Fat Freddy's Drop
Encyclopedia
Fat Freddy’s Drop is a seven-piece band from Wellington
, New Zealand
, whose musical style has been characterised as any combination of dub
, reggae
, soul
, jazz
, rhythm and blues
, and techno
. Originally a jam band
formed in the late 1990s by musicians from other bands in Wellington, Fat Freddy’s Drop gradually became its members' sole focus. Band members continued playing with their other respective groups—The Black Seeds
, TrinityRoots
, Bongmaster, and others—for much of their 11-year career. Fat Freddy’s Drop are known for their improvised live performances; songs on their studio albums are versions refined over years of playing them live in New Zealand, and on tour abroad.
The group gained international recognition in 2003 after their single "Midnight Marauders" was re-distributed by record labels and DJs in Germany. The group has toured Europe nearly every year since then. The first studio album by Fat Freddy’s Drop, Based on a True Story
, was the first independently-distributed album to reach first place in New Zealand record sales directly after release in 2005, and is the highest-selling album by a national artist in the country's history. Based on a True Story won Best Album at the New Zealand Music Awards the same year, and remained on the top 40 New Zealand sales chart for over two years, establishing them as one of the most successful contemporary bands in the island nation.
, New Zealand
's music scene in the late 1990s. The group's founder, Chris "Mu" Faiumu, had performed with other bands for most of that decade under the name DJ Fitchie. He and two friends, trumpet
er Toby Laing and vocalist
Dallas Tamaira, occasionally played improvised jam session
s at his seaside home. Faiumu provided percussion and bass for these on an Akai Music Production Center (MPC). All three were involved with other bands. Faiumu and Tamaira were members of the 15-piece dub band Bongmaster; Laing was a member of The Black Seeds
. In 1999, they began performing together live at local clubs and festivals, and released several vinyl singles
distributed locally.
That same year, Faiumu founded the independent music label The Drop with the help of his partner Nicole, and money from private investors. According to Faiumu, the venture was a learning experience in the business of making and releasing records. The Drop's first release was Dallas Tamaira's solo project, the five-track EP
Better Than Change, followed by a single performed by the group named "Hope". "Hope" was written and recorded over two days under the influence of LSD, according to interviews. Each blotter—individual dose—of that type of LSD, popular in Wellington at that time, had the image of Fat Freddy's Cat
(from Gilbert Shelton
's comic strip The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers) printed on it. Dropping—common slang for taking LSD—Fat Freddys became the inspiration for the band's name.
The group organised several informal jam sessions in 2000, inviting local musicians to play with them at Faiumu's home. These sessions lead to four new members joining Fat Freddy’s Drop: Warren Maxwell on tenor and alto saxophone
, Tehimana Kerr on guitar
, Iain Gordon on keyboards
, and Joe Lindsay on trombone
. Like the original three, the new members played with other groups in and around Wellington, and continued to for most of Fat Freddy’s Drop's career. Iain Gordon was a fellow Bongmaster member with Faiumu and Tamaira. Gordon was also a member of the band Ebb who in 2001 performed an audiovisual concert and released an EP titled Plush Bomb, with Fat Freddy's Drop playing in support. Maxwell was in the reggae group TrinityRoots
. Maxwell and Joe Lindsay, who make up the horn section of Fat Freddy’s Drop, were students at the Conservatorium of Music in Wellington in the mid-1990s. Faiumu was the "central point [and] the reason for the band getting together," according to a 2009 interview.
, was released in 2001 by The Drop. The live album is a recording of their show at the Matterhorn club in Wellington that year. Very little mastering
was done to the album, which is divided into four tracks averaging 18 minutes each. It was not formally promoted, but sold 9,000 copies in its first few months via word-of-mouth, according to The Sydney Morning Herald
.
In 2000, the New Zealand government began a campaign to increase the profitability of the country's music industry, and of music exports abroad, by funding artists and events. The percentage of music sold by nationals went from 5.45% in 2000 to 10% in 2004, and a 2004 government survey indicated one-quarter of New Zealanders attended a live music event in the year previous. Fat Freddy’s Drop were not one of the bands funded, but the elevated live music scene, and the relative success of Live at The Matterhorn, gave them more opportunities to establish themselves as one of the area's best live acts. Several of their early singles, like "Hope" and "Runnin", were featured on compilation album
s published by local labels and radio stations. An established group from Kaikoura
named Salmonella Dub
—who one member described as the "forerunner for Fat Freddys"—provided the band opportunities to play in front of larger crowds in New Zealand and neighbouring Australia.
