Volumes 4 and 5 of the Jazz Brakes series, co-created with DJ / producer PC transcend the breakbeat compilation format to stand as artist albums in their own right. The later DJ Food albums have developed with shades of Latin, dub, techno, ambient, and Jungle flavouring the funk.
The 1995 album, A Recipe For Disaster was a conscious move away from the Jazz Brakes volumes to form more of an identity as an artist, and a remix album of tracks from all 6 LPs, entitled Refried Food was released the following year. Their last release, Kaleidoscope, featured guest artists including Bundy K. Brown (formerly of Tortoise, Directions in Music, Pullman) and voiceover artist and jazz poet, Ken Nordine).
With a seemingly single DJ name, it is often wrongly assumed that DJ Food is single person. In fact, a whole host of DJs, producers and musicians have performed under the name, so the evolutionary nature of the DJ Food sound comes as no surprise. Matt Black and Jonathan More (aka Coldcut) were responsible for starting Jazz Brakes series in the early 90s. Along the way they met Patrick Carpenter, who, being listed on the liner notes simply by his initials, was often mistakenly thought to be a Personal computer. A loose collaborative team began to form as more like-minded people arrived at the party, including Paul Brook, Paul Rabiger, Strictly Kev and Issac Elliston.
Although keeping their hand in as DJs on the albums, Matt & Jon couldn't perform DJ sets twice in one night under both aliases of Coldcut & DJ Food, so they handed the mantle of live DJing over to PC and Strictly Kev. Later, PC became so busy with The Cinematic Orchestra that he decided to quit, at least temporarily leaving DJ Food as a Strictly Kev solo project.
In addition to The Cinematic Orchestra, PC also recorded with J. Swinscoe under the band name Neptune. Strictly Kev has recorded under the name Flexus.
Album Discography
* Jazz Brakes Vol. 1 (Oct 1990, Cat No. ZENCD 001)
* Jazz Brakes Vol. 2 (Sep 1991, Cat No. ZENCD 002)
* Jazz Brakes Vol. 3 (Jul 1992, Cat No. ZENCD 003)
* Jazz Brakes Vol. 4 (Jun 1993, Cat No. ZENCD 006)
* Jazz Brakes Vol. 5 (Oct 1994, Cat No. ZENCD 010)
* A Recipe For Disaster (Oct 1995, Cat No. ZENCD 020)
* Refried Food (remix album) (Jan 1996, ZENCD 021)
* Kaleidoscope (Apr 2000, Cat No. ZENCD 047)
* Quadraplex EP (Febr 2001, Cat No. ZENCDS 091)
* One Man's Weird is Another Man's World EP (July 2009, Cat No. ZEN232)
* The Shape Of Things That Hum EP (Dec 2009, Cat No. ZEN252)
Refried Food was re-released in 2003 as a double CD, with additional remixes.
DJ Mix albums
Quadraplex was recorded on the same session as Kaleidoscope and is it's accompanying EP.
* Blech II: Blechsdottir (1996, released on Rough Trade in Germany, Cat No. RTD 126.3175.2)
Mixed by PC and Strictly Kev.
* Plastic Apple (Oct 1996, released on Aura Surround Sounds, Cat No. SUCD 005)
Disc 1: a 56 minute mix by DJ Food. Discs 2 & 3 are by the artist MLO
* ColdKrushCuts (Feb 1997, Ninja Tune, Cat No. ZENCD 026)
A mix album collaboration between Coldcut, DJ Krush and DJ Food
* Solid Steel Presents DJ Food & DK: Now, Listen! (October 2001, Cat No. ZENCD055)
Mix album for Ninja Tune's Solid Steel mix series, with producer, DK.
* Various - Raiding The 20th Century - Words & Music Expansion (Jan 2005, Ninja Tune, Catalog No. none)
Originally aired January 18th, 2004 by Strictly Kev on XFM's The Remix show in London, Raiding the 20th Century is an attempt to catalogue the history of cut up music - be it avant garde tape manipulation, turntable megamixes or bastard pop mash ups.
