Soundhog
Encyclopedia
Soundhog is a DJ, producer and composer of a number of acclaimed Bastard Pop songs. Based in North Wales
, he is distinguished by his encyclopaedic knowledge of popular music, which he draws on to concoct "A vs B" tracks that often cast familiar pop
, hip hop
and R'n'B vocals in a whole new light by using such unlikely "backing bands" as Focus
and The Beatles
.
Soundhog won critical acclaim for his December 2002 mix for BBC Radio Wales
, which was described by its commissioner Adam Walton
as "the most astonishing 30 minutes of radio I've ever broadcast".
In recent years he has created the "Radio Soundhog" series of mixes, which merge artists as diverse as Jon Hiseman
's Colosseum
, 808 State
, Can (band)
, Scorpions
, Venetian Snares
and Traffic Sound
. These have often been broadcast on UK 'alternative' radio station XFM
and the BBC
.
He released an official 12" single "Curdler" and DJed throughout mainland Europe in 2004. Recent projects have included official remixes for Shelly Poole
and Chicago-based electropop duo Microfilm (band). He is also a member of the experimental electronica
trio Tauchsieder (along with Stuart McLean and Innes Smith), who have so far released one CD album entitled 'Louder' which features contributions from Colin Newman
, Richard X
, Tom Ellard
and JD Twitch from Optimo
.
The name "Soundhog" was taken from a 1970s-era blank cassette-tape made by EMI
.
over a ragtime
tune used by the BBC
as the theme for its "Pot Black
" snooker
programme ("Black and White Rag" by Winifred Atwell
). Although meant as a joke, the track attracted a lot of attention, including a glowing review in The Village Voice
. Later this theme was followed up by "Marshall's Been Done To Death" using various UK TV themes segue
d together as a backing track. Both tracks received major exposure in the summer of 2002 on the Chris Moyles
afternoon show on BBC Radio 1
, although never credited, and led to a week-long contest in which listeners were invited to create their own tracks along the same lines.
Subsequent releases have been very sporadic, but include a merging of Public Enemy and Herb Alpert
, Dizzee Rascal
and Chas & Dave, Michael Jackson
and 10cc
, and Napalm Death
versus Electric Six
(possibly the shortest mash up ever, lasting around half a second).
The most popular of recent works was undoubtedly the lop-sided hip-hop styled reworking of the track "Machadaynu" by Tony Rudd, which in reality is a spoof song from the BBC
television series Look Around You
, sung by the actor
Kevin Eldon.
North Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
, he is distinguished by his encyclopaedic knowledge of popular music, which he draws on to concoct "A vs B" tracks that often cast familiar pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
and R'n'B vocals in a whole new light by using such unlikely "backing bands" as Focus
Focus (band)
Focus is a Dutch rock band which was founded by classically trained organist/flautist Thijs van Leer in 1969, and is most famous for the instrumental pieces "Hocus Pocus" and "Sylvia"...
and The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
.
Soundhog won critical acclaim for his December 2002 mix for BBC Radio Wales
BBC Radio Wales
BBC Radio Wales is the BBC's national radio station broadcasting to Wales in the English language. Operated by BBC Wales, it began broadcasting on 12 November 1978 following the demise of the old "Radio 4 Wales" when BBC Radio 4 became a national network and moved from medium wave to long wave...
, which was described by its commissioner Adam Walton
Adam Walton
Adam Walton is an alternative DJ for BBC Radio Wales. He was brought up in Nannerch, near Mold, North Wales....
as "the most astonishing 30 minutes of radio I've ever broadcast".
In recent years he has created the "Radio Soundhog" series of mixes, which merge artists as diverse as Jon Hiseman
Jon Hiseman
Jon Hiseman is an English drummer, recording engineer, record producer and music publisher.-Career:...