The third single, released by The Drop in 2002, "Midnight Marauders" became their first step towards international recognition when a copy was taken to German record label Sonar Kollektiv
by a producer. That year, Sonar and affiliated label Best Seven re-released the single in Germany, and European DJ group Jazzanova
used the track in several mixes. A second single, "Hope/This Room", was re-released by Sonar and Best the next year. After the singles' success, Sonar invited the band to play a string of shows Europe in 2003. Sonar label manager Matthias Bohmbach said he was surprised when one-thousand copies of "Midnight Marauders" sold at a show in Germany. Not wanting a single label to control their work in Europe, the band also partnered with London-based label Kartel
in 2003 to handle distribution and promotion in England. From 2003 to 2009, distribution of the bands work was handled by The Drop in New Zealand and Australia, by Sonar Kollektiv and Best Seven in most of Europe, and by Kartel in England.
Fat Freddy’s Drop's European profile slowly increased between 2003 and the release of their first studio album in 2005. The BBC
's Gilles Peterson
called "Hope" one of the top tracks of 2003. The band was invited to play at the Cannes Film Festival
in 2004. International DJ Magazine listed Fat Freddy’s Drop as one of the "top 20 bands to look out for" in 2004. In what became and almost annual trip, they returned to touring New Zealand and Australia in 2004, and—partnering with Sonar Kollektiv—returned to Europe for an official "Hope for a Generation" tour.
, showcased polished versions of songs the band had developed gradually at live shows over the years—in some cases going back to 1999; the album's title is a reference to that process. Many Fat Freddy’s Drop members still played with other Wellington bands while recording Based on a True Story, and scheduling conflicts forced them to record their individual parts at different times to be mixed
later. In a later interview, they said it is "healthy for members to be able to do other things," but they hoped to record the tracks together in the same room on their next album. Replacing Faiumu's MPC sampler on the album—and in some live shows afterward—were drummer
Riki Gooch and bassist
Rio Hemopo, who together with Fat Freddy’s Drop saxophonist Warren Maxwell make up the band TrinityRoots. Also contributing were vocalists Hollie Smith
, Ladi 6, and P Digsss, and Bongmaster guitarist Aaron Tokona. After mixing Based on a True Story for 18 months at his home studio in-between tours, Faiumu took the album to San Francisco-based Fantasy Studios to be mastered.
Based on a True Story became the first independently-distributed album to reach first place in New Zealand record sales directly after release, and is the highest-selling album by a national artist in the country's history. The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
's (RIANZ) sales chart listed Based on a True Story as one of the top 40 selling albums for more than two years after its release, and has since been certified nine-times platinum, denoting shipments of 135,000 copies. The album's only single, "Wandering Eye
", spent more than four months on the top 40 selling singles chart. Like Live at the Matterhorn, the album was given no formal promotion or marketing; its popularity largely due to the band's reputation in New Zealand. At the 2005 New Zealand Music Awards
, Fat Freddy’s Drop won awards in every category they were nominated: Best Group, Best Album, Best New Zealand Roots Group. They also won the Peoples Choice Award in both 2005 and 2006. Based on a True Story had sold 120,000 copies in New Zealand as of April 2009. The album received critical acclaim from reviewers in Europe, but was not a commercial success there, selling only 30,000 copies.
The band continued touring for the next four years while planning and developing a second studio album. They returned to Germany, England, and Italy in 2005; returned in 2006 for their European World Cup Tour, and again for a set of shows in 2007. They also toured the east coast of Australia in 2006 and 2007. Many band members were fathers by then, a factor increasingly affecting their "touring stamina". Warren Maxwell left the band in 2007 for family reasons, and was replaced in live performances with Scott Towers. Towers attended the Conservatorium of Music with Maxwell, and was trombonist Joe Lindsay's tutor there.
, in 2009. The title refers to "the Big Brain-Wash and Dr. Boondigga [who] is some evil creature who’s trying to sign us to a major label,” according to Faiumu. The band is still independently distributed by The Drop label, and as of 2009, have handled distribution themselves in Europe. Like Based on a True Story, the album's songs are polished versions of songs they developed over four years at live shows; mixed from 2007 to 2009 in-between tours. Unlike their last album, most of it was recorded live in-studio with all band members present. There were some exceptions; Alice Russell
's duet with Tamaira on the album's first single The Camel was recorded in 2006 when she was in Wellington with The Bamboos
.
