Maxi Jazz
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| Maxi Jazz | |
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 Maxi Jazz
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Maxwell Fraser |
| Born | June 14, 1957 |
| Origin | London, England |
| Genre(s) | Rap, Dance, Trip Hop |
| Occupation(s) | Rapper-songwriter |
| Years active | 1983 - present |
| Label(s) | Cheeky Records & Columbia Records (both with Faithless) |
| Associated acts | Faithless and Soul Food Café |
| Website | http://www.maxijazz.co.uk/ http://www.faithless.co.uk/ |
Maxi Jazz (born Maxwell Fraser on 14 June 1957[citation needed] in London) is an English Soka Gakkai Buddhist rapper. He is best known for being the lead vocalist in Faithless.
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[edit] Biography
After he found hip-hop in 1983, in 1984 Maxi founded "The Soul Food Cafe System" as a DJ. He transferred this sound to pirate radio LWR in 1987.
In 1989 The Soul Food Cafe Band was picked up by Tam Tam Records (the dance wing of Savage Records), and recorded the album Soul Food Café. Maxi started Namu Records in 1992 to release the band's material in the form of three E.P's. The band toured as a support act to various bands, including Jamiroquai in Amsterdam; Soul II Soul in Barcelona; Galliano in Switzerland; and Jason Rebello in Brazil. After the band broke up, Maxi worked throughout Europe, and took time out to collaborate with Jah Wobble on the "Invaders Of The Heart" album followed by live dates with the Wobble collective.
Maxi met Rollo Armstrong in a studio, lead to the forming of Faithless with Jamie Catto and Sister Bliss. As a Soka Gakkai Buddhist, Maxi's strong beliefs and the band's own strong individual beliefs, contrast with the name Faithless. The band was named during the writing of the song Salva Mea. Rollo had asked Maxi to write a song about frustration, something he knew a good deal about having been through a great number of frustrating situations in his life he didn't ever believe he could get through. Rollo realised he was writing about "the faithless" and thats where the name originated from.
In 2006 Maxi Jazz provided the vocals for the hit Tiësto track, Dance 4 Life. It was one of the biggest club hits of the year for Tiësto and the trance community.
He currently lives in West Norwood, in the London Borough of Lambeth.
[edit] Lyrics
His lyrics can be anything from upbeat (for example in Reverence from the album of the same name) to melancholy (this time from Giving Myself Away from Outrospective); from despairing at current affairs (Mass Destruction from No Roots) to social comment (this time with LSK in In the End, again from No Roots).
Maxi Jazz's comments on society generally look at the harsher aspects of life. For example, in Bring My Family Back, he explores what comes from lacking a happy, nuclear family. In the first verse he views the situation through the eyes of a two-year-old ('Child, I'm working so there's nothing you lack/But she know, I want my Dad, I want my family back.'), in the second a forty-three-year-old, and in the last a house, long deserted by its last occupants ('Derelicts sneaking in to fix, speaking/On the way, my timbers creaking, roof leaking and bricks coming loose/Knee high in refuse.'). Also, on Faithless latest studio album, To All New Arrivals, the song Bombs confronts the issues of modern warfare.
In songs such as Salva Mea he sings about problems people have daily and goes deep into the feelings of such problems.
[edit] 1 Giant Leap
Maxi also sang alongside Robbie Williams on the collaborative album 1 Giant Leap in the single My Culture. 1 Giant Leap was produced by Duncan Bridgeman and Jamie Catto, the latter also of Faithless.
[edit] Cars and racing
Maxi is very fond of his cars, with his collection as featured Sky One's Vroom Vroom motoring show:
- Subaru Impreza P1
- Ford Escort Mk2 RS2000 - her buddah name is "The Orchid Room"; her street name is "Biscuit". All listeners to Rodigan's early reggae show will recognise the reference. This is the car he wants to be buried in
- Ford Sierra Cosworth
- Marcos LM500 R
In light of the increased number of cameras in London, and his love of driving his cars quickly (he is presently banned from driving under the points totting up scheme), Maxi started racing cars. In 2000, when Maxi asked Rae Claydon to run him in the Ford Fiesta championship, he founded Maxi Jazz Racing, and proceeded to race during the 2000 season[1]. The team continued in 2001, but Maxi was only able to race occasionally due to his obligations as a musician. On Sunday 9 December 2001 Maxi had a serious car accident, postponing several of Faithless's UK tour dates. In 2005 he raced a Ginetta, and in 2006 and 2007 has been racing a Porsche 997 in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB[2], as one of the oldest and yet less experienced drivers.
[edit] Discography
[edit] In Faithless
[edit] With 1 Giant Leap
- 2002 "My Culture" (with 1 Giant Leap and Robbie Williams),
[edit] Solo
- 2006 "Dance4life" (with Tiësto), #3 NL, #5 BEL, #10 FIN
[edit] External links
[edit] References
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