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Disc-jockey and mixer Felix Da Housecat (Felix Stallings) trained with Chicago house pioneer DJ Pierre. He was only 15 when he helped cut
Phantasy Girl (1987).
Among his early classics are
Thee Dawn (Guerrilla, 1992),
Freakadelica (1993), Temptation (1993), What's Love About (1994), Nu-World (1994), Clashbackk (credited to Sharkimaxx),
Thee Morning After (1994) and finally Reach Out (Radikal Fear, 1994),
as well as Aphrohead's In The Dark We Live (1993) and In The Garden (1993),
two classics.
His first album was By Dawn's Early Light (Deep Distraction,
1994), under the moniker Thee Maddkatt Courtship,
containing lengthy languid jams such as
By Dawns Early Light (10:51),
Tha Mental Blowout (12:28),
Who Tha' Critics (11:36) and
Phuzon (10:07),
followed by
Aphrohead's Thee Industry Made Me Do It (Power Music, 1995).
But it was his third album, Metropolis Present Day (Radikal Fear, 1995),
the first under his own name, that established his credentials,
while Rocketmann (Play It Again Sam, 2002) would be published only seven
years later.
Thee Maddkatt Courtship also released
Alone In The Dark (Deep Distraxion 1995), containing
Heaven Yes (10:20) and
Alone In The Dark (13:02),
and
the erratic and eclectic I Know Electrikboy (1999), with My Life Muzik.
The mini-album 10 contains the lengthy Blindmanwilly.
Stallings reached a wider audience with his sixth album,
Kittenz And Thee Glitz (Emperor Norton, 2001), a
nostalgic tribute to synth-pop of the 1980s.
Aphrohead returned with Thee Underground Made Me Do It (Clashback, 2003).
Devin Dazzle and The Neon Fever (Emperor Norton, 2004) is terribly
predictable, and mostly disposable, but Felix da Housecat manages to display
his class at producing dance-oriented pop songs even when the material
is so weak.
Rocket Ride and Watching Cars Go By are the singles.
The style ranges from the visceral What She Wants to the
sleep-inducing She's So Damn Cool.
He Was King (2009) was even worse.
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(Translation by/ Tradotto da Andrea Marengo)
Il disc-jockey e mixer Felix Da Housecat (Felix Stallings)
si è allenato con il pioniere della Chicago-house Dj Pierre. Aveva soltanto
quindici anni quando lo aiutava a comporre Phantasy Girl (1987). Fra I suoi
primi classici ci sono Thee Dawn (Guerrilla, 1992), Freakadelica (1993),
Temptation (1993), What's Love About (1994), Nu-World (1994), Clashbackk
(attribuita a Sharkimaxx), Thee Morning After (1994) e infine Reach Out
(Radikal Fear, 1994). Fù anche attivo con il nome d'arte Aphrohead su In The
Dark We Live (1993) e In The Garden (1993), due classici della musica da ballo.
Il suo primo album, By Dawn's Early Light (Deep Distraction, 1994), venne
realizzato con il nome d'arte Thee Maddkat Courtship e conteneva lunghe e
fiacche jam quali By Dawns Early Light (10:51), The Mental Blowout (12:28), Who
Tha' Critics (11:36) e Phuzon (10:07); l'album venne seguito da Thee Industry
Made Me Do It (Power Music, 1995) attribuito ad Aphrohead. Fu però il terzo
album, ovvero Metropolis Present Day (Radikal Fear, 1995), ad inaugurare le sue
credenziali e ad essere il primo attribuito a suo nome. Rocketmann (Play It
Again Sam, 2002) verrà pubblicato sette anni dopo la sua registrazione.
Thee Maddkatt Courtship pubblicò anche Alone In The Dark
(Deep Distraction, 1995), contenente Heaven Yes (10:20) e Alone In The Dark
(13:02) mentre lo stravagante ed eclettico I Know Electrikboy (1999), conteneva
My Life Muzik. Il mini album 10 raccoglie la lunga Blindmanwilly.
Stallings raggiunse un pubblico più vasto con il suo sesto
album, Kittenz And Thee Glitz (Emperor Norton, 2001), un tributo nostalgico al
synth-pop degli anni ottanta.
Aphrohead ritornò con Thee Underground Made Me Do It
(Clashback, 2003).
Devin Dazzle And The Neon Fever (Emperor Norton, 2004) è
terribilmente prevedibile e spesso "usa e getta", ma Felix Da
Housecat riesce a mostrare la sua classe producendo canzoni pop di ispirazione
dance anche quando il materiale è particolarmente fiacco. Rocket Ride e
Watching Cars Go By sono i singoli. Lo stile spazia dalla viscerale What She
Wants alla soporifera She's So Damn Cool.
He Was King (2009) era ancora peggio.
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