's Colosseum
Colosseum (band)
Colosseum is a pioneering British progressive jazz-rock band, mixing progressive rock and jazz-based improvisation.-History 1968 - 1971:The band was formed in September 1968 by drummer Jon Hiseman, tenor sax player Dick Heckstall-Smith and bass player Tony Reeves, who had previously worked together...
, 808 State
808 State
808 State are a British electronic music outfit, formed in 1987 in Manchester, taking their name from the Roland TR-808 drum machine and their common state of mind...
, Can (band)
Can (band)
Can was an experimental rock band formed in Cologne, West Germany in 1968. Later labeled as one of the first "krautrock" groups, they transcended mainstream influences and incorporated strong minimalist and world music elements into their often psychedelic music.Can constructed their music largely...
, Scorpions
Scorpions (band)
Scorpions are a heavy metal/hard rock band from Hannover, Germany, formed in 1965 by guitarist Rudolf Schenker, who is the band's only constant member. They are known for their 1980s rock anthem "Rock You Like a Hurricane" and many singles, such as "No One Like You", "Send Me an Angel", "Still...
, Venetian Snares
Venetian Snares
Venetian Snares is the main performing alias of Canadian electronic musician Aaron Funk .From Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, Funk is known for making electronic music often in odd numbered time signatures...
and Traffic Sound
Traffic Sound
Traffic Sound was a Peruvian rock band founded in 1967 by Manuel Sanguinetti , Freddy Rizo-Patrón , Jean Pierre Magnet , Willy "Wilito" Barclay , Willy Thorne and Luis "Lucho" Nevares . Freddy and Manuel had met in school and played in Los Hang Ten's...
. These have often been broadcast on UK 'alternative' radio station XFM
Xfm
Xfm is a brand of two commercial radio stations focused on alternative music, primarily indie pop, and owned by Global Radio.-History:Xfm was created in London in 1992 by Sammy Jacob, who later co-founded NME Radio in 2008. Xfm subsequently expanded to a network of four stations; there are...
and 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...
.
He released an official 12" single "Curdler" and DJed throughout mainland Europe in 2004. Recent projects have included official remixes for Shelly Poole
Shelly Poole
Shelly Poole is an English songwriter and singer.-Career:Shelly Poole is the daughter of the 1960s recording artist Brian Poole, of Brian Poole and the Tremeloes, and learned to read and write music at an early age. With her sister Karen, she formed the duo band, Alisha's Attic, in 1989...
and Chicago-based electropop duo Microfilm (band). He is also a member of the experimental electronica
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
trio Tauchsieder (along with Stuart McLean and Innes Smith), who have so far released one CD album entitled 'Louder' which features contributions from Colin Newman
Colin Newman
Colin Newman is an English musician, record producer and record label owner.-Biography:Newman is a member of the rock band Wire. When the band temporarily split in 1980, Newman pursued a solo career. His first solo LP, A-Z, was released in 1980 on the Beggar's Banquet label...
, Richard X
Richard X
Richard Philips, best known by his stage name Richard X, is a British songwriter and music producer. Gaining attention as a pioneer of the bootleg craze, Richard X has earned success as a producer and remixer. He has helmed hit singles for artists including Annie, Kelis, Liberty X, Rachel Stevens...
, Tom Ellard
Tom Ellard
Thomas Ellard , is an Australian electronic musician best known as the founding member of the electronic and industrial music group Severed Heads.-Early life:...
and JD Twitch from Optimo
Optimo
Optimo was a weekly Sunday-night club based in Glasgow, Scotland at the Sub Club on Jamaica Street, as well as a collective moniker for the night's resident DJ duo. Having run every week since it was founded in 1997, on Thursday 11 March 2010, it was announced on the official facebook page that...
.
The name "Soundhog" was taken from a 1970s-era blank cassette-tape made by EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
.
