May 19 2020 – Graeme Allen
Funky Conga Drops is a collection of over 50 loops pristinely recorded by some of the finest conga players in the world, produced by the legendary Mike Pelanconi (aka Prince Fatty).
Recorded on location during Mike's road trip from LA to Sao Paulo stopping off in Havana on the way, this pack features some of the finest percussionists the America's have to offer.
With tempos ranging from 75BPM to a conga-melting 169BPM, there are loops for every genre from disco to soul to old school funk to Latin.
We all know the Prince Fatty sound by now. His futuristic take on old school reggae, soul and hip hop versions – served up in a contemporary style that’s uniquely his and full of character – is already well known on the international club and festival circuit. It's music for our times and popular with a wide demographic thanks to a discography drawn from several continents, and that includes diverse talents such as Lily Allen, Hollie Cook, Jovi Rockwell, Fatlip from the Pharcyde, Jamaican stars Big Youth, Gregory Isaacs and Marcia Griffiths, Manu Chao and the hip-hop Godfathers The Last Poets.
A lover of analog techniques and recording live Mike Pelanconi learnt his craft the traditional tape op way as a teenager, this was not to last too long and was soon working with the likes of Rebel MC and the early jungle scene alongside the groovers at Acid Jazz before leaving for Los Angeles and hip-hop label Delicious Vinyl thanks to the Brand New Heavies. In LA the experience of working with the likes of hip hop producer JDilla, singers like Saidah Garret (Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones) and sharing a studio with Rick Rubin proved invaluable experience and learning. “The one thing in common they all had was the love of a good drum sound and a passion for drum breaks, but you had to be fast” On returning to the UK it was Mike's fat drum sound and analog style that got him working with Blur's Graham Coxon for two albums until assuming the mantle of Prince Fatty in 2007, after creating the name for a Stussy project. There would be a run of albums after signing with Mr. Bongo, featuring himself and other artists such as Mungos HiFi, The Skints, Mad Professor, Manu Chao, Mungo's Hi-Fi, classic reggae singer Little Roy, who had a surprise hit with an album of Nirvana covers and international break thru thanks to Breaking Bad using Horseman’s Shimmy Shimmy Ya. Fatty's fond of saying that music has no borders but he has an adventurous spirit himself. Since leaving Brighton he's spent lengthy periods in Los Angeles writing, building a new mix studio in Thailand and recording in Brazil all at the same time. Recent collaborations include mixing the latest Skints album and producing The Role Of Monkey Man album for Delicious Vinyl featuring his latest discovery Brazil’s premier MC Monkey Jhayam.
Tagged: conga, congas, drum loops, drum samples, drumdrops