Dr Boondigga and the Big BW
was the highest selling album in New Zealand for five weeks after its release, and the highest selling album there in 2009. It was listed on the RIANZ top 40 sales chart 38 weeks in total. The album received more international promotion than its predecessor, reaching number 45 in the Australian album chart
, and 97th in France. The BBC
's John Lusk called Fat Freddy’s Drop "New Zealand's most critically acclaimed band since The Clean
", and lead singer Tamaira, "one of the most soulful singers of his generation." At the 2009 New Zealand Music Awards the album won the awards Best Producer, and Best Aotearoa Roots Album Dr Boondigga and the Big BW had sold 30,000 copies in New Zealand as of December 2009.
Fat Freddy’s Drop returned to touring New Zealand, Australia and Europe to promote the new album in 2009. Three shows on the west coast of the United States, and a show in Canada, were also included in the tour. The only previous time the band had played in the United States was a single performance at a Detroit music festival in 2004. Before 2009, the cost of touring in the US, difficulty obtaining visas, and the band's low profile in North America prevented them from including tour dates there. Band members say they now consider playing together as Fat Freddy’s Drop their first musical priority, and spend less time playing with other bands. A third album is planned, but no release date has been announced.
Describing the band, National Public Radio host Guy Raz said, "Take the swagger of Jamaican dub, throw in a little Memphis soul and send it halfway down the globe, and what comes back? The band Fat Freddy’s Drop." The band has been categorised under many genres, and members say many of those genres helped shape their musical style: delta blues
, jazz
, dub
, soul
, techno
, and contemporary rhythm and blues
. Musical styles heard while on tour have also shaped their sound; Dr Boondigga and the Big BW was influenced by contemporary German
, Portuguese
, and Bhangra music while touring in the years before its release.
Faiumu and other band members say their biggest influence is their home country of New Zealand, and their peers in Wellington's "small-but-solid" music scene—Wellington's population was less than 180,000 in 2007. They feel their music "belong[s] here in New Zealand, you can tell it came from this country." Fat Freddy Drop's music has been categorised as Aotearoa roots music—meaning contemporary music inspired by Māori
and Pacific Islander culture, even though they are a mixed-race group. Faiumu is a first-generation Samoan-New Zealander, Tamaira, Gordon and Kerr are native Māori, and the remaining members are descended from European immigrants. The success of roots groups in New Zealand is uncommon. According to the University of Canterbury
's Sharon McIver, the commercial success of bands like Fat Freddy’s Drop and TrinityRoots is due to their lack of "overt political messages," or otherwise "in your face" lyrics. Recorded music by the band is often played in business, where other roots music is sometimes not accepted.
Former members
, Fantastic Voyages Vol. 1
, with live footage from their 2006 World Cup Tour, music videos, and behind the scenes footage.
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, whose musical style has been characterised as any combination of dub
Dub music
Dub is a genre of music which grew out of reggae music in the 1960s, and is commonly considered a subgenre, though it has developed to extend beyond the scope of reggae...
, reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
, soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
, and techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
. Originally a jam band
Jam band
-Ambiguity:By the late 1990s use of the term jam band also became ambiguous. An editorial at jamband.com suggested that any band of which a primary band such as Phish has done a cover of be included as jam band. The example was including New York post-punk band Talking Heads after Phish performed...
formed in the late 1990s by musicians from other bands in Wellington, Fat Freddy’s Drop gradually became its members' sole focus. Band members continued playing with their other respective groups—The Black Seeds
The Black Seeds
The Black Seeds are a musical group from Wellington, New Zealand. Their music is a fusion of dub, funk, afrobeat and soul.The Black Seeds have two double-platinum selling albums at home, and successful European album releases through the German-based Sonar Kollektiv label...
, TrinityRoots
TrinityRoots
TrinityRoots are a successful band based in Wellington, New Zealand. Although they are commonly associated with New Zealand reggae they also embody a stripped back, jazz and soul influenced rhythmic sound, which often builds up to highly emotional drum- and guitar-led crescendos.Like their...
, Bongmaster, and others—for much of their 11-year career. Fat Freddy’s Drop are known for their improvised live performances; songs on their studio albums are versions refined over years of playing them live in New Zealand, and on tour abroad.
