Kid Koala
Encyclopedia
Eric San who records under the name Kid Koala, is a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 DJ, turntablist, 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....

 and an author of graphic novels. He is signed to the British
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...

 record label Ninja Tune
Ninja Tune
Ninja Tune is a London-based independent record label started by DJs Matt Black and Jonathan More, better known as Coldcut and managed by Peter Quicke. The label has a strong leaning towards mostly Electronic Music...

, is a member of alternative hip hop
Alternative hip hop
Alternative hip hop is a sub-genre of hip hop music. Allmusic defines it as follows: -Origin:...

 supergroup
Supergroup (music)
In the late 1960s, the term supergroup was coined to describe "a rock music group whose performers are already famous from having performed individually or in other groups"....

 Deltron 3030
Deltron 3030
Deltron 3030 is an alternative hip hop supergroup composed of producer Dan the Automator, rapper Del the Funky Homosapien and DJ Kid Koala...

, and The Slew
The Slew
The Slew is a multinational electronic music project, consisting of Canadian DJ Kid Koala, American DJ Dynomite D, and Australian rock musicians Chris Ross and Myles Heskett, formerly of the band Wolfmother....

 with Dynamite D and former members of the Australian rock band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...

 Wolfmother
Wolfmother
Wolfmother is an Australian rock band from Erskineville, Sydney. Formed in 2000, the group was originally a trio composed of vocalist and guitarist Andrew Stockdale, bassist and keyboardist Chris Ross and drummer Myles Heskett. Wolfmother released their self-titled debut album in October 2005,...

, bassist and keyboardist Chris Ross
Chris Ross
Chris Ross is an Australian musician from Erskineville, New South Wales. Best known for his former role as bassist and keyboardist of hard rock band Wolfmother, Ross was formerly a digital designer and has two children...

 and drummer Myles Heskett
Myles Heskett
Myles Heskett is the former drummer of Australian rock band Wolfmother.Heskett grew up in Sydney's Northern Beaches, attending Barrenjoey High School. His mother was a primary school principal and his father, who died in 2004, was an artist...

. He has also made appearances with many other artists from Amon Tobin
Amon Tobin
Amon Adonai Santos de Araújo Tobin , known as Amon Tobin, is a Brazilian musician, composer and producer of electronic music. He is described as a virtuoso sound designer and is considered to be one of the most influential electronic music artists in the world...

 to the Preservation Hall Jazz Band
Preservation Hall Jazz Band
Preservation Hall Jazz Band is the name for numerous groups of Dixieland Jazz and traditional jazz bands at Preservation Hall in New Orleans, Louisiana, and on tours as organized by the Preservation Hall...

 and has made contributions to Lovage
Lovage (band)
Lovage is a collaborative project headed by Dan the Automator, under his pseudonym "Nathaniel Merriweather" . The album is called Music to Make Love to Your Old Lady By, which was created in team with Mike Patton and Jennifer Charles, who both provide vocals...

, Peeping Tom
Peeping Tom (band)
Peeping Tom is a rock band led by Mike Patton. To date, they have released one eponymous album and two singles. Patton has enough material written for the project to possibly record two more albums.-Artists who have played with Peeping Tom:*Rahzel...

, Gorillaz
Gorillaz
Gorillaz is an English musical project created in 1998 by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett. This project consists of Gorillaz music itself and an extensive fictional universe depicting a "virtual band" of cartoon characters...

 and numerous other projects.

Biography

San attended Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School
Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School (Vancouver)
Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School is named after the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Winston Churchill.Churchill Secondary is one of two International Baccalaureate schools and one of three French Immersion secondary schools in Vancouver.Churchill is fed by the surrounding...

 in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...

, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

, Canada, but graduated from Thomas Sprigg Wootton High School
Thomas Sprigg Wootton High School
Thomas Sprigg Wootton High School or Wootton High School is a high school in Rockville, Maryland. Its namesake is Thomas Sprigg Wootton, a former member of the Maryland Constitutional Convention and the founder of Montgomery County. The school was founded in 1970 and is part of the Montgomery...

