DOCSLIB.ORG

The Turntablist Texts of DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Turntablist Texts of DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist The Aesthetics of Consumption in the Age of Electrical Reproduction: The Turntablist Texts of DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist Michael Phillips Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies In partial fulfillment of the requirements For the PhD degree in English Department of English Faculty of Arts University of Ottawa © Michael Phillips, Ottawa, Canada, 2012. ii ABSTRACT With new technology come new possibilities for the creation of artistic works. The invention of sound recording towards the end of the nineteenth century enabled musical performances to be “written” in the same manner as traditional, printed literature. The status of records as a form of writing and, moreover, as the material for further writing is demonstrated in the work of two hip hop artists, DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist, who assemble new, heteroglossic texts out of a wide array of sampled records. Two concerts by these artists, Product Placement (2004) and The Hard Sell (2008) – both of which have been memorialized on DVD – serve as fruitful examples of the potential for artistic production enabled by technology. Indeed, the genre of turntablism, which involves the live manipulation of vinyl records, requires the usage of technology in ways not intended by its original developers – a recurrent theme throughout the history of sound recording. By transforming the turntable from a passive playback device into an active compositional tool, turntablism, as exemplified by these performances, collapses the distance between consumption and production and so turns the listener into a performer. Furthermore, the exclusive usage of 45 rpm records as the source texts for the two sets dramatizes theories of intertextuality while simultaneously tracing the constraints placed on such artistic piracy by the copyright regime. These texts entail more than just their cited musical content; they also involve visual components. These include not only the video imagery that accompanies and comments on the records being played, but also the physical performance of the DJs themselves and the spectacle of the attending crowds whose response to the music constitutes part of the text itself. Following a theoretical and historical background that will situate these works within the history of hip hop and literature in general, this study will explicate these two multimedia texts and reveal how they demonstrate a concern not only with the history of sound recording, but also such issues as the influence of technology on cultural production, the complication of authorship through intertextuality, and the relationship between culture and commerce. Above all, however, both the form and content of these two performances also serve to highlight the value of physical media as historical artifacts in the face of increasing challenges from incorporeal digital media. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I would like to acknowledge the work of Dr. David R. Carlson whose guidance and support was instrumental in this project. I would also like to thank Dr. Geoff Rector, Dr. Robert Stacey, David Taylor, Trevor Zimmermann, and Christopher Wilson for all their valuable input. Special thanks goes, of course, to my parents for their support throughout this time. Finally, I should also thank not only DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist as well as the innumerable sampled artists whose music made this study possible, but also all the DJs, collectors, bloggers, file- sharers, and record stores who help keep these texts in circulation. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Illustrations ........................................................................................................................................ vii I – GENERAL INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................ 1 II – THEORETICAL AND HISTORICAL BACKGROUND ...................................................... 6 A. Technology and the Author .......................................................................................................... 6 1. Benjamin, records, and aura ......................................................................................................... 6 2. The author and print ...................................................................................................................... 9 3. Copyright and authorship: the author as owner ...................................................................... 20 4. The electric author ....................................................................................................................... 23 5. The digital author and hypertextuality ...................................................................................... 26 B. Intertextuality ................................................................................................................................. 29 1. Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 29 2. T.S. Eliot and The Waste Land .................................................................................................. 30 3. Centos ............................................................................................................................................ 31 4. The mobile .................................................................................................................................... 36 5. Stigmergy ....................................................................................................................................... 42 C. The History of Hip Hop ............................................................................................................. 46 1. Origins in dub ............................................................................................................................... 46 2. Early hip hop ................................................................................................................................ 51 3. Sampling: legal and aesthetic challenges ................................................................................... 61 4. Turntablism ................................................................................................................................... 72 5. Heteroglossia and the archive .................................................................................................... 74 D. The Invention of Sound Recording ......................................................................................... 84 1. Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 84 2. Music notation and automated music boxes ........................................................................... 86 3. The first recorded sounds ........................................................................................................... 88 4. Fidelity and originality ................................................................................................................. 90 5. Bell‟s graphophone ...................................................................................................................... 93 6. Phonograph parlours and the consumer market ..................................................................... 