Freddy Fresh
Encyclopedia
Freddy Fresh is among the most active and prolific American
underground
dance music
musician
s, having released more than a hundred records
on many record label
s. He is more often associated with the London
scene, to which he relocated in the late 1990s, after having Top 40 chart
success with one of his songs.
audience, Fresh is also one of the few contemporary non-Detroit techno
/electro musicians to have a strong Europe
an following. His records for Experimental, Harthouse, and Martin "Biochip C" Damm's Anodyne label have strengthened his international presence. Although Fresh's releases included tracks in hip hop
and house
and techno and trance
, his roots and most consistently pursued affectation lay in electro and breaks.
Although Fresh grew up listening to gothic rock
and new wave
, a trip to the Bronx in 1984 introduced him to the hip hop scene. Fresh began collecting DJ
tapes (Shep Pettibone
and Marley Marl
) and records from Jonzun Crew
, Newcleus
, Liquid Liquid
, Cerrone
, Shannon
and Cat Stevens
. His collection has since grown to thousands. Fresh's first work in the recording studio
came via Boogie Down Productions
, with Fresh remixing a track for a B-side
release and from there piecing together a studio, and collecting many of the analog and modular synthesizer
s that give his records their distinct feel. Fresh mixes all his tracks live and sequences with an MPC 2oooXL and an MPC 4000 and uses pre-midi analog synthesizers and modular systems. In 1992, after releasing debut singles on Nu Groove and Experimental, Fresh established his first label, Analog, to release his own tracks.
The label and its offshoots have since attracted Thomas Heckman, Tim Taylor
, Cari Lekebusch
, DJ Slip
, the Bassbin Twins, and Biochip C. In 1995, Fresh inked a contract with noted German techno label Harthouse Records, and his second full-length, Accidentally Classic, was released by the label's UK
arm in late 1996, with a Harthouse US
reissue. His third album, The Last True Family Man, followed on Eye Q. It spawned two international chart hits, "Badder Badder Schwing" featuring Fat Boy Slim, and "What It Is". The recordings
peaked at #34 and #63 respectively in the UK Singles Chart
in 1999. Several singles and a mix album followed, until the release Music for Swingers (2001). Fresh went on to release a string of albums on Howlin Records.
Fresh has released records through the Wisconsin
based Drop Bass Network
and the German
label Electrecord. In 2000, Fresh also formed a collectors label specializing in vinyl 45 singles
, Howlin' Record, and has since released over thirty five singles and four albums. These included "Have Records Will Travel", "Outstanding In His Field", "Diggin' Up Ghosts" and "Surrounded By Funk", as well as Howlin’ Greatest Hits.
In 2004 Fresh released a reference book, Freddy Fresh presents The Rap Records (Nerby Publishing LLC), dealing with the history of the early independent old school rap scene, that catalogued rap labels from 1979 to 1989. The book was featured in The Source
, Vibe, The New York Times
, and Village Voice, and won journalism awards in the United States
, and has been recognized as the only reference book on this subject. Fresh released the updated second edition, with over 740 pages and more than 2,500 color photographs.
Fresh's music has also enjoyed commercial success in film
s such as Austin Powers in Goldmember
, Jackie Chan
's The Tuxedo
and television commercials by Adidas
, Budweiser
and Coors
. Fresh tours regularly and has DJ'd in over thirty four countries and has performed on television for MTV Canada
, Club TV, S2, House Viva TV and Club Spain. His radio
appearances included two Peel sessions for the John Peel
on BBC Radio 1
.
Currently Fresh is a teacher of DJ Techniques at the McNally Smith College of Music
in Saint Paul.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
underground
Underground music
Underground music comprises a range of different musical genres that operate outside of mainstream culture. Such music can typically share common values, such as the valuing of sincerity and intimacy; an emphasis on freedom of creative expression; an appreciation of artistic creativity...
dance music
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
s, having released more than a hundred records
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 many record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
s. He is more often associated with the London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
scene, to which he relocated in the late 1990s, after having Top 40 chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
success with one of his songs.
