Fat Freddy's Drop are a New Zealand seven-piece band formed in Wellington in 1999. Their musical style has been characterised as any combination of dub, reggae, soul, jazz, rhythm and blues, and techno. Originally a jam band formed in the late 1990s by musicians from other bands in Wellington, Fat Freddy's Drop gradually became its members' sole focus. Band members continued playing with their other respective groups—The Black Seeds, TrinityRoots, Bongmaster, and others—for much of their 20-year career. Fat Freddy's Drop are known for their improvised live performances. Songs on their studio albums are versions refined over years of playing them live in New Zealand and on tour abroad.
The group gained international recognition in 2003 after their single "Midnight Marauders" was re-distributed by record labels and DJs in Germany. The group has toured Europe nearly every year since then. The first studio album by Fat Freddy's Drop, Based on a True Story, was the first independently distributed album to reach first place in New Zealand record sales directly after release in 2005, and is the third highest-selling album by a national artist in the country's history. Based on a True Story won Best Album at the New Zealand Music Awards the same year, and remained on the top 40 New Zealand sales chart for over two years.
Founding member Chris Faiumu died unexpectedly on 16 July 2025.
History
Formation: 1999–2001
The band Fat Freddy's Drop gradually took shape from members of other bands in the Wellington music scene in the late 1990s. The group's founder, Chris "Mu" Faiumu, had performed with other bands for most of that decade under the name DJ Fitchie. He and two friends, trumpeter Toby Laing and vocalist Dallas Tamaira, occasionally played improvised jam sessions at his seaside home. Faiumu provided percussion and bass for these on an Akai Music Production Center (MPC). Laing was a member of The Black Seeds. In 1999, they began performing together at local clubs and festivals, and released several vinyl singles distributed locally.
That same year, Faiumu founded the independent music label The Drop with the help of his partner Nicole, and money from private investors. According to Faiumu, the venture was a learning experience in the business of making and releasing records. The Drop's first release was Dallas Tamaira's solo project, the five-track EP Better Than Change, followed by a single performed by the group named "Hope". "Hope" was written and recorded over two days under the influence of LSD, according to interviews. Each blotter — individual dose — of that type of LSD, popular in Wellington at that time, had the image of Fat Freddy's Cat (from Gilbert Shelton's comic strip The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers) printed on it. Dropping — common slang for taking LSD — Fat Freddies became the inspiration for the band's name.
The group organised several informal jam sessions in 2000, inviting local musicians to play with them at Faiumu's home. These sessions led to four new members joining Fat Freddy's Drop: Warren Maxwell on tenor and alto saxophone, Tehimana Kerr on guitar, Iain Gordon on keyboards, and Joe Lindsay on trombone. Gordon was a fellow Bongmaster member with Faiumu and Tamaira. Gordon was also a member of the band Ebb which in 2001 performed an audiovisual concert and released an EP titled Plush Bomb, with Fat Freddy's Drop playing in support. Maxwell was in the reggaemusic group TrinityRoots. Maxwell and Joe Lindsay, who make up the horn section of Fat Freddy's Drop, were students at the Conservatorium of Music in Wellington in the mid-1990s. Faiumu was the "central point [and] the reason for the band getting together," according to a 2009 interview.
Live at the Matterhorn and singles: 2001–2004
thumb|left|Fat Freddy's Drop performing at Hotel Great Northern in [[Byron Bay, Australia in 2009|alt=Seven musicians on a stage with various instruments and microphones, audience members raise their hands in a clapping motion]]
The now-seven-member Fat Freddy's Drop, sometimes calling themselves the "seven-headed soul monster", It was not formally promoted, but sold 9,000 copies in its first few months via word-of-mouth, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. by funding artists and events. The percentage of music sold by nationals went from 5.45% in 2000 to 10% in 2004, and a 2004 government survey indicated one-quarter of New Zealanders attended a live music event in the year previous. Fat Freddy's Drop were not one of the bands funded, but the elevated live music scene, and the relative success of Live at The Matterhorn, gave them more opportunities to establish themselves as one of the area's best live acts. Several of their early singles, like "Hope" and "Runnin", were featured on compilation albums published by local labels and radio stations. That year, Sonar and affiliated label Best Seven re-released the single in Germany, and European DJ group Jazzanova used the track in several mixes. A second single, "Hope/This Room", was re-released by Sonar and Best the next year. After the singles' success, Sonar invited the band to play a string of European shows in 2003. Sonar label manager Matthias Bohmbach said he was surprised when one-thousand copies of "Midnight Marauders" sold at a show in Germany.