97 7. The disc ....................................................................................................................................... 100 8. Piracy and radio .......................................................................................................................... 103 v E. From Acoustic to Electric Recording .................................................................................... 110 1. The electrical process ................................................................................................................ 110 2. The formal constraints of disc sides ....................................................................................... 115 3. Nipper, reality, and stereo ......................................................................................................... 121 4. Magnetic recording and tape .................................................................................................... 127 5. Cassettes and tape players ......................................................................................................... 131 F. Digital Sound, MP3s, and the Resurgence of Vinyl .......................................................... 137 1. The compact disc and digital audio ......................................................................................... 137 2. The MP3: discorporated sound ............................................................................................... 141 3. MP3s and collecting ................................................................................................................... 143 4. The resurgence of vinyl ............................................................................................................. 146 III – EXEGESIS ........................................................................................................................................ 153 A. Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 153 B. Product Placement .....................................................................................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Navigating Jazz: Music, Place, and New Orleans by Sarah Ezekiel
    Navigating Jazz: Music, Place, and New Orleans by Sarah Ezekiel Suhadolnik A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Musicology) in the University of Michigan 2016 Doctoral Committee: Associate Professor Charles Hiroshi Garrett, Chair Professor David Ake, University of Miami Associate Professor Stephen Berrey Associate Professor Christi-Anne Castro Associate Professor Mark Clague © Sarah Ezekiel Suhadolnik 2016 DEDICATION To Jarvis P. Chuckles, an amalgamation of all those who made this project possible. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My dissertation was made possible by fellowship support conferred by the University of Michigan Rackham Graduate School and the University of Michigan Institute for the Humanities, as well as ample teaching opportunities provided by the Musicology Department and the Residential College. I am also grateful to my department, Rackham, the Institute, and the UM Sweetland Writing Center for supporting my work through various travel, research, and writing grants. This additional support financed much of the archival research for this project, provided for several national and international conference presentations, and allowed me to participate in the 2015 Rackham/Sweetland Writing Center Summer Dissertation Writing Institute. I also remain indebted to all those who helped me reach this point, including my supervisors at the Hatcher Graduate Library, the Music Library, the Children’s Center, and the Music of the United States of America Critical Edition Series. I thank them for their patience, assistance, and support at a critical moment in my graduate career. This project could not have been completed without the assistance of Bruce Boyd Raeburn and his staff at Tulane University’s William Ransom Hogan Jazz Archive of New Orleans Jazz, and the staff of the Historic New Orleans Collection.
    [Show full text]
  • Guide to Ella Fitzgerald Papers
    Guide to Ella Fitzgerald Papers NMAH.AC.0584 Reuben Jackson and Wendy Shay 2015 Archives Center, National Museum of American History P.O. Box 37012 Suite 1100, MRC 601 Washington, D.C. 20013-7012 [email protected] http://americanhistory.si.edu/archives Table of Contents Collection Overview ........................................................................................................ 1 Administrative Information .............................................................................................. 1 Arrangement..................................................................................................................... 3 Biographical / Historical.................................................................................................... 2 Scope and Contents........................................................................................................ 3 Names and Subjects ...................................................................................................... 4 Container Listing ............................................................................................................. 5 Series 1: Music Manuscripts and Sheet Music, 1919 - 1973................................... 5 Series 2: Photographs, 1939-1990........................................................................ 21 Series 3: Scripts, 1957-1981.................................................................................. 64 Series 4: Correspondence, 1960-1996.................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • No Requests Dj Sign
    No Requests Dj Sign Nicky remains stipular after Markus duelling inferentially or extrudes any eatage. Cross-section Mel peninsulate high-flownhis slides connect and graveless. chronologically. Sweetmeal Vaughn revaccinate very unrhythmically while Waldon remains Please note that clients ahead of dj requests, please log in the player is the event listings yet gold teeth thief remains lodged in No Requests Shirt Funny Dj Shirt I'm Deejay Not Jukebox Shirt Categories of this T-shirt is JOBS FUNNY as No Requests Dj Deejay Not Jukebox. Reproduction: You all include this list until your website for your clients if you place a rail link to DJ Intelligence. OASAS by Governor Andrew M Why not rank up add one where our great freebies on the. Please add required info. Be honoured as a sign up their phone number and no requests dj sign or overpriced tickets? Drag the party, no time to sign up for more samples become days gil k, no requests dj sign that. There are no requests dj scene, djs i request a signed requires the leaders in. John ford western, sound lands somewhere between the. Static back to dj requests from djs no ads, and signs do you can leverage the site with no limitations. Take a look use new catalogs, website features, products, and more! Funny No Requests Shirt I'm Dj Not Your Amazoncom. See full pack on fourfourmag. If the venue or the DJ has around No Requests sign then that plate no requests Flash 45s Never request Pitbull or something cliche. The JUST broadcast IT! Feel like they may request dj requests from djs no, fills out here waiting silently for signing up the pizza restaurant on aws depends on? It can add it was jack, weddings are available for requesting things you, such music on your guests may arrive to? If they can have you to sign in using a signed requires one.
