Mad Doctor X
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Mad Doctor X - the undercover alter-ego of incredible Bruce Banna-like hip-hop veteran DJ Jason Tunbridge (aka Xavier Jones, Funk Wizard Jay Rock, DJ Jason, Monty Props). On the scene for years since he first blew up with Blapps Posse and Don't Hold Back (released in 1990 and repressed 57 times since) the Mad Doctor X has been busy working in the lab conducting his illicit experiments and concocting his ill beats in various disguises ever since: London Funk Allstars and DJ Toolz on Ninja Tune, Clusterfunk on Cooltempo, and most recently as Mad Doctor X on Freskanova. He may also be familiar as the man providing all the scratches on The Freestylers' recent records.[1]
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Blapps Posse
Blapps Posse (Aston Harvey of Freestylers & Jason Tunbridge) were a London based production crew that created some very original sounds in the late 1980s and early 1990s. They also known as Turntable Symphony. Their music combined house and hip hop influences - strong bass lines and house breaks, fused with the edge of rap vocals and beats.
[edit] DJ Toolz
Jason's relationship with Ninja Tune started after he met Coldcut with the DJ Toolz project and blossomed with the release of four breakbeat albums under the same name on sub-label Ninja Toolz.
Prior to the DJ Toolz series he produced an album and two 12" with vocalist Maria Naylor. The project was called Clusterfunk. picked up from Blapps by Cooltempo the act was subjected to so much record company it was killed stone dead. To cut a long story short it resulted in a split between Maria and Doc and he haven't, unfortunately, worked with her since.
"Disillusioned with the music industry I decided to release an album of break beats called DJ Toolz. My involvement in a tongue in cheek project called Epitome of Hype which was signed to Big Life meant that I would occasionally bump into Coldcut's Jonathon Moore at Big Life's headquarters where Coldcut produced Yazz was signed. Jon was leaving Big Life to set up a new label called Ninja Tune. After he had released tracks on Ninja called DJ Food and Jazz Breaks I approached Jon to ask for advice with the distribution of DJ Toolz Vol I and I left him a copy to listen to."[2]
This heralded a turning point in the career of the Doctor as Jon liked DJ Toolz and released the album and 3 subsequent follow up LPs. By the time the Doctor presented Vol 4 to Ninja the tracks were becoming more like developed instrumentals than breaks lifted straight from old vinyl and looped for DJs and Producers.
The Doc delivered his 40 tracks and was called back to have a meeting with Ninjas clueless label manager, Peter "Quicke" Slow who wanted to use half of the tracks for Vol 4 and had plans for the remaining tracks, The doc elaborates.
"I can't believe Peter had the idea himself but he wanted to take 20 of the more developed DJ Toolz tracks to make a separate album. A fictional band was invented and the London Funk Allstars were born".[2]
[edit] London Funk Allstars
The DJ Toolz series were breakbeat albums for emcees, deejays and producers. When he handed Volume 5 into Ninja Tune, the Trip Hop scene was kicking off. So DJ Toolz Volume 5 became the 1st London Funk Allstars album London Funk Volume 1 and sold 20 odd thousand copies more than the best selling DJ Toolz album.[3]
London Funk Allstars is the fruit of a collaboration between a bunch of musicians/DJ's/Producers/Mixers already responsible for various projects including Clusterfunk and DJ Toolz and all those releases on Blaaps!. The link between all these is Jason, who was (is) part of all these projects, and now inspires and produces the London Funk Allstars.
For the London Funk Allstars projects, Jason teamed up with long time friends and musicians (keyboard, bass, flute ...) and the debut EP Can You Understand arrived in March 1995. This was closely followed by the release of London Funk Allstars Vol. One, packed with samples, breaks, jazzy cuts, laid back hip-hop and even a hint of acid.
At the time Ninja Tune were catching vapours from a pretentious competitor label called Mo'Wax. Pete played the groundbreaking DJ Krush album Strictly Turntablized to the Doc and felt the London Funk Allstars could sell to a new market of instrumental album buyers of the now vilified Trip-Hop market.
The album was very well received by DJ's, punters and press. ..Genius..!! was used by music loving DJ and journalist Willbur Wilberforce in his review of London Funk Vol I for Touch magazine.
"Armed with samples from Gang Starr, Barry White, The Six Million Dollar Man and the video game Street Fighter, the London Funk Allstars add quite a bit of jazzy spice to their funky breaks and hip-hop influenced beats." (Jessy Terry)
London Funk Allstars want to give a big slap to the hip hop genre, giving the London version of the thing. Indeed, London Funk Volume 1 is a small wonder that inspired hip hop turns in all directions.