Shortly after he had played it, Strictly Kev read Paul Morley's Words & Music and was amazed how certain chapters mirrored parts of his mix. Apart from the fact that the title, Raiding the 20th Century, was coined by Morley 20 years before for a future Art of Noise project, he also featured Alvin Lucier, who - purely by chance - was sampled on the opening track of the mix.
Kev thus decided to expand his idea and make it a defnitive document on cut up music, including many other parts formerly omitted by the constraints of the original radio session. After months of research, he tracked Morley down and they recorded passages from Words & Music specially for the mix in an attempt to marry the two and finish something that neither of them actually started. A year to the day of the original airing, the newly expanded version was ready, gathering 167 tracks in a 59 minutes long DJ mix.
*DJ Food & DK - Now Listen Again (Ninja Tune ZENCD123, 2007-04-02)
Solid Steel mix album.
(2) DJ Food is a collaborative project between Coldcut/Ninja Tune duo Matt Black and Jonathan More, and second-half PC (born Patrick Carpenter) and Strictly Kev (Kevin Foakes). Although the moniker originally referred only to Black and More's several-volumed series of stripped-down breaks records designed for deck use (i.e., "food" for DJs), club booking demands for the assumedly proper-named DJ Food dictated the pair make an ongoing project of it. Adding PC and Strictly to spice things up (and differentiate DJ Food from Coldcut when they played the same bill), the quartet released a series of 12" singles in various combinations starting in 1994 (including "Freedom"/"Consciousness"), with their proper debut full-length, A Recipe for Disaster, appearing the following year. The quartet also toured Europe, Canada, and America as DJ Food (mainly DJing) and regularly mashed it up side by side on Coldcut's weekly KISS FM show Solid Steel. PC and Strictly were also hired by Warp Records to compile and mix a series of releases entitled Blech, drawing from the influential experimental techno label's back catalog. More and Black continued to split their time between DJ Food and Coldcut, as well as the day-to-day operation of their immensely popular Ninja Tune and Ntone labels. DJ Food's second production album, Kaleidoscope, appeared in April of 2000 to warm reviews. A year later, the pair inaugurated a Solid Steel CD series with the mix album Now, Listen! The years that followed found More and Black contributing less thanks to their Coldcut obligations, while PC would find success with his Cinematic Orchestra project, so much so that he resigned as a full-time member. Strictly Kev revived the project in 2011 and released The Search Engine in 2012. PC would make an appearance, joining J.G. Thirlwell and The The's Matt Johnson on the album's long guest list. ~ Sean Cooper, Rovi
Fuzzy Freaky
DJ Food Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She bears the burden of a perfect face
The Monkey Boy
The Leopard Girl
The strange is also beautiful
It's summertime and the grass is high
Fuzzy freaky, funny family-
It's my body and I'll eat it too
To do whatever touches you
My body speaks
My tongue cannot
My belly rumbles but the words are stuck (so come out-)
It's summertime and the weeds are high
Fuzzy freaky, funny family
All amplified, She's scandalized, I'm changin' size
(Who was it?, Jump on it!)
He's talkin' trash, an' he can't get back, he's built to last
(Inspired! Desired!)
I'm walkin' low, My grass has grown, an' I won't stay down
(Excited! Delighted!)
It's summertime and the grass is high
Fuzzy wuzzy, freaky family
I'm awfully cute, I'm awfully cold
I'm sometimes rich and I'm sometimes po'
A butterfly when I graduate
You'll have to stop me if I get too big
It's summertime and the weeds are high
Fuzzy freaky, funny family
He's in reverse, He'll kiss himself in perfect health
(Inflated! X-Rated!)
I smell you now,
A haunted house, n' a squeaky sound
(Inspired! Desired!)
An' I'm wide enough, I'm almost grown, I won't stay down
(Somebody! Somebody!)