Biography
Fresh's first record label, Analog Recordings, was formed in late 1992. His label empire then grew to include a host of sub labels (Analog UK, Butterbeat, Electric Music Foundation, Socket and Boriqua). In addition to a growing StatesideStateside
Stateside may refer to:* stateside, a slang term for the United States, usually used concerning an American currently outside the country, particularly in a military context* Stateside Records, the British record label...
audience, Fresh is also one of the few contemporary non-Detroit 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...
/electro musicians to have a strong Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an following. His records for Experimental, Harthouse, and Martin "Biochip C" Damm's Anodyne label have strengthened his international presence. Although Fresh's releases included tracks in hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
and house
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
and techno and trance
Trance music
Trance is a genre of electronic dance music that developed in the 1990s.:251 It is generally characterized by a tempo of between 125 and 150 bpm,:252 repeating melodic synthesizer phrases, and a musical form that builds up and breaks down throughout a track...
, his roots and most consistently pursued affectation lay in electro and breaks.
Although Fresh grew up listening to gothic rock
Gothic rock
Gothic rock is a musical subgenre of post-punk and alternative rock that formed during the late 1970s. Gothic rock bands grew from the strong ties they had to the English punk rock and emerging post-punk scenes...
and new wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
, a trip to the Bronx in 1984 introduced him to the hip hop scene. Fresh began collecting 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...
tapes (Shep Pettibone
Shep Pettibone
Robert E. Pettibone, Jr. is a record producer, remixer, songwriter and club DJ, one of the most prolific of the 1980s. His earliest work known to the public was for one of New York City's top disco/dance radio stations, WRKS 98.7 "Kiss" FM, and later as remixer/producer for the disco label Salsoul...
and Marley Marl
Marley Marl
Marlon Williams , better known as Marley Marl, is an American DJ and record producer, who is considered one of the most important and influential hip-hop producers in the history of hip hop.-Biography:...
) and records from Jonzun Crew
Jonzun Crew
Jonzun Crew was an electro and early funk/hip hop group that was active in the 1980s. The group was led by Michael Jonzun, his brothers Maurice Starr and Soni Jonzun, and Carl ....
, Newcleus
Newcleus
Newcleus is an American electro and old school hip hop group that gained popularity in the early 1980s. They are primarily known for their 12-inch singles "Jam-On's Revenge", re-released as "Jam on Revenge " , and "Jam on It" ....
, 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 "...
, Cerrone
Cerrone
Marc Cerrone is a French disco drummer, singer-songwriter and record producer.Marc Cerrone has sold over thirty million albums and has often performed in front of hundreds of thousands of people at huge concerts and events such as The 2005 Dance Party Live in Versailles and The 2000 Los Angeles...
, Shannon
Shannon (singer)
Shannon is an American singer. She is best known for her 1983 million-selling record, "Let the Music Play". The record re-defined the electro funk sound that would eventually be called freestyle music.-Biography:...
and Cat Stevens
Cat Stevens
Yusuf Islam , commonly known by his former stage name Cat Stevens, is an English singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, educator, philanthropist, and prominent convert to Islam....
. His collection has since grown to thousands. Fresh's first work in the recording studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
came via Boogie Down Productions
Boogie Down Productions
Boogie Down Productions was a hip hop group that was originally composed of KRS-One, D-Nice, and DJ Scott La Rock. DJ Scott La Rock was murdered on August 27, 1987, months after the release of BDP's debut album, Criminal Minded. The name of the group, Boogie Down, derives from a nickname for the...
, with Fresh remixing a track for a B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
release and from there piecing together a studio, and collecting many of the analog and modular synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
s that give his records their distinct feel. Fresh mixes all his tracks live and sequences with an MPC 2oooXL and an MPC 4000 and uses pre-midi analog synthesizers and modular systems. In 1992, after releasing debut singles on Nu Groove and Experimental, Fresh established his first label, Analog, to release his own tracks.
The label and its offshoots have since attracted Thomas Heckman, Tim Taylor
Tim Taylor (producer)
Professor Timothy 'Tim' Taylor is a British television producer best known for his work as the originator and producer of Channel 4's popular archaeology series Time Team...
, Cari Lekebusch
Cari Lekebusch
Cari Lekebusch is an electronic music producer and DJ based in Stockholm. His productions range from techno to hip hop. He owns a record label, H. Productions, founded and managed by himself...