The group gained international recognition in 2003 after their single "Midnight Marauders" was re-distributed by record labels and DJs in Germany. The group has toured Europe nearly every year since then. The first studio album by Fat Freddy’s Drop, Based on a True Story
Based on a True Story (Fat Freddy's Drop album)
Based on a True Story was the first studio produced album by New Zealand group Fat Freddy's Drop. It was recorded in Wellington and released on the band's own label, The Drop. Based on a True Story utilized the band's trademark dub, reggae, soul and funk influenced sound, and has been successful...
, was the first independently-distributed album to reach first place in New Zealand record sales directly after release in 2005, and is the highest-selling album by a national artist in the country's history. Based on a True Story won Best Album at the New Zealand Music Awards the same year, and remained on the top 40 New Zealand sales chart for over two years, establishing them as one of the most successful contemporary bands in the island nation.
Formation: 1999–2001
The band Fat Freddy’s Drop gradually took shape from members of other bands in WellingtonWellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
's music scene in the late 1990s. The group's founder, Chris "Mu" Faiumu, had performed with other bands for most of that decade under the name DJ Fitchie. He and two friends, trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
er Toby Laing and vocalist
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
Dallas Tamaira, occasionally played improvised jam session
Jam session
Jam sessions are often used by musicians to develop new material, find suitable arrangements, or simply as a social gathering and communal practice session. Jam sessions may be based upon existing songs or forms, may be loosely based on an agreed chord progression or chart suggested by one...
s at his seaside home. Faiumu provided percussion and bass for these on an Akai Music Production Center (MPC). All three were involved with other bands. Faiumu and Tamaira were members of the 15-piece dub band Bongmaster; Laing was a member of The Black Seeds
The Black Seeds
The Black Seeds are a musical group from Wellington, New Zealand. Their music is a fusion of dub, funk, afrobeat and soul.The Black Seeds have two double-platinum selling albums at home, and successful European album releases through the German-based Sonar Kollektiv label...
. In 1999, they began performing together live at local clubs and festivals, and released several vinyl singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
distributed locally.
That same year, Faiumu founded the independent music label The Drop with the help of his partner Nicole, and money from private investors. According to Faiumu, the venture was a learning experience in the business of making and releasing records. The Drop's first release was Dallas Tamaira's solo project, the five-track EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
Better Than Change, followed by a single performed by the group named "Hope". "Hope" was written and recorded over two days under the influence of LSD, according to interviews. Each blotter—individual dose—of that type of LSD, popular in Wellington at that time, had the image of Fat Freddy's Cat
Fat Freddy's Cat
Fat Freddy's Cat is a fictional orange tomcat nominally belonging to Fat Freddy Freekowtski, one of the Freak Brothers, a trio of hippies who are featured in Gilbert Shelton's underground comix.-History:...
(from Gilbert Shelton
Gilbert Shelton
Gilbert Shelton is an American cartoonist and underground comix artist. He is the creator of The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, Fat Freddy's Cat, Wonder Wart-Hog, Philbert Desanex, Not Quite Dead, and the cover art to The Grateful Dead's 1978 album Shakedown Street.He graduated from Lamar High...
's comic strip The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers) printed on it. Dropping—common slang for taking LSD—Fat Freddys became the inspiration for the band's name.
The group organised several informal jam sessions in 2000, inviting local musicians to play with them at Faiumu's home. These sessions lead to four new members joining Fat Freddy’s Drop: Warren Maxwell on tenor and alto saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
, Tehimana Kerr on guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, Iain Gordon on keyboards
Musical keyboard
A musical keyboard is the set of adjacent depressible levers or keys on a musical instrument, particularly the piano. Keyboards typically contain keys for playing the twelve notes of the Western musical scale, with a combination of larger, longer keys and smaller, shorter keys that repeats at the...
, and Joe Lindsay on trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
. Like the original three, the new members played with other groups in and around Wellington, and continued to for most of Fat Freddy’s Drop's career. Iain Gordon was a fellow Bongmaster member with Faiumu and Tamaira. Gordon was also a member of the band Ebb who in 2001 performed an audiovisual concert and released an EP titled Plush Bomb, with Fat Freddy's Drop playing in support. Maxwell was in the reggae group TrinityRoots
TrinityRoots
TrinityRoots are a successful band based in Wellington, New Zealand. Although they are commonly associated with New Zealand reggae they also embody a stripped back, jazz and soul influenced rhythmic sound, which often builds up to highly emotional drum- and guitar-led crescendos.Like their...