    [Show full text]
  • DJ Skills the Rise of the Hip-Hop DJ 3
    The Rise of the Hip-Hop DJ 1 74 The Rise of The Hip-hop DJ DJs were Hip-hop’s original architects, and remain crucial to its contin- ued development. Hip-hop is more than a style of music; it’s a culture. As with any culture, there are various artistic expressions of Hip-hop, the four principal expressions being: • visual art (graffiti) • dance (breaking, rocking, locking, and popping, collectively known in the media as “break dancing”) • literature (rap lyrics and slam poetry) • music (DJing and turntablism) Unlike the European Renaissance or the Ming Dynasty, Hip-hop is a culture that is very much alive and still evolving. Some argue that Hip-hop is the most influential cultural movement in history, point- ing to the globalization of Hip-hop music, fashion, and other forms of expression. Style has always been at the forefront of Hip-hop. Improvisation is called free styling, whether in rap, turntablism, breaking, or graf- fiti writing. Since everyone is using the essentially same tools (spray paint for graffiti writers, microphones for rappers and beat boxers, their bodies for dancers, and two turntables with a mixer for DJs), it’s the artists’ personal styles that set them apart. It’s no coincidence that two of the most authentic movies about the genesis of the move- ment are titled Wild Style and Style Wars. There are also many styles of writing the word “Hip-hop.” The mainstream media most often oscillates between “hip-hop” and “hip hop.” The Hiphop Archive at Harvard writes “Hiphop” as one word, 2 DJ Skills The Rise of the Hip-Hop DJ 3 with a capital H, embracing KRS-ONE’s line of reasoning that “Hiphop Kool DJ Herc is a culture with its own foundation narrative, history, natives, and 7 In 1955 in Jamaica, a young woman from the parish of Saint Mary mission.” After a great deal of input from many people in the Hip-hop community, I’ve decided to capitalize the word but keep the hyphen, gave birth to a son who would become the father of Hip-hop.
    [Show full text]
  • ("DSCC") Files This Complaint Seeking an Immediate Investigation by the 7
    COMPLAINT BEFORE THE FEDERAL ELECTION CBHMISSIOAl INTRODUCTXON - 1 The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee ("DSCC") 7-_. J _j. c files this complaint seeking an immediate investigation by the 7 c; a > Federal Election Commission into the illegal spending A* practices of the National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee (WRSCIt). As the public record shows, and an investigation will confirm, the NRSC and a series of ostensibly nonprofit, nonpartisan groups have undertaken a significant and sustained effort to funnel "soft money101 into federal elections in violation of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, as amended or "the Act"), 2 U.S.C. 5s 431 et seq., and the Federal Election Commission (peFECt)Regulations, 11 C.F.R. 85 100.1 & sea. 'The term "aoft money" as ueed in this Complaint means funds,that would not be lawful for use in connection with any federal election (e.g., corporate or labor organization treasury funds, contributions in excess of the relevant contribution limit for federal elections). THE FACTS IN TBIS CABE On November 24, 1992, the state of Georgia held a unique runoff election for the office of United States Senator. Georgia law provided for a runoff if no candidate in the regularly scheduled November 3 general election received in excess of 50 percent of the vote. The 1992 runoff in Georg a was a hotly contested race between the Democratic incumbent Wyche Fowler, and his Republican opponent, Paul Coverdell. The Republicans presented this election as a %ust-win81 election. Exhibit 1. The Republicans were so intent on victory that Senator Dole announced he was willing to give up his seat on the Senate Agriculture Committee for Coverdell, if necessary.