The Freelance Hairdresser
Soundhog is also responsible for a notorious series of tracks released under the pseudonym of The Freelance Hairdresser (a play on the name of Bastard Pop pioneer Freelance Hellraiser), whose most famous creation is "Marshall's Been Snookered" which featured a vocal by rapper EminemEminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
over a ragtime
Ragtime
Ragtime is an original musical genre which enjoyed its peak popularity between 1897 and 1918. Its main characteristic trait is its syncopated, or "ragged," rhythm. It began as dance music in the red-light districts of American cities such as St. Louis and New Orleans years before being published...
tune used by 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...
as the theme for its "Pot Black
Pot Black
Pot Black was a British series of snooker tournaments televised by BBC, that played a large part in the popularisation of the modern game, from 1969 to 1986. The event was revived in the form of several one-off tournaments throughout the 1990s and up to 2007...
" snooker
Snooker
Snooker is a cue sport that is played on a green baize-covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long side cushions. A regular table is . It is played using a cue and snooker balls: one white , 15 worth one point each, and six balls of different :...
programme ("Black and White Rag" by Winifred Atwell
Winifred Atwell
Una Winifred Atwell Una Winifred Atwell Una Winifred Atwell (27 February or April 1910 or 1914There is some uncertainty over her date and year of birth. Many sources suggest 27 February 1914, but there is a strong suggestion that her birthday was 27 April. Most sources give her year of birth as...
). Although meant as a joke, the track attracted a lot of attention, including a glowing review in The Village Voice
The Village Voice
The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
. Later this theme was followed up by "Marshall's Been Done To Death" using various UK TV themes segue
Segue
A segue is a smooth transition from one topic or section to the next.-In music:In music, segue is a direction to the performer. It means continue without a pause. It comes from the Italian "it follows". The term attacca is also used in classical music.For written music it implies a transition...
d together as a backing track. Both tracks received major exposure in the summer of 2002 on the Chris Moyles
Chris Moyles
Christopher David Moyles is an English radio and television presenter and author, who currently presents The Chris Moyles Show on BBC Radio 1 and Chris Moyles' Quiz Night on Channel 4....
afternoon show 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...
, although never credited, and led to a week-long contest in which listeners were invited to create their own tracks along the same lines.
Subsequent releases have been very sporadic, but include a merging of Public Enemy and Herb Alpert
Herb Alpert
Herbert "Herb" Alpert is an American musician most associated with the group variously known as Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass, or TJB. He is also a recording industry executive — he is the "A" of A&M Records...
, Dizzee Rascal
Dizzee Rascal
Dylan Kwabena Mills , better known by his stage name Dizzee Rascal, is a Ghanaian British rapper, songwriter and record producer. His music is a blend of garage, hip hop, grime, ragga, pop and electronic music, with eclectic samples and more exotic styles...
and Chas & Dave, Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
and 10cc
10cc
10cc are an English art rock band who achieved their greatest commercial success in the 1970s. The band initially consisted of four musicians -- Graham Gouldman, Eric Stewart, Kevin Godley, and Lol Creme -- who had written and recorded together for some three years, before assuming the "10cc" name...
, and Napalm Death
Napalm Death
Napalm Death are a death metal band formed in Birmingham, England in 1981. While none of its original members remain in the group, the lineup of vocalist Mark "Barney" Greenway, bassist Shane Embury, guitarist Mitch Harris and drummer Danny Herrera has remained consistent for most of the band's ...
versus Electric Six
Electric Six
Electric Six is a six-piece metro Detroit-based band that plays what has been described as a brand of rock music infused with elements of "garage, disco, punk, new wave, and metal." The band met recognition in 2003 with the singles "Danger! High Voltage" and "Gay Bar", and subsequently recorded...
(possibly the shortest mash up ever, lasting around half a second).
The most popular of recent works was undoubtedly the lop-sided hip-hop styled reworking of the track "Machadaynu" by Tony Rudd, which in reality is a spoof song from 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...
television series Look Around You
Look Around You
Look Around You is a British television comedy series devised and written by Robert Popper and Peter Serafinowicz, and, in the first series, narrated by Nigel Lambert...
, sung by the actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
Kevin Eldon.