Fat Freddy's Drop - A Chat with Mu
» Fat Freddy's Drop Announce Second Sydney Show! - September 8, 2006
Fat Freddy’s Drop played in Melbourne at the Prince Bandroom on the 27th October 2005. Before the gig Lior Albeck-Ripka caught up with “Mu” Faiumu, the producer and beatmaker who lives above Fat Freddy’s Headquarters with his wife and daughter.
Around the same time that I started hearing a sweet and gradually familiar sweet sound eating many a breakfast in the cafes around Melbourne I was handed a burnt copy of an album, (that I am yet to know the title of) that instantly gained high rotation on my CD player. Despite their affiliation with dub, reggae, ska, jazz and electonica, I can only liken their music to the hypnotic and soothing rhythm of the waves. This New Zealand band comprises of seven musicians who together create a cohesive and beautiful product using mostly improvisation and that in this digital age, astounds me.
I swore to the unnamed soul who gave me that burnt copy that I would see Fat Freddy’s live, otherwise the deal was off. Before the gig I talked to band member Mu about the special Drop in the Sea that was fast plunging into the ocean.
Despite Fat Freddy’s increasing popularity and success worldwide, the humble confidence that characterises their music doesn’t come from nowhere. When Mu told me that being in a band with so many members was wonderful but difficult at times too, I admired the way he handled the question.
“The most positive thing is that there is never a shortage of creative energy flowing through. It’s abundant. The most difficult aspect is actually managing all that creative energy,” he said.
Even the way he chose to answer my question was entirely diplomatic. I asked how they ever got around to finally making decisions. Did they vote?
“The person with the most conviction wins," he answered, "Whoever fights the hardest for their idea and spends the most amount of time on it generally has it put into practise.”
This seemed so different to what I imagined to be the process of other bands, often headed by the one member.
Mu gives me another example of Fat Freddy’s ethos when I ask him about their willingness to compromise with the cut throat music industry that demands three and a half minute pop songs. He doesn’t deny that he is willing to compromise for money.
“We’ve worked hard for a long time and aren’t shy about reaping the rewards”.
After they already had a fan base in New Zealand and were safely riding on the Fat Freddy wave, they were encouraged to do a music video clip which after a long time they finally agreed to. They settled on a five and a half minute video clip and only recently they made a seven and a half minute clip.
“You have to realise that we play 20-30 minute songs at our live gigs though, so even seven and a half minutes is still a compromise”.
I suggested to Mu that this emphasis on live gigs and improvisation is a truly unique approach and he makes sure I am not deluded about their originality.
“We aren’t the first guys doing this. We’re just copying the dudes from the 60’s and 70’s who were much more into playing then recording,” he said.
The gig took place in 2001 on the last night of Student Orientation week that was close to a no-show event. It was recorded and labelled Live at the Matterhorn. It was this album that ended up selling 11,000 copies just by word of mouth and went Gold in New Zealand alone. Their latest album, Based On A True Story came out a couple of months ago with a series of five star reviews splashed all over the place. They had no time constraints on its production as it was all recorded at Fat Freddy’s Headquarters and is their most highly produced album yet.
The two albums are at opposite ends of the production spectrum. It is the movement from one album to the next that proves to be the most interesting journey for Mu. He feels that perhaps Based On A True Story has too many ideas in it that don’t work so well at times. He tells me that lots of people preferred Live at the Matterhorn for its simplicity and raw approach but Mu thinks both albums have a lot to offer. He hopes that the next album will further challenge the dudes in the Drop and that they will “find that balance somewhere in between”.