, in Rockville
Rockville, Maryland
Rockville is the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is a major incorporated city in the central part of Montgomery County and forms part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. The 2010 U.S...

, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...

, U.S., and went on to study elementary education at McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...

, in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...

, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....

. He would eventually distribute copies of his demo tape Scratchcratchratchatch to students living in residence at McGill. He is well known for his enigmatic style of turntablism
Turntablism
Turntablism is the art of manipulating sounds and creating music using phonograph turntables and a DJ mixer.The word 'turntablist' was coined in 1995 by DJ Babu to describe the difference between a DJ who just plays records, and one who performs by touching and moving the records, stylus and mixer...

, which uses an unusual collection of samples. He has been known to use samples of music from Charlie Brown
Charlie Brown
Charles "Charlie" Brown is the protagonist in the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz.Charlie Brown and his creator have a common connection in that they are both the sons of barbers, but whereas Schulz's work is described as the "most shining example of the American success story", Charlie...

 television specials, old comedy sketch routines (including those that mock turntablism), people sneezing, and people reading a menu in Cantonese. He is well known for his cheerful demeanor at concerts and having a good sense of humour.

San is also an illustrator and an artist, having designed all of his own album covers. A comic book he drew is included as the liner notes to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Following the release of the album, Kid Koala toured extensively, during which time he opened for some of his favorite artists, including Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...

 and Björk
Björk
Björk Guðmundsdóttir , known as Björk , is an Icelandic singer-songwriter. Her eclectic musical style has achieved popular acknowledgement and popularity within many musical genres, such as rock, jazz, electronic dance music, classical and folk...

.

He has also released a full length graphic novel, Nufonia Must Fall
Nufonia Must Fall
Nufonia Must Fall is a graphic novel written by prominent turntablist Kid Koala. The book is accompanied by a CD soundtrack, produced by Kid Koala. It is published by ECW Press.-External links:***...

, which includes a soundtrack CD he composed. Some of my Best Friends are DJs includes a chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...

 set as part of the packaging.

This album was supported by a cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...

-style tour throughout North America, Europe and Australia known as The Short Attention Span Theatre, which featured an unpredictable opening act—3 Djs (Kid Koala, P-Love, and DJ Jester the Filipino Fist) on 8 turntables set up like a band, and a bingo game at intermission among other tremendously quirky surprises. Following this tour Kid Koala has performed DJ sets all over Asia, as well as in Iceland, Eastern Europe, Russia, and South America whilst working on a new book (apparently about a mosquito
Mosquito
Mosquitoes are members of a family of nematocerid flies: the Culicidae . The word Mosquito is from the Spanish and Portuguese for little fly...

 trying to play a clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...

) and a unique puppet show set to take place in 2008.

San popularized a method of playing the turntable like a melodic instrument, where a long, single note is dragged under the needle at different speeds, creating different pitches. Since this method of adjusting pitch is imprecise, the resulting notes waver and bend. Thus, in the song "Drunk Trumpet," San uses this method with a trumpet note to simulate a drunken trumpet player, interspersing drunken vocals to complete the effect.

San released the Kid Koala album, entitled Your Mom's Favorite DJ
Your Mom's Favorite DJ
Your Mom's Favorite DJ is the third release by recording artist Kid Koala, released on 25 September 2006.The CD of the album is made up of three audio tracks - two are mixes consisting of several short tracks mixed together, and the third is a short sound effect...

(ZENCD127), on 25 September 2006.

As of October 2006 San was married and had recently embarked on a 90-city tour.

In 2008 he toured as the opening performer for 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...

 & Cut Chemist
Cut Chemist
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...

's "The Hard Sell" tour where he ended his set with a now legendary mix of "Moon River" where he essentially creates and edits in an extended violin solo by playing various long violin notes from the song's instrumental section at different pitches on four turntables, all live.

During San Diego Comic-Con 2010, Kid Koala performed before a special free showing of the movie Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World.

During San Diego Comic-Con 2011, Kid Koala performed before a special premiere of the television series NTSF:SD:SUV.

Albums

  • 1996: Scratchcratchratchatch
    Scratchcratchratchatch
    Scratchcratchratchatch is the debut mixtape of turntablist Kid Koala.There were reports of only 500 copies released initially., but it was picked up by Ninja Tune records. They continue to sell it in its original format as a cassette tape...

