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IHM USA SPOTLIGHT


FEEDING THE BEAST WITH


When considering producers who design their brand logo around a cartoon character, Feed Me may not always be the fi rst name to pop into one’s head. In fact, one often thinks of the other guy (Deadmau5) who just so happens to be the UK-based 28 year olds label boss. Feed Me (also known as his other aliases Spor, Unicorn, Final Reckon- ing and Seventh Stitch) was signed to Mau5trap Records almost overnight when his superstar label head fi rst noticed him in 2008. Fast forward past numerous tracks, EP’s, remixes, and four and a half years later and we fi nd him playing in front of a full house in one of Chicago’s most famous venues, The House of Blues, located in the heart of the city’s beautiful skyline characterized by world-famous architecture.


Tonight, he’s gladly sharing the bill with rising dance music stars, Zebo and Mord Fustang, but judging by the looks of the stage alone, he’s clearly the star of the show. That’s if you can fi nd him amongst multiple layers of smoke, lights, and LED screens that form the face of his logo, which is a giant green monster with ominous looking eyes and a toothy grin. As he constantly switches gears between intense dub- step, bouncy electro house, and some hints of progressive house thrown in for good measure, he has the attention of the entire room; which tonight, looks nothing short of a rave complete with attendees dressed in outlandish costumes, furry animal hats, and an entire spectrum of colours. Just like his adoring crowd, he spits out a multi- tude of visuals with a light show perfectly timed to his dynamic set. His performance includes new and old material ranging from tracks off his freshly released “Death By Robot” single to his superb reworks of Tasha Baxter’s “Ebb & Flow” and even Swedish pop sensation Robyn’s 2011 dance hit “Call Your Girlfriend.”


As ominous and trippy as the whole light and sound experience may be, we fi nd that the charming Brit is nothing like his devilish logo in both looks and character. After sitting down with him immediately following his two hour set, hearing him crack constant jokes and reciting verses from Tinie Tempah’s “Pass Out,” we actually fi nd that he more closely resembles the superhero character from the video to his excel- lent 2012 hit collaboration with Crystal Fighters, “Love Is All I Got,” rather than a mischievous villain.


So we can’t help but wonder where did the inspiration for the green monster logo come from? What’s the idea behind it?


When I started to realize that I wanted to make music beyond what I was already doing, I decided that it would be more enjoyable if I had a pseudonym or an alter ego to hide behind because I never particularly enjoyed being the face of my brand. I felt that my creative side was lent better to creating an identity that I could build around myself. I wrote the fi rst few tracks and drew the logo at the same time. I grew up watching a lot of Jim Henson stuff, which was like Labyrinth and Dark Crystal. This included lots of puppetry, lots of small creatures and lots of people coming in the doorway doing the interview (jokes). Then it was the case of extending what I was already interested in. I was always fascinated with that when I was growing up. I had no idea how it happened, you’d see this creature on television and it would be


42 www.djmag.ca


moving when it’s on a cord. The personifi cation of that was always interesting to me. I wanted to incorporate it, so the monster seemed right; it was mischievous, and it’s like an extension of my personality… once I’ve drank a lot of gin.


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