Based on a True Story: 2005–2008
Fat Freddy's Drop's first studio album in 2005, Based on a True Story, showcased polished versions of songs the band had developed gradually at live shows over the years—in some cases going back to 1999; the album's title is a reference to that process. Many Fat Freddy's Drop members still played with other Wellington bands while recording Based on a True Story, and scheduling conflicts forced them to record their individual parts at different times to be mixed later. After mixing Based on a True Story for 18 months at his home studio in-between tours, Faiumu took the album to San Francisco-based Fantasy Studios to be mastered.
Based on a True Story became the first independently distributed album to reach first place in New Zealand record sales directly after release, The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand's (RIANZ) sales chart listed Based on a True Story as one of the top 40 selling albums for more than two years after its release, and has since been certified 12x platinum, denoting shipments of 135,000 copies. The album's only single, "Wandering Eye", spent more than four months on the top 40 selling singles chart. Like Live at the Matterhorn, the album was given no formal promotion or marketing; its popularity largely due to the band's reputation in New Zealand. At the 2005 New Zealand Music Awards, Fat Freddy's Drop won awards in every category they were nominated: Best Group, Best Album, Best New Zealand Roots Group. They also won the People's Choice Award in both 2005 and 2006. Based on a True Story had sold 120,000 copies in New Zealand as of April 2009. They returned to Germany, England, and Italy in 2005; returned in 2006 for their European World Cup Tour, They also toured the east coast of Australia in 2006 and 2007. Many band members were fathers by then, a factor increasingly affecting their "touring stamina". It was listed on the RIANZ top 40 sales chart 38 weeks in total. The album received more international promotion than its predecessor, reaching number 45 in the Australian album chart, and 97th in France. The BBC's John Lusk called Fat Freddy's Drop "New Zealand's most critically acclaimed band since The Clean", and lead singer Tamaira, "one of the most soulful singers of his generation." At the 2009 New Zealand Music Awards the album won the awards Best Producer, and Best Aotearoa Roots Album Dr Boondigga and the Big BW had sold 30,000 copies in New Zealand as of December 2009. Three shows on the west coast of the United States, and a show in Canada, were also included in the tour. The only previous time the band had played in the United States was a single performance at the Detroit Electronic Music festival in 2004. Before 2009, the cost of touring in the US, difficulty obtaining visas, and the band's low profile in North America prevented them from including tour dates there. The album, Blackbird was released on 21 June in Ireland and in most regions, and on 24 June in others. The album debuted in the number-one position on the New Zealand album chart and remained in that position for four weeks. The band went on a national tour of Australia in late August/early September where they appeared at the Splendour in the Grass festival, and will head to Europe for a string of dates immediately after. Starting with an 8-bit intro the song blossomed in to what they said was their most reggae track thus far. The subsequent album Bays was released the following year on 23 October 2015, reaching the number 1 in New Zealand and 12 In Australia. The album title is derived from their home base in Wellington where the majority of the album was written. Widening the sphere of influence which colours their music the new album features more electronic flavour in Wheels and Cortina Motors, which seems like a true evolution, and more soulful moments in Makkan where Dallas already resides.
Special Edition Part 1
On 20 July 2018, the single Trickle Down was released and their fifth studio album, Special Edition Part 1, was confirmed. Following this, a tour of Europe commenced, which included tease performances of three new songs: Special Edition, 114, and Kamo, Kamo. On 10 October 2019, the single Kamo Kamo was released, along with an official name and release date for the upcoming album. Special Edition Part 1 was released digitally on 15 November with physical formats to follow.