    - mixtape demo album, limited to 500 copies and initially released on cassette
    Compact Cassette
    The Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a magnetic tape sound recording format. It was designed originally for dictation, but improvements in fidelity led the Compact Cassette to supplant the Stereo 8-track cartridge and reel-to-reel...

     only (CS001)
  • 2000: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
    Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (album)
    Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is the first album of turntablist Kid Koala.The track "Like Irregular Chickens" is a reference to fellow Ninja Tune artist Amon Tobin's track "Like Regular Chickens" on the album Permutation, which itself references the David Lynch film Eraserhead.The album was issued with a...

    (Ninja Tune ZENCD34) UK#182
  • 2003: Some of my Best Friends are DJs
    Some of my Best Friends are DJs
    Some of My Best Friends Are DJs was the second album released by recording artist Kid Koala. It is believed that the "Savoi" reference in track 4 refers to the Savoy recording studio used by many jazz greats such as Charlie Parker, because of the track's seeming jazz samplings.-Track listing:#...

    (Ninja Tune ZENCD82) UK#196
  • 2006: Your Mom's Favorite DJ
    Your Mom's Favorite DJ
    Your Mom's Favorite DJ is the third release by recording artist Kid Koala, released on 25 September 2006.The CD of the album is made up of three audio tracks - two are mixes consisting of several short tracks mixed together, and the third is a short sound effect...

    (Ninja Tune ZENCD127)

EPs and Singles

  • 1996: Scratchappyland
    Scratchappyland
    Scratchappyland contains selections from the Scratchcratchratchatch mixtape. It was released in 10" format by Ninja Tune . Due to heavy use of unlicensed samples, the 10" has a label with 'for promotional use only - not for resale' printed on it.-Track listing:Side A:# "Start Hear"# "Dinner With...

    - selections from the "Scratchcratchratchatch" - 10" released by Ninja Tune (ZEN10KK)
  • 2000: Emperor’s Main Course In Cantonese (Ninja Tune ZEN1093)
  • 2003: Basin Street Blues (Ninja Tune ZEN7142)

DVDs

  • 2005: Live from the Short Attention Span Audio Theater Tour!!
    Live from the Short Attention Span Audio Theater Tour!!
    Live From the Short Attention Span Audio Theater Tour!! is a live album by Kid Koala. It was recorded at Lock 17 in London in November 2003.The album contains two discs - a CD and a DVD - and includes a bingo card....

    - 5 track live 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...

     with accompanying DVD containing the video of the live performance
    Concert
    A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...

     plus 4 Music video
    Music video
    A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...

    s (ZENCD101, Ninja Tune)

Books

  • 2003: Nufonia Must Fall
    Nufonia Must Fall
    Nufonia Must Fall is a graphic novel written by prominent turntablist Kid Koala. The book is accompanied by a CD soundtrack, produced by Kid Koala. It is published by ECW Press.-External links:***...

    - Graphic novel
    Graphic novel
    A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...

     with accompanying 17 minute audio CD (ECW Press)
  • 2011: Space Cadet
    Space Cadet (Kid Koala)
    Space Cadet is a graphic novel written by Kid Koala. Like his previous graphic novel, Nufonia Must Fall, Space Cadet comes with a soundtrack CD. Drawn completely on etchboards, and is due to be released on September 19 in the UK and Europe, and October 25 in North Americal. The story is about a...

    - Graphic novel
    Graphic novel
    A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...

     with accompanying soundtrack CD (Uni Books)

Remixes

  • 1997: Coldcut - More Beats And Pieces (Obsessive Behaviour Version)
  • 1998: DJ Vadim
    DJ Vadim
    DJ Vadim is a prolific DJ and producer, born in Leningrad, USSR , raised in London and currently residing in both New York and Berlin, whose music combines hip hop, soul, reggae and electronica...

