Che Fu
By Steven Grant
It's a busy couple of months ahead for Che Fu. This Saturday December 13th, Che and his band The Kratez are ready to perform some good vibes at on an impressive bill featuring UB40, Cypress Hill and Ice Cube(just to name a few), while in January he heads of on The Winery Tour with his band Supergroove.
I had the chance to catch up with Che Fu ahead of tomorrow's Raggamuffin and discussed the upcoming festivals, future recordings and who he's currently listening too...
You've performed a variety of styles throughout your career, would it be fair to say you're just a fan of good music?
Yeah, you could say that brother. Absolutely!
Do you have a favourite genre that you like to perform?
It all comes down to the people that I perform with. Like in terms of rock music, I really enjoy performing with my Supergroove compadres. When it comes to rap, there are definitely cats that I like to do that with. I don't have any preference for either one. I must say that performing with Supergroove is a little bit more energetic... I jump up and down and sometimes I need a defibrillator at the side of stage in case I pass out. But it all depends on who I'm with.
You're performing at Raggamuffin this weekend, what kind of set do you have in store for us?
I'll be performing with my band. We've got a little mash up set that we've been rehearsing for the last four weeks or so. They'll be some old stuff of mine and some new stuff. The band is called The Kratez... we like to sort of attack the crowd like a DJ would. So instead of the vinyl it's bass, guitar, drums, keys and a sampler.
And Raggamuffin will be held in Auckland for the first time...
Yeah yeah, so looking forward to that. I'll be a different beast, but no doubt it should be awesome.
Who are you looking forward to checking out?
Man there's a few! I've seen Ice Cube a couple of times and that was a while ago... he was in New Zealand about a decade ago, so looking forward to seeing him. And of course Cypress Hill, I saw them ages ago too. But I'm also keen to see this guy Chronixx. He part of the new school that is happening in Jamaica at the moment... really looking forward to seeing him.
Then in January you head off on the Winery Tour with your Supergroove buddies....
Yeah, I've been lucky and done it a couple of times. I really enjoy it! Must be because I'm getting a little older nowadays, but I love the pace of the Winery Tour. It's a breath of fresh air, I must say.
Do you have any plans to head back to the studio?
Absolutely! I've been a bit quiet for a little while in terms of putting new music out. I've had a couple of collaboration spots here and there with David Dallas... so have been doing a bit of stuff. I was signed to a major label for a while and things weren't going to well there, so that's a huge reason why I haven't been able to put out music as regularly as I'd like to. Now that I've left them I'm sort of venturing out to possibly getting a label up and running myself.
I found with being under a major label, they are extremely careful with how they release their songs and how they treat their artists. And I can understand that, it's definitely a big money game. But I've also been watching some of my friends who run their own label, and they've just got a freedom that I'm really jealous of. So I'm keen to possibly head in that direction.
Who would your dream collaboration be with?
Man, there are so many! One day I would love to do a song with Dave Dobbyn. I'm really looking forward to strengthening that relationship during the Winery Tour. So maybe, fingers crossed, I'll be able to do something with the brother. He's a hero to me, so yeah.
Is there anyone new that you're listening to that you've got on high rotation?
There is actually. I've been listening to a lot of Jamie Lidell. He's an English cat who does a lot of soul music. Check him out bro, I like him!
What does 2015 have in store for Che Fu?
New music for me! Hopefully get the label up and running, and can put out songs when I want too. 2015... music from Che Fu!