    [Show full text]
  • WINNERS FLASHMAKERS INXS (ATLANTIC) ROGER KEITH SWEAT (ELEK) Reprise Makes JC MELLENCAMP (POLY) RICK SPRINGFIELD (RCA) Its Mark
    There's Nothing About urne 2 Issue 77 88 Valentines Day In This Issue , , ifit .., -. 1,, -.. .A- -- ir- .. ebim.grfrvd- t ilt In:» GA NSee Page 9 WINNERS FLASHMAKERS INXS (ATLANTIC) ROGER KEITH SWEAT (ELEK) Reprise Makes JC MELLENCAMP (POLY) RICK SPRINGFIELD (RCA) Its Mark CROSSOVERS TERENCE D'ARBY (COL) JODY WATLEY (MCA) PEBBLES (MCA) O'NEAUCHERRELLE (EPIC) EARPICKS TAYLOR DAYNE (ARISTA) INXS (ATLANTIC) HENRY SUMMER (CBS ASSO) ROBERT PLANT (ATLANTIC) BREAKOUTS JAMES TAYLOR (COL) RICK SPRINGFIELD (RCA) PHANTOM/OPERA (POLY) GM VIETNAM (A&M) WILDCARD TIFFANY (MCA) This one's the lock of the year. See Page 8for details. AC/DC "HEAT SEEKER" Atlantic 7-89136 WHITNEY HOUSTON "BROKEN HEARTS" Arista AS19674 CELLARFUL OF NOISE "SAMANTHA" Epic ZS407731 RAY PARKER JR. "OVER YOU" Geffen 7-28152 MERRY CLAYTON "YES" RCA 6989-7R RAINMAKERS "SMALL CIRCLES" PolyGram 888943-7 ERIA FACHIN "SAVIN' MYSELF" Critique 7-99356 BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN "ONE STEP UP" Columbia 38-07726 BRYAN FERRY "KISS AND TELL" Reprise 7-28117 TIFFANY "SAW" MCA 53285 GEORGIO "BEDROCK" Motown 1927 DAVE WAKELING "SHE'S HAVING A BABY" IRS 53238 BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN 77 "ONE STEP U P38-07726 The new single from "Tunnel Of Love." On Columbia Records, Cassettes and Compact Discs. OC 40999 BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN TUNNB t RafF EXPRESS TOUR Produced by Bruce Sprongsteen, "Cotomb.," :It ore trodernor Jon London, Chuck Plotkin. STARTING LATE FEBRUARY CBS Inc. O 1987 Bruce Sprint, Volume 2 Issue 77 February 15, 1988 $5.00 Headquarters: 15477 Ventura Blvd. 4SINGLES Suite 300 Expose holds off the charge of George Michael, but not for long. Sherman Oaks, CA 91403 Watch out for the heavy hitters as Debbie Gibson, Michael Jackson and Billy Ocean are on fire.
    [Show full text]
  • Turntablism and Audio Art Study 2009
    TURNTABLISM AND AUDIO ART STUDY 2009 May 2009 Radio Policy Broadcasting Directorate CRTC Catalogue No. BC92-71/2009E-PDF ISBN # 978-1-100-13186-3 Contents SUMMARY 1 HISTORY 1.1-Defintion: Turntablism 1.2-A Brief History of DJ Mixing 1.3-Evolution to Turntablism 1.4-Definition: Audio Art 1.5-Continuum: Overlapping definitions for DJs, Turntablists, and Audio Artists 1.6-Popularity of Turntablism and Audio Art 2 BACKGROUND: Campus Radio Policy Reviews, 1999-2000 3 SURVEY 2008 3.1-Method 3.2-Results: Patterns/Trends 3.3-Examples: Pre-recorded music 3.4-Examples: Live performance 4 SCOPE OF THE PROBLEM 4.1-Difficulty with using MAPL System to determine Canadian status 4.2- Canadian Content Regulations and turntablism/audio art CONCLUSION SUMMARY Turntablism and audio art are becoming more common forms of expression on community and campus stations. Turntablism refers to the use of turntables as musical instruments, essentially to alter and manipulate the sound of recorded music. Audio art refers to the arrangement of excerpts of musical selections, fragments of recorded speech, and ‘found sounds’ in unusual and original ways. The following paper outlines past and current difficulties in regulating these newer genres of music. It reports on an examination of programs from 22 community and campus stations across Canada. Given the abstract, experimental, and diverse nature of these programs, it may be difficult to incorporate them into the CRTC’s current music categories and the current MAPL system for Canadian Content. Nonetheless, turntablism and audio art reflect the diversity of Canada’s artistic community.