. Maxwell and Joe Lindsay, who make up the horn section of Fat Freddy’s Drop, were students at the Conservatorium of Music in Wellington in the mid-1990s. Faiumu was the "central point [and] the reason for the band getting together," according to a 2009 interview.
Live at the Matterhorn and singles: 2001–2004
The now seven-member Fat Freddy’s Drop, sometimes calling themselves the "seven headed soul monster", continued to play live at clubs and festivals. The band's first full-length album, Live at the MatterhornLive at the Matterhorn
Live at the Matterhorn is the first album by reggae band Fat Freddy's Drop.The album was recorded live at the Matterhorn restaurant in Cuba Mall, Wellington, New Zealand. The cover of the album features a photo of The Bucket Fountain, which is located near the Matterhorn...
, was released in 2001 by The Drop. The live album is a recording of their show at the Matterhorn club in Wellington that year. Very little mastering
Audio mastering
Mastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
was done to the album, which is divided into four tracks averaging 18 minutes each. It was not formally promoted, but sold 9,000 copies in its first few months via word-of-mouth, according to The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald is a daily broadsheet newspaper published by Fairfax Media in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1831 as the Sydney Herald, the SMH is the oldest continuously published newspaper in Australia. The newspaper is published six days a week. The newspaper's Sunday counterpart, The...
.
In 2000, the New Zealand government began a campaign to increase the profitability of the country's music industry, and of music exports abroad, by funding artists and events. The percentage of music sold by nationals went from 5.45% in 2000 to 10% in 2004, and a 2004 government survey indicated one-quarter of New Zealanders attended a live music event in the year previous. Fat Freddy’s Drop were not one of the bands funded, but the elevated live music scene, and the relative success of Live at The Matterhorn, gave them more opportunities to establish themselves as one of the area's best live acts. Several of their early singles, like "Hope" and "Runnin", were featured on compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
s published by local labels and radio stations. An established group from Kaikoura
Kaikoura
Kaikoura is a town on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is located on State Highway 1 180 km north of Christchurch.Kaikoura became the first local authority to reach the Green Globe tourism certification standard....
named Salmonella Dub
Salmonella Dub
Salmonella Dub are a Dub/Drum n Bass/Reggae/Roots band from Kaikoura, New Zealand. They were formed in 1991 by Andrew Penman, David Deakins and Mark Tyler...
—who one member described as the "forerunner for Fat Freddys"—provided the band opportunities to play in front of larger crowds in New Zealand and neighbouring Australia.
The third single, released by The Drop in 2002, "Midnight Marauders" became their first step towards international recognition when a copy was taken to German record label Sonar Kollektiv
Sonar Kollektiv
Sonar Kollektiv is a German record label founded in 1997 by the DJ and producer team Jazzanova. The intention was to create an independent record label and publisher connected to a worldwide independent distribution network...
by a producer. That year, Sonar and affiliated label Best Seven re-released the single in Germany, and European DJ group Jazzanova
Jazzanova
Jazzanova is a German Berlin-based DJ/producer collective consisting of Alexander Barck, Claas Brieler, Jürgen von Knoblauch, Roskow Kretschmann, Stefan Leisering, and Axel Reinemer. Formed in 1995, the group is one of the foremost proponents of the nu-jazz, chillout and jazz house styles of music...
used the track in several mixes. A second single, "Hope/This Room", was re-released by Sonar and Best the next year. After the singles' success, Sonar invited the band to play a string of shows Europe in 2003. Sonar label manager Matthias Bohmbach said he was surprised when one-thousand copies of "Midnight Marauders" sold at a show in Germany. Not wanting a single label to control their work in Europe, the band also partnered with London-based label Kartel
Kartel
A kartel is the Dutch term for an electoral alliance between two or more parties in Belgium.In a system of proportional representation in which the country is divided in multiple electoral districts, such as Belgium the threshold to obtain one seat can be very high , which also favours larger parties...
in 2003 to handle distribution and promotion in England. From 2003 to 2009, distribution of the bands work was handled by The Drop in New Zealand and Australia, by Sonar Kollektiv and Best Seven in most of Europe, and by Kartel in England.
