Podcast
interview
EPM.183 comes from Techmarine Bottom Feeder’s man, Paris the Black Fu. Paris is also the founder of the Detroit Grand Pubahs, through which he created an entirely new genre in electronic music in the early 2000s that fused the wigged-out madness of Parliament and Funkadelic to modern day Detroit techno and electro. Adding some riotous festive funK to the EPM mix series his ‘Fu FuN FuNK Time Capsule’ goes back to the roots of booty shaking bounce as he brings together party classics and lesser-known gems in his own cheeky style. Featuring Cameo, Was (Not Was), Foxy, Brick, Rick James, Teena Marie, The Brothers Johnson, Don Blackman, Ohio Players, Hamilton Bohannon, Kool & The Gang, Earth, Wind & Fire, WAR, The Jimmy Castor Bunch and more, it’s time to wiggle with the master of giggle!
Techmarine Bottom Feeders, the solo project of Paris the Black FU from Detroit Grand Pubahs, follows up 2020's album ‘Boanerges and the Watery Deep’ and July's ‘Sirens of War’ EP (on Engineroom) with a double-headed release in the guise of new single ‘The Hydra’ followed by the ‘Techmarine Bottom Feeders Remixes’ a week later. Whilst the new single gives a pointer to the project's next underwater adventures, the compilation of remixes puts together a stunning array of artists including Cristian Vogel, Ectomorph, The Exaltics, The Advent & Zein, Aux 88 and Dadub who all draw from the 2020 album whilst Paris' fellow Grand Pubah, Mr. O. delivers a brand-new interpretation of new single, ‘The Hydra’, cranking up the tempo with a driving techno banger!
Techmarine Bottom Feeders ‘The Hydra’ and ‘Techmarine Bottom Feeders Remixes’ are out now.
EPM Podcast 183 – Track list
1. Ozone - Li’l Suzy
2. Cameo - Keep It Hot
3. Was (Not Was) - Out Come the Freaks
4. Foxy - Get Off
5. Brick - Dazz
6. Rick James - Cold Blooded
7. Teena Marie - Square Biz
8. The Brothers Johnson - Stomp!
9. Twennynine & Lenny White - Peanut Butter
10. Don Blackman - Yabba Dabba Doo
11. Ohio Players - Funky Worm
12. Lakeside - Pull My String
13. GQ - Disco Nights
14. Hamilton Bohannon - Let’s Start the Dance
15. Kool & The Gang - Jungle Boogie
16. Earth, Wind & Fire - Getaway
17. WAR - Galaxy
18. Bernard Wright - Haboglabotribin’
19. The Jimmy Castor Bunch - A Groove Will Make You Move
Q&A with Paris the Black FU
What made the Fu go back to the Funk?
P the BF: Actually, I never left the funk, It’s always here. If I’m not trying to work on something, when I’m in the kitchen, or BBQing, or in the shower or eating dinner, music is playing and 9.5 times out of 10, it’s funk or in the vein of funk or is an offspring of funk.
I wanted to give the listeners something a bit out of the ordinary, that’s not so out of the ordinary for most when you think about it.
Funk is the backbone in music. If it ain’t funky…try again!
Can baby Fu remember when you first became aware of music as more than just having the radio on?
P the BF: Yeah, my younger brother had a trumpet from school and I had two sticks and a cardboard box turned upside down. We would go in the basement and make all kinds of noise, “write songs” – notice the parenthesis, they were songs to us! – and drive my mother up a wall! Sometimes we’d go from door to door singing our songs to the neighbors and as you can imagine we saw our fair share of slammed doors and got the occasional critique. When you get a day job…Don’t quit it!!!
What were the first clubs that you started going to in Detroit?
P the BF: Oh man, the very first club I went to was a place called Taboo. And it was! Then I started hanging out with a guy named Mark Cooper and going to a club called the Majestic and another called The Warehouse. Later I started hanging at Saint Andrews Hall. Fun times indeed.
What inspired you to get more involved and start producing your own music?
P the BF: Love and necessity. Love for the project and music.
After the split of the original PuBahs I didn’t want the project to die out and I was still traveling as a DJ, so I did what was necessary to keep it going even though I had no idea as to what I was doing in reality. I’m still figuring it out and making it up as I go along and learning at the same time.
How did the Detroit Grand Pubahs come about?
P the BF: I met a guy named Andy at work. He was an engineer. We made the track Sandwiches. And the rest is history. Next question…Lol!
It’s been a crazy ride over the years, what have been your top 3 Pubhas highlights?
P the BF: Meeting Mr. O! Meeting my wife! (not in that order but that’s the order they happened) Traveling the globe!
How did you hook up with Mr. O?
P the BF: My first bandmate, Andy, And I were in the UK for a gig. My then manager told me that our booking agent, Oliver, would be giving us a call and that it would be good to hang out and get to know him, I said OK! The hotel phone rang…ring, ring! Me: Hello? Oliver: Hello, this is Oliver. Me: Hey Oliver! Oliver: What
would you guys like to do? Me: get some drinks? Oliver: YEAH!!! We’ve been together ever since! Long story short.
How does new track ‘The Hydra’ expand from the world of the TMBF debut album ‘Boanerges and the Watery Deep’?
P the BF: The first album was the experimental sonic inception of the idea and each new release is a further research and development of the Initial idea and concept. The Hydra is pointed toward the less experimental direction, a more dancefloor and direct approach to the atmosphere. I want to give the TMBF idea more levels of story telling because the idea is multifaceted.
What are your plans with the Techmarine Bottom Feeders alias?
P the BF: To continue to push and learn what it is that makes them, them. To try to develop the sound as best as I can, to tell the narrative as best as I can with what I have, to pursue the ideas
In my head as accurately as I possibly can sonically speaking and to give each persona a personality of it’s own.
What’s the Paris The Black Fu Christmas Party costume?
P the BF: I don’t celebrate Christmas.
RELATED LINKS:
https://soundcloud.com/epm-music/epm183-paris-the-black-fu
https://www.mixcloud.com/EPM-Music/epm183-paris-the-black-fu/
https://epmmusic.bandcamp.com/album/techmarine-bottom-feeders-remixes
https://epmmusic.bandcamp.com/album/the-hydra
https://www.instagram.com/techmarinebottomfeeders/
https://soundcloud.com/detroit-grand-pubahs