, DJ Slip
DJ Slip
DJ Slip , is a producer and member of the Compton group, Compton's Most Wanted. Terry started work with his father, Richard Allan, before becoming a professional DJ. He has produced all the three first Compton's Most Wanted albums along with The Unknown DJ...
, the Bassbin Twins, and Biochip C. In 1995, Fresh inked a contract with noted German techno label Harthouse Records, and his second full-length, Accidentally Classic, was released by the label's UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
arm in late 1996, with a Harthouse US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
reissue. His third album, The Last True Family Man, followed on Eye Q. It spawned two international chart hits, "Badder Badder Schwing" featuring Fat Boy Slim, and "What It Is". The recordings
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
peaked at #34 and #63 respectively in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
in 1999. Several singles and a mix album followed, until the release Music for Swingers (2001). Fresh went on to release a string of albums on Howlin Records.
Fresh has released records through the Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
based Drop Bass Network
Drop Bass Network
Drop Bass Network is a Milwaukee, Wisconsin based rave production company and record label formed in 1992 and founded by Kurt Eckes and Patrick Spencer...
and the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
label Electrecord. In 2000, Fresh also formed a collectors label specializing in vinyl 45 singles
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...
, Howlin' Record, and has since released over thirty five singles and four albums. These included "Have Records Will Travel", "Outstanding In His Field", "Diggin' Up Ghosts" and "Surrounded By Funk", as well as Howlin’ Greatest Hits.
In 2004 Fresh released a reference book, Freddy Fresh presents The Rap Records (Nerby Publishing LLC), dealing with the history of the early independent old school rap scene, that catalogued rap labels from 1979 to 1989. The book was featured in The Source
The Source (magazine)
The Source is a United States-based, monthly full-color magazine covering hip-hop music, politics, and culture, founded in 1988. It is the world's second longest running rap periodical, behind United Kingdom-based publication Hip Hop Connection. The Source was founded as a newsletter in 1988...
, Vibe, The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, and Village Voice, and won journalism awards in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and has been recognized as the only reference book on this subject. Fresh released the updated second edition, with over 740 pages and more than 2,500 color photographs.
Fresh's music has also enjoyed commercial success in film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
s such as Austin Powers in Goldmember
Austin Powers in Goldmember
Austin Powers in Goldmember is a 2002 American spy comedy film and the third installment of the Austin Powers series starring Mike Myers in the title role. The movie was directed by Jay Roach, and co-written by Mike Myers and Michael McCullers. Myers also plays the roles of Dr. Evil, Goldmember,...
, Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan, SBS, MBE is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, comedian, director, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer. In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts...
's The Tuxedo
The Tuxedo
The Tuxedo is a 2002 American comedy-action film directed by Kevin Donovan and starring Jackie Chan and Jennifer Love Hewitt. It is a spy spoof that involves a special tuxedo that grants its wearer special abilities and a corporate terrorist threatening to poison the United States' fresh water...
and television commercials by Adidas
Adidas
Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...
, Budweiser
Budweiser
Budweiser is a German adjective describing something or someone from the city of České Budějovice in Southern Bohemia, Czech Republic.Beer brewing in České Budějovice dates back to the 13th century...
and Coors
Coors Brewing Company
The Coors Brewing Company is a regional division of the world's fifth-largest brewing company, the Canadian Molson Coors Brewing Company and is the third-largest brewer in the United States...
. Fresh tours regularly and has DJ'd in over thirty four countries and has performed on television for MTV Canada
MTV Canada
MTV is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel devoted to talk, lifestyle and documentary programming.MTV is owned by Bell Media, with its name licensed from the American channel of the same name, which is owned by MTV Networks, a division of Viacom.The channel launched as talktv...
, Club TV, S2, House Viva TV and Club Spain. His radio
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
appearances included two Peel sessions for the John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
on BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
.
Currently Fresh is a teacher of DJ Techniques at the McNally Smith College of Music
McNally Smith College of Music
McNally Smith College of Music is a contemporary for-profit music college located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. McNally Smith offers a range of diplomas, associate's degrees, and bachelor's degrees in the areas of music business; performance in guitar, bass, drums, voice, keyboard, brass...
in Saint Paul.