The lyrics of DJ Food's Fuzzy Freaky seem to be embracing the idea of the alternative, the strange and the unconventional. The song starts by describing Rose as having a perfect face and perfect placement of tattoo, but then goes on to describe her as part of this "funny family" which includes a Monkey Boy and a Leopard Girl. This juxtaposition between conventional beauty and the weird and unusual illustrates the idea that "strange is also beautiful."
As the song progresses, it becomes clear that the singer is using their body as a form of rebellion against societal norms. They declare "It's my body and I'll eat it too" which seems to be a nod towards the societal pressure to maintain a certain body image. They then go on to describe their body as having its own voice, which they can't always control. This rebelliousness is echoed in the chorus which celebrates the "fuzzy freaky, funny family."
The third verse of the song seems to be talking about personal growth, both physical and emotional. The singer mentions changing size, walking low and growing their grass. This could all be referring to growing and changing as a person. The verse ends with the statement "You'll have to stop me if I get too big" which is a bold declaration of self-assurance.
Overall, the lyrics of Fuzzy Freaky seem to be promoting the idea of self-confidence, embracing the unconventional and not conforming to societal norms. The song celebrates those who are different and encourages listeners to embrace their unique qualities.
Line by Line Meaning
Rose is tattooed in the perfect place
The woman has a tattoo in a place that is perfectly suited for her.
She bears the burden of a perfect face
The woman is burdened by the societal expectations that come with having a face that is considered perfect.
The Monkey Boy
Refers to someone with simian-like features.
The Leopard Girl
Refers to someone with leopard-like features.
The strange is also beautiful
People who are considered 'strange' are also beautiful.
It's summertime and the grass is high
It is the summertime and the grass has grown tall.
Fuzzy freaky, funny family
Describes a group of people who are strange and funny.
It's my body and I'll eat it too
I have the right to do whatever I want with my body.
To do whatever touches you
I have the freedom to do things that may affect or please you.
My body speaks
My body language and actions can convey my thoughts and feelings.
My tongue cannot
I am unable to express my thoughts and feelings verbally.
My belly rumbles but the words are stuck (so come out-)
I have a lot to say but am unable to express myself properly, so I need some encouragement.
It's summertime and the weeds are high
It is still summertime and the weeds have grown tall.
Fuzzy freaky, funny family
Describes a group of people who are strange and funny.
All amplified, She's scandalized, I'm changin' size
Everything is amplified, she is spreading scandal, and I am changing size.
(Who was it?, Jump on it!)
An expression of excitement or encouragement.
He's talkin' trash, an' he can't get back, he's built to last
He is speaking poorly, can not back it up, and is resilient.
(Inspired! Desired!)
An expression of inspiration or desire.
I'm walkin' low, My grass has grown, an' I won't stay down
I am walking low to the ground, but my grass has grown, and I won't be held down.
(Excited! Delighted!)
An expression of excitement and joy.
It's summertime and the grass is high
It is still summertime and the grass has grown tall.
Fuzzy wuzzy, freaky family
Describes a group of people who are strange and funny.
I'm awfully cute, I'm awfully cold
I am both adorable and distant.
I'm sometimes rich and I'm sometimes po'
I can fluctuate between being rich or poor.
A butterfly when I graduate
Upon graduation, I will emerge transformed, like a butterfly.
You'll have to stop me if I get too big
I may become too big for my own good, at which point someone may have to intervene.
It's summertime and the weeds are high
It is still summertime and the weeds have grown tall.
Fuzzy freaky, funny family
Describes a group of people who are strange and funny.
He's in reverse, He'll kiss himself in perfect health
He is going backwards, kissing himself when he is in perfect health.
(Inflated! X-Rated!)
An expression of arrogance or sexual content.
I smell you now,
I can sense your presence.
A haunted house, n' a squeaky sound
The environment is spooky and tense.
(Inspired! Desired!)
An expression of inspiration or desire.
An' I'm wide enough, I'm almost grown, I won't stay down
I am growing wider, almost grown, and will continue to stand tall.
(Somebody! Somebody!)
A call for someone to help.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DAVID BYRNE, DANIELE FOSSATI, CRISTIANO DE ANDRE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind