KING BRITT Live at AVA LOUNGE

The legendary producer and DJ comes to the burgh to play AVA lounge.

March 7th, 2012
21+ 10-2

BIO:
King by name, King by nature; King Britt is a truly pioneering musician who is widely recognized a member of the royal elite of the Dance Music world. Based in Philadelphia, King Britt has been breaking the traditional boundaries and forging a unique path as a producer, musician, DJ, label boss and media revolutionary for over 20 years.

Taking influence from a wide spectrum of musical genres, as well as a number of seminal producers such as Trevor Horn, Quincy Jones and Arif Marden, King has always found a way to escape the strictures of any single category of music by working across genres such deep house, hip-hop, broken beat, nu-jazz, funk and afro-tech. Releasing his first record (E-Culture – ‘Tribal Confusion’) through Strictly Rhythm in 1990, King went onto tour worldwide with Digable Planets – the Grammy award winning hip-hop fusion band – whilst continuing to develop his love of Dance Music culture and laying the foundations for his prodigal solo career.

In 1994, alongside Josh Wink he launched Ovum Recordings and also formed Sylk130 – a collective of Philadelphia’s finest musical talent including Lady Alma, Alison Crockette and Ursula Rucker. He produced Sylk130′s first album (‘When The Funk Hits The Fan’) and licensed it to Sony through his own Ovum label. ‘When The Funk Hits The Fan’ went onto sell over 500,000 copies and essentially provided the blueprint for the Philly Neo-Soul resurgence. King also produced Sylk130 second album (‘Re-Members Only’) – which featured the likes of Alison Moyet (Yazoo), Martin Fry (ABC), Grover Washington Jr., De La Soul and Kathy Sledge – and also the ‘Lets Make A Record’ LP for Sister Gertrude Morgan.

In addition to these achievements, King is one of the world’s most respected remixers. He has added his unique touch to hugely diverse range of artists such from Miles Davis, The O’Jays and Curtis Mayfield through to Macy Gray, Solange, Femi Kuti and Everything But The Girl. King Britt’s remix of ‘Contemplation’ (Josh One) was nominated for the Dancestar Remix Of The Year Award and maintains its killer status upon the most discerning dance floors. King has also scored and underscored music for films, TV series and commercials (Miami Vice, Rolex, Mini, and True Blood) while in 2007 he became the first DJ to be awarded The Pew Fellowship – one of the most prestigious grants for creative arts in U.S. King is also a Creative Cultural Ambassador for his hometown of Philadelphia.

As a DJ, King Britt is hugely versatile – a chameleon behind the decks. Taking inspirations from the likes of David Mancuso, Frankie Knuckles, David Morales and Francois K, King plays right across a broad range of genres, using his experience and creativity to fit the demands of any dance floor. He has toured extensively across and throughout Europe, the U.S. and the Far East as well as rocking premier night spots throughout the world.

Most recently King Britt has just released Yesterday’s Machine by Saturn Never Sleeps, a collaboration with science fiction singer Rucyl Mills. The Saturn Never Sleeps project which incorporates, primarily, a unique live show fusing audio and visuals into a thought provoking world of sight and sound, and is also an independent record label. King has also recently produced the new Bedouin Soundclash LP, a track for the new King Sunny Ade album and a number of remixes for the likes of Preservation Hall Jazz Ensemble feat. Mos Def, Glitch Mobb, Jay Haze and Dilouya.