Fat Freddy’s Drop's European profile slowly increased between 2003 and the release of their first studio album in 2005. The BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's Gilles Peterson
Gilles Peterson
Gilles Peterson , is a DJ, record collector and record label owner from London, UK. Through his labels Acid Jazz, Talkin' Loud, and latterly Brownswood Recordings, he has been associated with the careers of well-known artists of the 1990s such as Erykah Badu, Roni Size and Jamiroquai...
called "Hope" one of the top tracks of 2003. The band was invited to play at the Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
in 2004. International DJ Magazine listed Fat Freddy’s Drop as one of the "top 20 bands to look out for" in 2004. In what became and almost annual trip, they returned to touring New Zealand and Australia in 2004, and—partnering with Sonar Kollektiv—returned to Europe for an official "Hope for a Generation" tour.
Based on a True Story: 2005–2008
Fat Freddy’s Drop's first studio album in 2005, Based on a True StoryBased on a True Story (Fat Freddy's Drop album)
Based on a True Story was the first studio produced album by New Zealand group Fat Freddy's Drop. It was recorded in Wellington and released on the band's own label, The Drop. Based on a True Story utilized the band's trademark dub, reggae, soul and funk influenced sound, and has been successful...
, showcased polished versions of songs the band had developed gradually at live shows over the years—in some cases going back to 1999; the album's title is a reference to that process. Many Fat Freddy’s Drop members still played with other Wellington bands while recording Based on a True Story, and scheduling conflicts forced them to record their individual parts at different times to be mixed
Audio mixing (recorded music)
In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
later. In a later interview, they said it is "healthy for members to be able to do other things," but they hoped to record the tracks together in the same room on their next album. Replacing Faiumu's MPC sampler on the album—and in some live shows afterward—were drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Riki Gooch and bassist
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
Rio Hemopo, who together with Fat Freddy’s Drop saxophonist Warren Maxwell make up the band TrinityRoots. Also contributing were vocalists Hollie Smith
Hollie Smith
Hollie Smith is a New Zealand soul singer-songwriter. Her debut album Long Player reached number one on the RIANZ albums chart in 2007, and certified double platinum.-Early years:...
, Ladi 6, and P Digsss, and Bongmaster guitarist Aaron Tokona. After mixing Based on a True Story for 18 months at his home studio in-between tours, Faiumu took the album to San Francisco-based Fantasy Studios to be mastered.
Based on a True Story became the first independently-distributed album to reach first place in New Zealand record sales directly after release, and is the highest-selling album by a national artist in the country's history. The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand...
's (RIANZ) sales chart listed Based on a True Story as one of the top 40 selling albums for more than two years after its release, and has since been certified nine-times platinum, denoting shipments of 135,000 copies. The album's only single, "Wandering Eye
Wandering Eye
"Wandering Eye" is a single released from the band Fat Freddy's Drop in 2005. It was their first publicly released single and had an excellent response from the public...
", spent more than four months on the top 40 selling singles chart. Like Live at the Matterhorn, the album was given no formal promotion or marketing; its popularity largely due to the band's reputation in New Zealand. At the 2005 New Zealand Music Awards
New Zealand Music Awards
The New Zealand Music Awards show, is a major annual New Zealand music event where musical acts and singers are awarded each year. It has occurred every year since 1965 to outstanding New Zealand musicians and groups....
, Fat Freddy’s Drop won awards in every category they were nominated: Best Group, Best Album, Best New Zealand Roots Group. They also won the Peoples Choice Award in both 2005 and 2006. Based on a True Story had sold 120,000 copies in New Zealand as of April 2009. The album received critical acclaim from reviewers in Europe, but was not a commercial success there, selling only 30,000 copies.
The band continued touring for the next four years while planning and developing a second studio album. They returned to Germany, England, and Italy in 2005; returned in 2006 for their European World Cup Tour, and again for a set of shows in 2007. They also toured the east coast of Australia in 2006 and 2007. Many band members were fathers by then, a factor increasingly affecting their "touring stamina". Warren Maxwell left the band in 2007 for family reasons, and was replaced in live performances with Scott Towers. Towers attended the Conservatorium of Music with Maxwell, and was trombonist Joe Lindsay's tutor there.