    [Show full text]
  • 21St Century Choral Performance Practice: Presenting the Mash-Up with Practical Applications Justin Xavier Carteret University of South Carolina
    University of South Carolina Scholar Commons Theses and Dissertations 6-30-2016 21st Century Choral Performance Practice: Presenting the Mash-Up With Practical Applications Justin Xavier Carteret University of South Carolina Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd Part of the Music Commons Recommended Citation Carteret, J. X.(2016). 21st Century Choral Performance Practice: Presenting the Mash-Up With Practical Applications. (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/3380 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you by Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 21ST CENTURY CHORAL PERFORMANCE PRACTICE: PRESENTING THE MASH-UP WITH PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS by Justin Xavier Carteret Bachelor of Arts University of North Carolina at Pembroke, 2006 Bachelor of Science University of North Carolina at Pembroke, 2006 Master of Arts University of North Carolina at Pembroke, 2008 Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Doctor of Musical Arts in Conducting School of Music University of South Carolina 2016 Accepted by: Larry Wyatt, Major Professor Chairman, Examining Committee Alicia Walker, Committee Member Birgitta Johnson, Committee Member Andrew Gowan, Committee Member Lacy Ford, Senior Vice Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies © Copyright by Justin Xavier Carteret 2016 All rights reserved. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS To God, thank you for life and the ability to experience and express it through music. To all people and experiences I have encountered thus far in my life, thank you for shaping the person I am today, providing me with my own unique way of perceiving the world.
    [Show full text]
  • Mood Music Programs
    MOOD MUSIC PROGRAMS MOOD: 2 Pop Adult Contemporary Hot FM ‡ Current Adult Contemporary Hits Hot Adult Contemporary Hits Sample Artists: Andy Grammer, Taylor Swift, Echosmith, Ed Sample Artists: Selena Gomez, Maroon 5, Leona Lewis, Sheeran, Hozier, Colbie Caillat, Sam Hunt, Kelly Clarkson, X George Ezra, Vance Joy, Jason Derulo, Train, Phillip Phillips, Ambassadors, KT Tunstall Daniel Powter, Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness Metro ‡ Be-Tween Chic Metropolitan Blend Kid-friendly, Modern Pop Hits Sample Artists: Roxy Music, Goldfrapp, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Sample Artists: Zendaya, Justin Bieber, Bella Thorne, Cody Hercules & Love Affair, Grace Jones, Carla Bruni, Flight Simpson, Shane Harper, Austin Mahone, One Direction, Facilities, Chromatics, Saint Etienne, Roisin Murphy Bridgit Mendler, Carrie Underwood, China Anne McClain Pop Style Cashmere ‡ Youthful Pop Hits Warm cosmopolitan vocals Sample Artists: Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, Kelly Clarkson, Sample Artists: The Bird and The Bee, Priscilla Ahn, Jamie Matt Wertz, Katy Perry, Carrie Underwood, Selena Gomez, Woon, Coldplay, Kaskade Phillip Phillips, Andy Grammer, Carly Rae Jepsen Divas Reflections ‡ Dynamic female vocals Mature Pop and classic Jazz vocals Sample Artists: Beyonce, Chaka Khan, Jennifer Hudson, Tina Sample Artists: Ella Fitzgerald, Connie Evingson, Elivs Turner, Paloma Faith, Mary J. Blige, Donna Summer, En Vogue, Costello, Norah Jones, Kurt Elling, Aretha Franklin, Michael Emeli Sande, Etta James, Christina Aguilera Bublé, Mary J. Blige, Sting, Sachal Vasandani FM1 ‡ Shine
    [Show full text]
  • Cue Point Aesthetics: the Performing Disc Jockey In
    CUE POINT AESTHETICS: THE PERFORMING DISC JOCKEY IN POSTMODERN DJ CULTURE By Benjamin De Ocampo Andres A Thesis Presented to The Faculty of Humboldt State University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts in Sociology Committee Membership Dr. Jennifer Eichstedt, Committee Chair Dr. Renee Byrd, Committee Member Dr. Meredith Williams, Committee Member Dr. Meredith Williams, Graduate Coordinator May 2016 ABSTRACT CUE POINT AESTHETICS: THE PERFORMING DISC JOCKEY IN POSTMODERN DJ CULTURE Benjamin De Ocampo Andres This qualitative research explores how social relations and intersections of popular culture, technology, and gender present in performance DJing. The methods used were interviews with performing disc jockeys, observations at various bars, and live music venues. Interviews include both women and men from varying ages and racial/ethnic groups. Cultural studies/popular culture approaches are utilized as the theoretical framework, with the aid of concepts including resistance, hegemony, power, and subcultures. Results show difference of DJ preference between analog and digital formats. Gender differences are evident in performing DJ's experiences on and off the field due to patriarchy in the DJ scene. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and Foremost, I would like to thank my parents and immediate family for their unconditional support and love. You guys have always come through in a jam and given up a lot for me, big up. To "the fams" in Humboldt, you know who you are, thank you so much for holding me down when the time came to move to Arcata, and for being brothers from other mothers. A shout out to Burke Zen for all the jokes cracked, and cigarettes smoked, at "Chinatown." You help get me through this and I would have lost it along time ago.