"I really wanted to have some rap tracks in amongst the instrumentals. I thought that people who bought Ninja Tune releases, that were basically hip hop backings, would want to hear the tracks laced with raps. I wanted to bring in emcees and singers to give my tracks wider appeal."[2]
The Doc was told Ninja Tune was not a rap label. Ironic when you look at its output today.
The second album Flesh Eating Disco Zombies Vs. The Bionic Hookers From Mars, is more musician based than the first album, and includes, William George on vocals, John Miles on flute, Alan Simpson on guitar, Stefan on keyboards and Sir Hugo Havern on brass. It is warm and funky and has a sound resolutely melodic and live orientated.
The 2nd and the last London Funk Allstars album was released on Ninja Tune and the overspill of tracks was released simultaneously on Blapps!' through Ninja Tunes distribution and was the 1st Mad Doctor X album Mad Doctor X's Hip Hop Experiments Escape From The Lab And Go On The Rampage Volume 1.[3]
[edit] Mad Doctor X
The Mad Doctor X was born and at the time the Doc quite excitedly thought that Ninja Tune would successfully continue to release London Funk Allstars albums with tracks the Doc would aim at Ninja fans and assist Blapps! in releasing Mad Doctor X albums, which would have a slightly harder edge.
Mad Dr X's Hip Hop Experiments Escape From The Lab And Go On The Rampage Vol I released on his own label Blapps!, were over-spill tracks from the London Funk Allstars 2nd album Flesh Eating Disco Zombies Verses The Bionic Hookers From Mars, released on Ninja Tune.
The Mad Doctor X albums would develop to include raps, songs and the Doctors own interpretations, experiments and boundary pushing hip hop instrumentals. But, Ninjas label managers' lack of foresight meant that 'Zombies' was the Doctors' last ever release on Ninja Tune.
"All the releases I produced for Ninja Tune sold and continue to sell well", states a bewildered Doc, "but unfortunately irreconcilible differences between the label manager and myself resulted in my search for a new label to release my music".[2]
The 2nd Mad Doctor X LP Picnic With The Greys was supposed to be the 3rd London Funk Album but Ninja Tune rejected it after "label mates" the Herbaliser convinced the labels spineless CEO that the beats were not up to par...Doc should sampled more Lalo Schifrin. Anyway, he took it to Freskanova.[3]
The 3rd Mad Doctor X LP was Chillonometry. He tried again with Ninja Tune. Right up until the last minute this was going to be the 3rd London Funk Allstars LP. This time a prick in their Canadian office convinced the Clueless One not to release it. If you look close, behind the Doc you can see some shrunken heads: one of them is not a head tho, its that nasty little Ninja logo![3]
Guests include vocalists Tenorfly, Voyager, Jo Morgan, T.C. Izlam, William George, Navigator, DJ L.P., and a host of talented musicians including Joe Henson and Vibrophonics Roger Beaujolais plus art design by Australian graphic artist Damian "Pitty The Kidd" Pitman. Chillonometry feels like one of those early trip-hop compilations, dubbed out in places, a little too jazzed and funky in others, with no real standouts at all. The result is a supremely middle-of-the-road chill-out record.
[edit] Freestylers
The Doc, by chance, had been asked to scratch and DJ for a project produced by old time collaborator Aston Harvey. The project was called Freestylers and the label Freskanova.
Freskanova MD, Dave Morgan, asked the Doc if he had any recorded tracks that he could release on the developing Freskanova label, and the Doc played him the newly recorded London Funk Allstars album. Morgan loved the album and snapped it up the day after he heard it. The album was Picnic With The Greys and the Doc attached his Mad Doctor X name to it and decided to bury the London Funk Allstars name.
Ironically, the success of the Freestylers, for whom the Doc deejayed under the alias of Funk Wizard Jay Rock, and later Jason Rockwell III. meant that the Doctor and the label had little or no time to properly promote the album and it has therefore become a sought after collectors item.
[edit] Son Records
Touring with the Freestylers left the Doc with little time for his own productions except for two E.P's with the totally underrated and criminally ignored U.K. rap label Son Records.
"SON try hard to break through the notoriously difficult UK hip hop market to bring new and exciting talent to the public's attention".
