Predominately hip hop inspired but not afraid to infuse old school funk, soul, dance hall, heavy bass and solid grooves, Kong Fooey is a unique sound with hard hitting positive vibes, big hooks and solid beats. Kong Fooey is the alter ego of mild mannered drummer/producer Jason Peters who having drummed for various rock bands over the years - most notably for 90's heavy hitters Pumpkinhead - uses his knowledge of beats and percussion to provide the back bone of what is the groove-heavy Kong Fooey sound. Jason answered the following questions for muzic.net.nz:
How would you describe Kong Fooey’s music in one sentence?
Catchy vintage funk, hip hop beats and groovy soul.
What has been your most memorable show to date?
Our first show, supporting Supergroove and playing to 12,000 people in our home town at the Christchurch Beer Festival last Summer.
What can we expect to see from Kong Fooey over the next year?
EP to be released at end of this year, and a full album to be released sometime in 2014, plus a bunch more live shows.
What advice would you like to give to other aspiring musicians?
Be patient, persevere, have gratitude and have fun!
Tell us about Kong Fooey’s next release.
5 Track EP featuring our first single Let Go, and our follow up single Aim Your Arrow.
What inspired you to start Kong Fooey?
After 20 years drumming in rock bands it was time to put down the sticks and have a crack at producing electronic songs with a good groove and a positive message, inspired by artists like Beastie Boys, Kora, Fat Freddy's Drop, Bob Marley, Michael Jackson and DJ Shadow.
How did you come up with the name Kong Fooey?
As a kid, my fave cartoon in the 70's was Hong Kong Phooey.
What local albums have you been enjoying recently?
Really been enjoying Blackbird by Fat Freddy's Drop and Shapeshifter's Delta
Predominately hip hop inspired but not afraid to infuse old school funk, soul, dance hall, heavy bass and solid grooves, Kong Fooey is a unique sound with hard hitting positive vibes, big hooks and solid beats. Kong Fooey is the alter ego of mild mannered drummer/producer Jason Peters who having drummed for various rock bands over the years - most notably for 90's heavy hitters Pumpkinhead - uses his knowledge of beats and percussion to provide the back bone of what is the groove-heavy Kong Fooey sound. Peters decided to relocate to Auckland in October 2011.
Looking for a new start after the chaos of the Christchurch earthquakes and working in a new direction musically he signed with Loop. Having crossed paths with Maitreya back in the '90s music scene, a chance meeting at Auckland's Ponsonby Food court led to Peters asking Maitreya to check out his new work, Maitreya dug the vibe and was happy to collaborate. "We have written around five tracks together and there is a mutual respect for each other's abilities and work ethic. I really want to produce music that not only grooves hard but has a positive and conscious message in the lyrics too, something Maitreya and Topaz both do very well," says Peters. Topaz (Jason's cousin also hailing from Christchurch) provides the yin to Kong Fooeys yang, a talented upcoming female MC who contributes positive and thought provoking vocals over Fooey's hyped up beats. Peters has been pleased with the positive reaction to first single 'Let Go' receiving excellent rotation on George, Kiwi and Mai FM. Kong Fooey recently played before 12,000 people warming up the Christchurch beer festival crowd before Supergroove took the stage, and then played a great show at Sounds on 2013 along side David Dallas and Home Brew.
A five track Kong Fooey EP is due to be released in 2013 along with an NZ on Air funded music video for 'Let Go'. With a debut album now in production Kong Fooey is a name you're definitely going to be hearing more of... and in case you were wondering about the name, it does come from the 1974 cartoon and the superhero pooch who uses martial arts to fight crime. Number one super fly and quicker than the human eye, Kong Fooey has got style, a groovy smile and a fight that just won't stop! Stay tuned...