    [Show full text]
  • 2012 Ecotrust Annual Report “Civilization Needs a New Operating System
    reSilieNCe + trANSForMAtioN 2012 Ecotrust Annual Report “Civilization needs a new operating system. YOU ARE THE PROGRAMMERS and we need it within a few decades.” PAUL HAWKEN, University of Portland Commencement Address, 2009 Resilience and Transformation: our theory oF ChANge Food, water, energy, shelter—these are the basic things we need to live well. the systems that provide them are as specific to the places where we live as they are vulnerable to global patterns and pressures. in an age of superstorms, financial meltdowns, and giant pipelines cutting through some of the last, best places on earth, it is clear we need a new approach— a new operating system for the 21st century. At ecotrust, we believe that approach is found in resilience—the capacity to influence and adapt to change. in everything we do, we work to create systemic responses to systemic challenges—a culture of resilience. A culture that adapts to the ever-changing world around us, inspiring innovation, seeking diversity, and sharing ideas and resources equitably. Building this culture begins at home—in the forests and coasts, cities and communities, mountains and rivers of Salmon Nation. it is a culture that operates at multiple scales from the individual to the community to the regional to the global. ecotrust’s programs strive to foster resilience from the ground up in the systems most significant to our wellbeing—food and farms, fisheries, forests, and urban ecosystems. And our approach is designed around what we see as three powerful pathways for change: knowledge, technology, and capital. PHoTos—top: ice floes north of the Arctic Circle; bottom: snow at Joseph Creek, oregon.
    [Show full text]
  • BIO Born Matthew Fowler on Feb. 17, 1975, Producer Mumbles Has Lived
    BIO Born Matthew Fowler on Feb. 17, 1975, producer Mumbles has lived a life rich with musical diversity and spiritual inspiration. Raised in a family of professional jazz musicians along with older brother Marvin Fowler (Dj Marvski) of the U.N.I.T.Y. Committee, Mumbles developed an ear for jazz and hip-hop music from an early age. His father, Steve Fowler, a professional flute and sax player, along with uncles Bruce, Tom, Walt, and Ed formed a musical legacy spanning from the early 70's with the band, the Fowler Brothers. They played with Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, Bobby McFerrin, Linda Rondstadt, Ray Charles, Diana Ross, James Taylor and Brian Setzer, to name just a few. Being raised in such a diverse and musically stimulating environment, Mumbles tuned his ear early to the complexity of rhythm, melody and harmony. With the influence of his brother Marvski, he turned his attention to hip-hop music from the age of 5 (1980) and never turned back. In the late 1980's, Marvski along with Cut Chemist, Chali 2na, and Marc 7 formed the innovative group U.N.I.T.Y. Committee, which later along with the Rebels of Rhythm turned into the group Jurassic 5. It was during these pivotal years that Mumbles, being inspired by the production and record collections of Marvksi and Cut Chemist, decided to embark on his own mission of record digging, sampling, and beat construction. What started out lightly quickly turned into the digging obsession that most hip-hop producers are familiar with.
    [Show full text]