     - Vad Forgive Me (Bullfrog Kid Koala Mix)
  • 2001: Kalyanji-Anandji - Third World Lover (Kid Koala and Dynamite D remix)
  • 2002: Fog - Check Fraud (Kid Koala's Space Cadet E002 Mix)
  • 2004: Lederhosen Lucil
    Lederhosen Lucil
    Krista Muir is a Canadian indie rock singer-songwriter. She previously used the stage name Lederhosen Lucil, but is now recording and performing under her own name as of 2007....

     - Semi-Sweet
  • 2004: Noveltones - The Gonk
  • 2005: The Free Design
    The Free Design
    The Free Design was a Delevan, New York-based vocal group playing jazzy pop music. Their music can be described as sunshine pop and baroque pop, which were pop music subgenres at the time, which later influenced the bands Stereolab, Cornelius, Pizzicato Five, Beck and The High Llamas.-Early...

     - An Elegy (Kid Koala and Dynamite D remix)
  • 2005: Yusef Lateef
    Yusef Lateef
    Dr. Yusef Lateef is an American Grammy Award-winning jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, educator and a spokesman for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community after his conversion to the Ahmadiyya sect of Islam in 1950.Although Lateef's main instruments are the tenor saxophone and flute, he is known for...

     - Bamboo Flute Blues (Kid Koala Remix)
  • 2007: Pierre Lapointe
    Pierre Lapointe
    Pierre Lapointe is a Canadian singer. He has won many prizes since his debut, including six Félix in 2005 and at least one in 2006. He is well known for his voice and his obscure, esoteric lyrics, which tend to be melancholic. Another distinctive characteristic of his lyrics is their literary style...

     - 25-1-14-14
  • 2008: Jack Johnson
    Jack Johnson
    Jack Johnson may refer to :*Jack Johnson , one of Wyatt Earp's possemen during his "vendetta ride"*Jack Johnson , first African-American heavyweight boxing world champion...

     - Angel
  • 2009: Bell Orchestre
    Bell Orchestre
    Bell Orchestre is a six-piece instrumental band from Montreal, Quebec, Canada.In late 2003, they recorded their first album, at the same time and in the same studio that Arcade Fire recorded Funeral. However, Arcade Fire's popularity was just beginning to break when they asked Bell Orchestre to...

     - Icicles / Bicycles (Kid Koala Remix)
  • 2011: Amon Tobin
    Amon Tobin
    Amon Adonai Santos de Araújo Tobin , known as Amon Tobin, is a Brazilian musician, composer and producer of electronic music. He is described as a virtuoso sound designer and is considered to be one of the most influential electronic music artists in the world...

     - Ruthless (Kid Koala Remix)

Appearances

  • 2001: Gorillaz
    Gorillaz
    Gorillaz is an English musical project created in 1998 by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett. This project consists of Gorillaz music itself and an extensive fictional universe depicting a "virtual band" of cartoon characters...

     - Gorillaz (album)
    Gorillaz (album)
    Gorillaz is the debut album by the British virtual band Gorillaz, released in March 2001. It includes the singles "Clint Eastwood", "19-2000", "Rock the House" and "Tomorrow Comes Today"...

     (Parlophone)
  • 2004: Handsome Boy Modeling School
    Handsome Boy Modeling School
    Handsome Boy Modeling School was a collaborative project between renowned hip hop producers Dan the Automator and Prince Paul...

     - White People (Elektra)
  • 2006: Peeping Tom (band)
    Peeping Tom (band)
    Peeping Tom is a rock band led by Mike Patton. To date, they have released one eponymous album and two singles. Patton has enough material written for the project to possibly record two more albums.-Artists who have played with Peeping Tom:*Rahzel...

     - s/t (Ipecac Recordings)
  • 2007: Josh Haden
    Josh Haden
    Josh Haden is an American jazz musician. He is the founder, bassist and singer of the group Spain. Josh Haden is the the son of Charlie Haden....

     - Devoted (Diamond Soul Recordings)

Group Projects

  • 1998: Bullfrog - Bullfrog Theme (Independent)
  • 2000: Bullfrog - EP1 (Independent)
  • 2000: Bullfrog - EP2 (Independent)
  • 2000: Deltron 3030
    Deltron 3030
    Deltron 3030 is an alternative hip hop supergroup composed of producer Dan the Automator, rapper Del the Funky Homosapien and DJ Kid Koala...

