Blackbird (The Drop, 2013)
New Zealand soul masters have a great new recording with the coolest grooves for the summer of 2013. Soul, funk, dub, reggae and electronica make a fine mix, consolidating Fat Freddy’s Drop as one of Zealand’s most exciting musical exports.
Blackbird is the band’s third studio album and was written and recorded at Bays, the band’s own studio, which was one of the last vinyl pressing plants in New Zealand, and later an apostolic church. “What you hear on the album is the sound of Bays; the room itself, the vibe of the place and the performance we can get out of the band in there,” says DJ Fitchie.
“Blackbird is truer to FFD’s musical philosophy than anything else we’ve done“, says Chopper Reeds. “The song structures are open and unruly – just like our live shows – whilst we’ve pushed ourselves to deliver rich and deeply layered arrangements that showcase Joe Dukie’s exceptional voice. We feel totally at home melding together this unholy mix of disco, rootsy dub, blues, soul and electronic funk – it’s what we do.”
Band members include Dallas Tamaira (“Joe Dukie”) on vocals; Chris Faiumu (“DJ Fitchie”) on percussion, production; Toby Laing (“Tony Chang”) on trumpet; Tehimana Kerr (“Jetlag Johnson”) on guitar; Iain Gordon (“Dobie Blaze”) on keyboards; Joe Lindsay (“Hopepa”) on trombone, tuba; and Scott Towers (“Chopper Reedz”) on saxophone.
Fat Freddy’s Drop have released two studio albums, Based On A True Story (2005) and Dr Boondigga & The Big BW (2009), two live albums, Live At The Matterhorn (2001) and Live At Roundhouse (2010) and several limited edition vinyl singles, including the now legendary Midnight Marauders and Hope For A Generation.
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Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