LOCK-IN - WAIRUNGA
Two albums recorded sans audience, released 2020 and 2021.
BLACKBIRD RETURN REMIX
Celebrating the tenth anniversary of Blackbird, vinyl release featuring remixes by producers from around the world.
SLO MO
Freddys sixth studio album, recorded at BAYS studio and released October 2024. Dropped on vinyl first.
Musical style and influences
thumb|right|Aerial view of Southern Wellington. The band, and The Drop label, are headquartered in [[Lyall Bay (centre-left).|alt=A sprawling city on a peninsula as seen from an aircraft. The landmass is pocketed with many bays and coves.]]
Improvisation, live and in the studio, has been the basis for Fat Freddy's Drop's music since the beginning of their career. "Live performance is the most natural state for music," according to trumpeter Toby Laing. The band has been categorised under many genres, and members say many of those genres helped shape their musical style: delta blues, jazz, dub, soul, techno, and contemporary rhythm and blues. Musical styles heard while on tour have also shaped their sound; Dr Boondigga and the Big BW was influenced by contemporary German, Portuguese, and Bhangra music while touring in the years before its release.
- Neg Ngatae ("ManRaro") – guitar (2021-2023)
- Warren Maxwell ("Fulla Flash") – saxophone (2000–2007)
<gallery>
File:Chopper Reedz Joe Dukie.JPG|Chopper Reedz & Joe Dukie at sampling
File:Dobie Blaze.JPG|Dobie Blaze
File:Fat Freddys Drop TFF 01.JPG|Hopepa, Tony Chang & Chopper Reedz
File:Joe Dukie DJ Fitchie.JPG|Joe Dukie & DJ Fitchie
File:MC Slave.JPG|MC Slave, the "8th Freddy"
</gallery>
Discography
Studio albums
- Based on a True Story (2005)
- Dr Boondigga and the Big BW (2009)
- Blackbird (2013)
- Bays (2015)
- Special Edition Part 1 (2019)
- LOCK-IN (2020)
- WAIRUNGA (2021)
- SLO MO (2024)[https://www.fatfreddysdrop.com/new-album-slo-mo/]
Awards
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ RIANZ New Zealand Music Awards
|-
! Year
! Award
! Details
!Result
|-
| rowspan=4 | 2005
| Album of the Year
| Based on a True Story
|
|-
| Best Group
|
|
|-
| Best Aotearoa Roots Album
| Based on a True Story
|
|-
| People's Choice Award
|
|
|-
| rowspan=2 | 2006
| Highest Selling NZ Album
| Based on a True Story
|
|-
| People's Choice Award
|
|
|-
| rowspan=7 | 2009
| Album of the Year
| Dr Boondigga and the Big BW
|
|-
| Best Group
|
|
|-
| Peoples' Choice Award
|
|
|-
| Best Aotearoa Roots Album
| Dr Boondigga and the Big BW
|
|-
| Best Album Cover
| Otis Frizzell: Dr Boondigga and the Big BW
|
|-
| Best Engineer
| Chris Faiumu: Dr Boondigga and the Big BW
|
|-
| Best Producer
| Fat Freddy's Drop: Dr Boondigga and the Big BW
|
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards
!Year
!Award
!Details
!Result
|-
| rowspan=5 | 2013
|Album of the Year
|Blackbird
|
|-
|Best Group
|
|
|-
|Best Producer
|FFD - Blackbird
|
|-
|Best Aotearoa Roots Album
|Blackbird
|
|-
|Best Album Cover
|Gina Kiel & Harry A'Court - Blackbird
|
|-
|2014
|Highest-selling NZ Album (top 5)
|Blackbird-Deluxe Edition
|
|-
| rowspan=5 | 2016
|Album of the Year
|BAYS
|
|-
|Best Group
|
|
|-
|Highest-selling NZ Album (top 5)
| BAYS
|
|-
|Best Aotearoa Roots Album
|BAYS
|
|-
|International Achievement Award
|
|
|}
References
External links
- Official website
- Kartel management
- Sonar Kollektiv management