paul Davis better known as DJ Shadow is an American music producer, DJ and songwriter. He is considered a prominent figure in the development of instrumental hip hop and first gained notice with the release of his highly acclaimed debut album Endtroducing....., which was constructed...
and Liquid Liquid
Liquid Liquid
Liquid Liquid is a New York City post-punk, post-disco band, originally active from 1980 to 1983. They are perhaps best known for their track, "Cavern", which was covered by the Sugar Hill Records house band as the backing track for Grandmaster + Melle Mel's old school rap classic, "White Lines "...
, and performed doing outside work (sampling and scratching
Scratching
Scratching is a DJ or turntablist technique used to produce distinctive sounds by moving a vinyl record back and forth on a turntable while optionally manipulating the crossfader on a DJ mixer. While scratching is most commonly associated with hip hop music, since the late 1980s, it has been used...
for Less Than Jake
Less Than Jake
Less Than Jake is an American ska punk band from Gainesville, Florida. Originally formed in 1992 as a power pop trio, the band evolved into a hybrid of ska punk. Less Than Jake have also been cited as showing influences from a wide variety of genres including post-grunge, heavy metal, alternative...
, and appearing with Ozomatli
Ozomatli
Ozomatli is a seven to ten piece band playing primarily Latin, hip hop, and rock music, formed in 1995 in Los Angeles. They are known both for their vocal activist viewpoints and their wide array of musical styles - including salsa, jazz, funk, reggae, rap, and others.In a 2007 NPR interview, band...
). From late 1996 to early 1997, Cut Chemist recorded his album debut, Live at Future Primitive Sound Session, with Shortkut of Invisibl Skratch Piklz
Invisibl Skratch Piklz
The Invisibl Skratch Piklz were a group of Americans of Filipino Ancestry turntablists.The members of the group were originally hip-hop DJs, who were among the pioneers of the turntablism movement in the 1990s; turntablists create musical pieces by mixing samples from records, by using multiple...
.
Cut Chemist did not appear on their latest album Feedback. In May 2006, he indicated to Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
that he had left the group.
Cut Chemist's first full-length solo album, The Audience's Listening
The Audience's Listening
The Audience's Listening is the first full-length solo album to be released by Cut Chemist."The Audience is Listening Theme Song" was used in a 2G Apple iPod nano advertisement.- Tracks listing:...
, was released on July 11, 2006. The album includes the pre-released song "The Garden", which features a bossa nova
Bossa nova
Bossa nova is a style of Brazilian music. Bossa nova acquired a large following in the 1960s, initially consisting of young musicians and college students...
style, vocals from Astrud Gilberto
Astrud Gilberto
Astrud Gilberto is a Brazilian samba and bossa nova singer. She is well known for the Grammy Award-winning song "The Girl from Ipanema".-Biography:...
's Brazilian song "Berimbau", and berimbau
Berimbau
The berimbau is a single-string percussion instrument, a musical bow, from Brazil. The berimbau's origins are not entirely clear, but there is not much doubt about its African origin, as no Indigenous Brazilian or European people use musical bows, and very similar instruments are played in the...
instrumentals.
The song "The Audience Is Listening Theme Song" from The Audience's Listening has been featured in a 2G Apple
Apple Computer
Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs and markets consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. The company's best-known hardware products include the Macintosh line of computers, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad...
iPod nano
IPod nano
iPod Nano is a digital media player designed and marketed by Apple Inc.. The first generation of iPod Nano was introduced on September 7, 2005 as a replacement for iPod Mini. It uses flash memory for storage. iPod Nano has gone through six models, or generations, since its introduction...
advertisement.
More recently, Cut Chemist has opened for Shakira
Shakira
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll , known professionally as Shakira , is a Colombian singer who emerged in the music scene of Colombia and Latin America in the early 1990s...
in 2007 on the European leg of her Oral Fixation Tour
Oral Fixation Tour
Oral Fixation Tour is the concert tour by Colombian singer-songwriter, Shakira, in support of her fourth and fifth studio albums, Fijación Oral Vol. 1 and Oral Fixation Vol. 2...
, and at the press conference held by car-maker SEAT
SEAT
SEAT, S.A. is a Spanish automobile manufacturer founded on May 9, 1950 by the Instituto Nacional de Industria , a state-owned industrial holding company....
to promote their sponsorship of the shows.