Dr Boondigga and the Big BW: 2009–present
Fat Freddy’s Drop released their second studio album, Dr Boondigga and the Big BWDr Boondigga and the Big BW
Dr Boondigga and the Big BW is the second studio album by the New Zealand group Fat Freddy's Drop, released on 2 June 2009 on The Drop. The album became a number-one album in New Zealand in its first week of release and was certified Platinum in four days...
, in 2009. The title refers to "the Big Brain-Wash and Dr. Boondigga [who] is some evil creature who’s trying to sign us to a major label,” according to Faiumu. The band is still independently distributed by The Drop label, and as of 2009, have handled distribution themselves in Europe. Like Based on a True Story, the album's songs are polished versions of songs they developed over four years at live shows; mixed from 2007 to 2009 in-between tours. Unlike their last album, most of it was recorded live in-studio with all band members present. There were some exceptions; Alice Russell
Alice Russell (singer)
Alice Russell is a British soul singer. She was born in 1975, the daughter of an organist, and grew up in Framlingham in Suffolk. At the age of nine, following in her father and sisters' musical footsteps, Alice began taking lessons on Cello, and sang in choirs, before studying art and music in...
's duet with Tamaira on the album's first single The Camel was recorded in 2006 when she was in Wellington with The Bamboos
The Bamboos (funk band)
The Bamboos are a Soul band from Australia.-Biography:The Bamboos were formed in 2000 in Melbourne Australia by NZ-born guitarist Lance Ferguson. The initial line-up consisted of Ferguson, Ben Grayson on Hammond Organ, Stuart Speed on Bass and Scott Lambie on Drums...
.
Dr Boondigga and the Big BW
Dr Boondigga and the Big BW
Dr Boondigga and the Big BW is the second studio album by the New Zealand group Fat Freddy's Drop, released on 2 June 2009 on The Drop. The album became a number-one album in New Zealand in its first week of release and was certified Platinum in four days...
was the highest selling album in New Zealand for five weeks after its release, and the highest selling album there in 2009. It was listed on the RIANZ top 40 sales chart 38 weeks in total. The album received more international promotion than its predecessor, reaching number 45 in the Australian album chart
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
, and 97th in France. The BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's John Lusk called Fat Freddy’s Drop "New Zealand's most critically acclaimed band since The Clean
The Clean
The Clean are an influential Indie rock band that formed in Dunedin, New Zealand in 1978. Led through a number of early rotating line-ups by brothers Hamish and David Kilgour, the band settled down to their well-known and current line-up with bassist Robert Scott...
", and lead singer Tamaira, "one of the most soulful singers of his generation." At the 2009 New Zealand Music Awards the album won the awards Best Producer, and Best Aotearoa Roots Album Dr Boondigga and the Big BW had sold 30,000 copies in New Zealand as of December 2009.
Fat Freddy’s Drop returned to touring New Zealand, Australia and Europe to promote the new album in 2009. Three shows on the west coast of the United States, and a show in Canada, were also included in the tour. The only previous time the band had played in the United States was a single performance at a Detroit music festival in 2004. Before 2009, the cost of touring in the US, difficulty obtaining visas, and the band's low profile in North America prevented them from including tour dates there. Band members say they now consider playing together as Fat Freddy’s Drop their first musical priority, and spend less time playing with other bands. A third album is planned, but no release date has been announced.
Musical style and influences
Improvisation, live and in the studio, has been the basis for Fat Freddy’s Drop's music since the beginning of their career. "Live performance is the most natural state for music," according to trumpeter Toby Laing. Most songs begin as a rhythm on Faiumu's MPC, and more sections are progressively added during jam sessions. Songs featured on the band's albums and singles are versions that have been refined over years of playing them in the studio, live in Wellington, and on tour abroad. Faiumu said that, on their first studio album, it was challenging to fit the long songs the band is used to playing into shorter album-length tracks.Describing the band, National Public Radio host Guy Raz said, "Take the swagger of Jamaican dub, throw in a little Memphis soul and send it halfway down the globe, and what comes back? The band Fat Freddy’s Drop." The band has been categorised under many genres, and members say many of those genres helped shape their musical style: delta blues
Delta blues
The Delta blues is one of the earliest styles of blues music. It originated in the Mississippi Delta, a region of the United States that stretches from Memphis, Tennessee in the north to Vicksburg, Mississippi in the south, Helena, Arkansas in the west to the Yazoo River on the east. The...
, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, dub
Dub music
Dub is a genre of music which grew out of reggae music in the 1960s, and is commonly considered a subgenre, though it has developed to extend beyond the scope of reggae...
, soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
, techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
, and contemporary rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
. Musical styles heard while on tour have also shaped their sound; Dr Boondigga and the Big BW was influenced by contemporary German
Music of Germany
Forms of German-language music include Neue Deutsche Welle , Krautrock, Hamburger Schule, Volksmusik, Classical, German hip hop, trance, Schlager, Neue Deutsche Härte and diverse varieties of folk music, such as Waltz and Medieval metal....
, Portuguese
Music of Portugal
Portugal is internationally known in the music scene for its traditions of fado, but the country has seen a recent expansion in musical styles, with modern acts from rock to hip hop becoming popular...
, and Bhangra music while touring in the years before its release.
Faiumu and other band members say their biggest influence is their home country of New Zealand, and their peers in Wellington's "small-but-solid" music scene—Wellington's population was less than 180,000 in 2007. They feel their music "belong[s] here in New Zealand, you can tell it came from this country." Fat Freddy Drop's music has been categorised as Aotearoa roots music—meaning contemporary music inspired by Māori
Maori culture
Māori culture is the culture of the Māori of New Zealand, an Eastern Polynesian people, and forms a distinctive part of New Zealand culture. Within the Māori community, and to a lesser extent throughout New Zealand as a whole, the word Māoritanga is often used as an approximate synonym for Māori...
and Pacific Islander culture, even though they are a mixed-race group. Faiumu is a first-generation Samoan-New Zealander, Tamaira, Gordon and Kerr are native Māori, and the remaining members are descended from European immigrants. The success of roots groups in New Zealand is uncommon. According to the University of Canterbury
University of Canterbury
The University of Canterbury , New Zealand's second-oldest university, operates its main campus in the suburb of Ilam in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand...
's Sharon McIver, the commercial success of bands like Fat Freddy’s Drop and TrinityRoots is due to their lack of "overt political messages," or otherwise "in your face" lyrics. Recorded music by the band is often played in business, where other roots music is sometimes not accepted.
Band members
- Dallas Tamaira ("Joe Dukie") – vocals (1999–present)
- Chris Faiumu ("DJ Fitchie") – percussion, production (1999–present)
- Toby Laing ("Tony Chang") – trumpet (1999–present)
- Tehimana Kerr ("Jetlag Johnson") – guitar (2000–present)
- Iain Gordon ("Dobie Blaze") – keyboards (2000–present)
- Joe Lindsay ("Hopepa") – trombone, tuba (2000–present)
- Scott Towers ("Chopper Reedz") – saxophone (2007–present)
Former members
- Warren Maxwell ("Fulla Flash") – saxophone (2000–2007)
- Tom Bilkey ("Muppet Shorts") - guitar (1999–2000)
Discography
Fat Freddy’s Drop have released two studio albums, two live albums, and several singles. Their songs have appeared on compilation albums both in New Zealand and internationally. In 2007, they released a DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
, Fantastic Voyages Vol. 1
Fantastic Voyages Vol. 1
Fantastic Voyages Vol. 1 is a DVD released by the New Zealand band Fat Freddy's Drop. It includes live footage shot on their '2006 World Cup Tour' around Europe, as well as extra music videos and bonus material.-True Stories:...
, with live footage from their 2006 World Cup Tour, music videos, and behind the scenes footage.
- 2001: Live at the MatterhornLive at the MatterhornLive at the Matterhorn is the first album by reggae band Fat Freddy's Drop.The album was recorded live at the Matterhorn restaurant in Cuba Mall, Wellington, New Zealand. The cover of the album features a photo of The Bucket Fountain, which is located near the Matterhorn...
- 2005: Based on a True StoryBased on a True Story (Fat Freddy's Drop album)Based on a True Story was the first studio produced album by New Zealand group Fat Freddy's Drop. It was recorded in Wellington and released on the band's own label, The Drop. Based on a True Story utilized the band's trademark dub, reggae, soul and funk influenced sound, and has been successful...
- 2009: Dr Boondigga and the Big BWDr Boondigga and the Big BWDr Boondigga and the Big BW is the second studio album by the New Zealand group Fat Freddy's Drop, released on 2 June 2009 on The Drop. The album became a number-one album in New Zealand in its first week of release and was certified Platinum in four days...
- 2010: Live at Roundhouse