The Doc's two E.P.s for Son Records, Project X Pts I & II featured the Great British talent of emcees like Voyager, The Brotherhood, Blak Twang, Lost Island, Shado (From UK Cartel) and more. Tune titled "7even" is a track in the vein of the original Project X track. A dancehall-ish powered track with some weird calypso squelch beat. It's got seven different mc's ripping all their own styles (Frisco, Cappo, Navigator, Don 1, Voyager, Terror, & D-Love) which come diving from straight reggae toasting (Navigator) to harsh throaty gruff rappin' (Voyager).[4]
He also produced a track which was used in the film Human Traffic in which he also made a brief cameo appearance. The track that Koop plays is actually called "Puffin' da 'Erb" and it was Mad Doctor X.[5]
The final word goes to Mad Doctor X: "Along with the stuff on Son Records, I'm doing music now that is truly close to my heart. All my influences can be heard on Chillonometry, Jazz, Soul, Funk and Dub, but all flavoured with hip hop, the music I've grown up with and love."[2]
[edit] Discography
[edit] Mad Doctor X/Blapps production
- Dynamic Guvnors - Rock The Discotheques (BLAPPS 1988)
- Rebel MC - Set Yourself Free (DESIRE 1989)
- Blapps Posse - Don't Hold Back (BLAPPS 1989)
- Blapps Posse - Don't Hold Back Remix (BLAPPS 1990)
- Blapps Posse - Don't Hold Back '91 (TRIBAL BASS 1991)
- DJ Toolz - DJ Toolz Vol I (BLAPPS 1992)
- Clusterfunk - The Real Deal (mini LP) (FUNKASAURUS 1993)
- DJ Toolz - Breaks, Beats N Grooves Vol I (Ninja Tune 1993)
- DJ Toolz - Breaks, Beats N Grooves Vol II (Ninja Tune 1993)
- Clusterfunk - Do Me Right (FUNKASAURUS 1993)
- DJ Toolz - Breaks, Beats N Grooves Vol III (Ninja Tune 1993)
- William George - What's All Te Fighting For (FUNKASAURUS 1994)
- Clusterfunk - Do Me Right (Cooltempo 1994)
- Clusterfunk - Inside (12') (Ninja Tune / FUNKASAURUS 1995)
- London Funk Allstars - Can Ya Understand (12') (Ninja Tune 1995)
- London Funk Allstars - London Funk Vol I (LP) (Ninja Tune 1995)
- London Funk Allstars - Sureshot (12') (Ninja Tune 1995)
- DJ Toolz - Breaks, Beats N Grooves Vol IV (LP) (Ninja Tune 1995)
- London Funk Allstars - Knee Deep In The Beats (12') (Ninja Tune 1996)
- Mad Doctor X - Mad Doctor X's Hip Hop Experiments Escape From The Lab And Go On The Rampage Vol I (LP) (Ninja Tune 1996)
- London Funk Allstars - Flesh Eating Disco Zombies Vs The Bionic Hookers From Mars (LP) (Ninja Tune 1996)
- Mad Doctor X - Real Heavy Science (10') (Freskanova 1997)
- Monty Props - Battle Beats Vol I (LP) (Freskanova 1997)
- Mad Doctor X - Picnic With The Greys (LP) (Freskanova 1997)
- Mad Doctor X - Hot Shit (Ill Remixes Vol II) (bootleg 1997)
- Freestylers - Jay Rocks Theme (Freskanova 1998)
- Quakes - Capital Visions (12' track) (Son Records 1998)
- William George - Sunshine (BLAPPS 1998)
- Mad Doctor X - The Picnic Revisited (EP) (Freskanova 1998)
- Mad Doctor X - Project X (EP) (Son Records 1998)
- Mad Doctor X - Project X Part II (EP) (Son Records 2000)
- Mad Doctor X - Chillonometry (LP) (MARBLE BAR 2001)
- Mad Doctor X - 7even (Azzurro remix) (12' track) (Son Records (Japan) 2001)
[edit] Remixes
- Bam Bam - Animal Attraction (DESIRE 1989)
- De La Soul - Ring Ring Ring (Big Life 1992)
- Strike - I Have Peace (FRESH 1997)
- Sol Brothers - That Elvis Track (FRESH 1997)
- Freestylers - Warning (Freskanova 1998)
- Denki Groove - Parachute (KI/OON 1998)
- Freestylers - B-Boy Stance (Freskanova 1999)
- Quakes - Histoire De Q (Son Records 1999)
- Freestylers - Here We Go (Freskanova 1999)
- Angel Lee - What's Your Name (WEA 2000)
- SBK - Finally (WARNERS 2000)
- J Soul Brothers - Chaos (AVEX 2000)
- Resin Dogs - Hardgroove 2001 (HYDRAFUNK/Virgin Records 2001)
- Lagoon - Blue Lagoon (UMU 2001)
[edit] Featured Scratching
- Freestylers - B-Boy Stance (Freskanova 1998)
- Various - FSUK Vol II (Ministry Of Sound 1998)
- Freestylers - Ruffneck (Freskanova 1998)
- Various - Rough Technique (Freskanova 1999)
- Electronic - Can't Find My Way Home (Parlophone 1999)
- Various - Electro Science (URBAN THEORY 2000)