Cut Chemist made an appearance in the 2007 comedy Juno
Juno (film)
Juno is a 2007 comedy-drama film directed by Jason Reitman and written by Diablo Cody. Ellen Page stars as the title character, an independent-minded teenager confronting an unplanned pregnancy and the subsequent events that put pressures of adult life onto her. Michael Cera, Olivia Thirlby, J. K....
, playing a high school chemistry teacher, playing on his "chemist" stage-name. His logo was present in this scene in the form of a large pair of prop scissors suspended over a beaker.
Cut Chemist joined DJ Shadow
DJ Shadow
Joshua Paul Davis better known as DJ Shadow is an American music producer, DJ and songwriter. He is considered a prominent figure in the development of instrumental hip hop and first gained notice with the release of his highly acclaimed debut album Endtroducing....., which was constructed...
on a world wide tour to support their new mix The Hard Sell
The Hard Sell (album)
The Hard Sell is an album by DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist. It was released in 2007. The entire mix performed live and recorded for the Hollywood Bowl Show, June 2007.-Production:...
beginning in early 2008. Kid Koala
Kid Koala
Eric San , who records under the name Kid Koala, is a Canadian DJ, turntablist, musician and an author of graphic novels. He is signed to the British record label Ninja Tune, is a member of alternative hip hop supergroup Deltron 3030, and The Slew with Dynamite D and former members of the...
opened for them. Dates included Dallas, New York, San Francisco, Melbourne, Toronto, Vancouver, London, Hamburg and Paris among others.
In October 2008, Cut Chemist's video for the song "What's the Altitude" featuring Hymnal was removed for violating a WMG
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...
copyright.
Cut Chemist is featured in the award-winning documentary This is the Life, chronicling the music movement which was birthed at The Good Life Cafe in South Central Los Angeles. The Good Life is the open-mic workshop where he first performed with Unity Committee in the early 1990s and launched Jurassic 5.
Most recently, Cut Chemist was featured in the film Up In The Air
Up in the Air (film)
Up in the Air is a 2009 American comedy-drama film directed by Jason Reitman and co-written by Reitman and Sheldon Turner. It is a film adaptation of the 2001 novel of the same name, written by Walter Kirn. The story is about a corporate downsizer Ryan Bingham and his travels...
under his name Cut Chemist as the conference DJ who introduces Young MC.
Releases
- BrainfreezeBrainfreeze (album)Brainfreeze is a 1999 live mix album by DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist. The two tracks of the album are uninterrupted recordings from a live performance where they sampled hit funk, soul, rock and jazz singles from 45 rpm vinyl records...
(CD) - Live at Future Primitive Sound Session Version 1.1 (CD)
- Product PlacementProduct Placement (album)Product Placement is an album by DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist. It was released in 2001 on One29 Records.-Comments:The CD was on sale only at gig venues on DJ Shadows tours between about 2001-2003 and was made on an extremely limited run .The cover has a picture of Cut Chemist and DJ Shadow...
(CD) - Brain Freeze Original Sound Track 1979
- The Litmus Test (CD)
- Rare Equations (2xCD)
- The Audience's ListeningThe Audience's ListeningThe Audience's Listening is the first full-length solo album to be released by Cut Chemist."The Audience is Listening Theme Song" was used in a 2G Apple iPod nano advertisement.- Tracks listing:...
(CD) - The Hard SellThe Hard Sell (album)The Hard Sell is an album by DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist. It was released in 2007. The entire mix performed live and recorded for the Hollywood Bowl Show, June 2007.-Production:...
(CD)
Remixes
- The Re-Return Of The Original Art Form (12")
- Midnight In A Perfect World (12")
- Midnight In A Perfect World / The Number Song (12")
- The Remix EP (12")
- Midnight In A Perfect World / Number Song (CD5")
- Number Song / Painkiller (12")
- A2G EP (12")
- Cut Chemist Suite (12")
- Remixes (12")
- Super Bowl Sundae (12")
- The Art Of War: Who Dares Wins (2xCD)
- Now, Listen! (CD)
- Urban Theory Presents...Meltdown (2x12")
- Urban Theory Presents: Meltdown (2xCD)
- One To Grow On (CD)
- Herbal Blend (2x12")
- Solid Steel Presents The Herbaliser - Herbal Blend (CD)
- The Document II (3x12")
- The Document II (CD)
- They Mixes (12")
- Biz Markie ripped up megamix (7')
Production
- Jurassic 5 EP (2x12")
- Jurassic 5 EP (12")
- Concrete Schoolyard (12")
- Improvise / Lesson 6: The Lecture (12")
- Jayou / Action Satisfaction (12")
- Jayou / Without A Doubt (12")
- A2G (12")
- A2G EP (2x12")
- Jurassic 5 (LP)
- Nia (3x12")
- The Funky Precedent (CD)
- The Litmus Test (CD)
- Alphabet Aerobics -Blackalicious (12")
DJ mixes
- BrainfreezeBrainfreeze (album)Brainfreeze is a 1999 live mix album by DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist. The two tracks of the album are uninterrupted recordings from a live performance where they sampled hit funk, soul, rock and jazz singles from 45 rpm vinyl records...
(CD) - Product PlacementProduct Placement (album)Product Placement is an album by DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist. It was released in 2001 on One29 Records.-Comments:The CD was on sale only at gig venues on DJ Shadows tours between about 2001-2003 and was made on an extremely limited run .The cover has a picture of Cut Chemist and DJ Shadow...
- The Litmus Test (CD)
- The Hard SellThe Hard Sell (album)The Hard Sell is an album by DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist. It was released in 2007. The entire mix performed live and recorded for the Hollywood Bowl Show, June 2007.-Production:...
(CD) - The Hard Sell (Encore)The Hard Sell (Encore)The Hard Sell is an album by DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist. It was released in 2008. The entire mix performed live and recorded during rehearsals for the Hard Sell tour, November 2007, at the pink house.-Track listing:# "On a Mission" - 5:19...
(CD)
Appears on
- Got What You Need (12")
- The 5 O'Clock Shadow EP (12")
- My Vinyl Weighs A Ton (CD)
- My Vinyl Weighs a Ton (2x12")
- Tale of Five Cities (12")
- 2001: A Rhyme Odyssey (3x12")
- 2001: A Rhyme Odyssey (CD)
- No Categories 3:: A Ubiquity Compilation (2xCD)
- Embrace the ChaosEmbrace the ChaosEmbrace the Chaos is the second studio album by the Latin funk band Ozomatli, released on September 11, 2001 on Interscope Records.-Track listing:# "Pá Lante" – 5:03# "1234" – 3:07...
(CD) - Blazing Arrow (2x12") by BlackaliciousBlackaliciousBlackalicious is an American hip hop duo from Sacramento, California made up of rapper Gift of Gab and DJ/producer Chief Xcel . They are noted for Gift of Gab's often "tongue-twisting", multisyllabic, complex rhymes and Chief Xcel's "classic" beats...
- Blazing Arrow (CD)
- The Private Press (Limited Edition) (2xCD)
- Freestyle (Steinski's Additive Remix) (12")
- Later That Day... (CD)
- Make YourselfMake YourselfMake Yourself is the third album by American rock band Incubus, released through Epic Records on October 26, 1999. The album has been certified double platinum in the United States along with featuring three charting singles, "Pardon Me", "Stellar", and "Drive", all of which reached the top three...
(CD) - Chemical Calisthenics (CD)
- Jennifer's Body
Tracks appear on
- Audio Alchemy (Experiments In Beat Reconstruction) (2x12")
- Audio Alchemy (Experiments In Beat Reconstruction) (CD)
- Scratchmasters Volume #3 (CD)
- Return Of The D.J. Vol. 1 (CD)
- Return Of The DJ Vol. 1 (2x12")
- Deep Concentration (2xCD)
- The Funky Precedent (CD)
- Urban Revolutions The Future Primitive Sound Collective (3x12")
- Bunky's Pick (CD5")
- Bunky's Pick (12")
- Product Placement (2x12")
- Slinky Presents Superclub DJ's (2xCD)
- In The Mix / Live (12")
- Later That Day... (CD)
- The Ultimate Lessons (2x12")
- The Ultimate Lessons (CD)
- The Ultimate Lessons 2 (2x12")
- The Ultimate Lessons 2 (CD)
- Nat King Cole RE: Generations (CD)