A successful Drop into Europe

By TOM HUNT and RON HANSON

Wellington dub and roots band Fat Freddy's Drop are back after a six-week tour of Europe.

The tour, the seven-piece group's second, included a guest spot on legendary DJ Giles Peterson's radio show, Worldwide, broadcast on Radio One from London to 15 countries.

Freddy's trumpet player Toby Laing says it was Peterson's interest in the band's earlier songs that led to the appearance.

"When he found out we were coming over [to London] he hooked up with our management," Laing said.

"We went into this flash £500,000 ($1.5 million) studio at the BBC with engineers there doing what we wanted them to do."

The appearance should help to build an international audience. After Peterson began playing Freddy's single Midnight Marauders in 2002, the song was released on German record label Sonar Kollectiv.

The band played gigs in cities across Europe, including Berlin, Cannes during the film festival, London, Madrid and Cork. In Spain's La Paloma they played to more than 1000 people in a 700-year-old concert hall.

Another highlight was playing at Berlin's Cafe Moskau, famous for its Cold War history of after-hours entertainment for Communist party members. The band also stopped off in the US on the way home to play at Detroit's annual Electronic Music Festival.

Laing said overseas audiences were receptive to New Zealand music. "The profile of New Zealand music is good.

"If you've got a good record and send it to enough people you will get recognition."

Playing together every day has done wonders for developing new material and sound. Chief producer and MPC controller DJ Mu said Freddy sounded very tight.

Laing said the group were in the final stages of recording their first studio album and they plan to include new songs in tonight's set.

"We are playing new stuff. A healthy dose of new material will be in there."

While he was excited to be recording the new album, he was also looking forward to playing live.

"We are a gigging working band. We want to come back with our new music and play it to people at our favourite venues."

Their first album, Fat Freddy's Live at the Matterhorn, has sold more than 3000 copies and is still selling.

Fat Freddy's Drop emerged out of DJ Mu's improvised sets in Wellington about three years ago.

They have since become one of New Zealand's most popular live acts.

Performance

* Who: Fat Freddy's Drop

* Where: Safari Lounge, Ponsonby Rd

* When: Tonight