     - Deltron 3030
    Deltron 3030 (album)
    Deltron 3030 is the 2000 debut album by hip hop supergroup Deltron 3030. It is a rap opera concept album set in a dystopian year 3030.-Album information:...

     (75 Ark)
  • 2000: Deltron 3030
    Deltron 3030
    Deltron 3030 is an alternative hip hop supergroup composed of producer Dan the Automator, rapper Del the Funky Homosapien and DJ Kid Koala...

     - Virus (75 Ark)
  • 2001: Deltron 3030
    Deltron 3030
    Deltron 3030 is an alternative hip hop supergroup composed of producer Dan the Automator, rapper Del the Funky Homosapien and DJ Kid Koala...

     - Deltron 3030: The Instrumentals (75 Ark)
  • 2001: Deltron 3030
    Deltron 3030
    Deltron 3030 is an alternative hip hop supergroup composed of producer Dan the Automator, rapper Del the Funky Homosapien and DJ Kid Koala...

     - Positive Contact (75 Ark)
  • 2001: Lovage
    Lovage
    Lovage is a tall perennial plant, the sole species in the genus Levisticum, in the family Apiaceae, subfamily Apioideae, tribe Apieae.-Distribution:...

     - Music to Make Love to Your Old Lady By
    Music to Make Love to Your Old Lady By
    Nathaniel Merriweather Presents... Lovage: Music to Make Love to Your Old Lady By is the debut and so far only album of Lovage, released in 2001. Produced by Dan The Automator...

     (75 Ark)
  • 2001: Lovage
    Lovage
    Lovage is a tall perennial plant, the sole species in the genus Levisticum, in the family Apiaceae, subfamily Apioideae, tribe Apieae.-Distribution:...

     - Music To Make Love To Your Old Lady By: The Instrumentals (75 Ark)
  • 2001: Bullfrog - s/t (Ropeadope Records)
  • 2004: Bullfrog / Robertson - Deeper Shade of Green (Independent)
  • 2007: Martin Tétreault
    Martin Tétreault
    Martin Tétreault is a free improvisation musician and visual artist. Often using the turntable as the basis for his experimental music, he has released many collaborative records with people such as Kevin Drumm and Otomo Yoshihide, as well as his own solo work.-External links:* at Discogs...

     & Kid Koala - s/t (Phon-O-Victo)
  • 2009: The Slew
    The Slew
    The Slew is a multinational electronic music project, consisting of Canadian DJ Kid Koala, American DJ Dynomite D, and Australian rock musicians Chris Ross and Myles Heskett, formerly of the band Wolfmother....

     - 100% (Puget Sounds)

Composer

  • 2005: Strum (short) - Original music
  • 2005: A Girl's Guide to Modern Dating (short) - Original music
  • 2006: Jaime Lo, Small and Shy  (short) - Original music

Contributor

  • 2010: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
    Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
    Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is a 2010 comedy film directed by Edgar Wright, based on the graphic novel series Scott Pilgrim by Bryan Lee O'Malley. The film is about Scott Pilgrim , a young Canadian musician, meeting the girl of his dreams, Ramona Flowers , an American delivery girl...

      (feature) - Contributor to the original score

See also

  • Lovage (band)
    Lovage (band)
    Lovage is a collaborative project headed by Dan the Automator, under his pseudonym "Nathaniel Merriweather" . The album is called Music to Make Love to Your Old Lady By, which was created in team with Mike Patton and Jennifer Charles, who both provide vocals...

  • List of Quebec musicians
  • Music of Quebec
    Music of Quebec
    Being a modern cosmopolitan society, today, all types of music can be found in the Canadian province of Quebec. What is specific to Quebec though are traditional songs, a unique variety of Celtic music, legions of excellent jazz musicians, a culture of classical music, and a love of foreign rhythms...

  • Peeping Tom (album)
  • Deltron 3030
    Deltron 3030
    Deltron 3030 is an alternative hip hop supergroup composed of producer Dan the Automator, rapper Del the Funky Homosapien and DJ Kid Koala...


External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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