Fat Freddy's Drop founder Chris Faiumu dies
Photo:
Sarah Hunter
Chris Faiumu, the founder of the band Fat Freddy's Drop has died.
More widely known as Mu and DJ Fitchie, he was the man behind the band's signature sound.
Fat Freddy's Drop's 2005 album
Based On a True Story
is the third highest selling album ever by a New Zealand artist.
It remained on the Top 40 charts for two years.
The band was also well known for its live improvised performances, and toured internationally.
The band celebrated its 25th anniversary last year.
Tributes for the musician have been posted social media, with people sharing warm stories about his career, and grief at his passing.
More to come...
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero
,
a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
10 hours ago
- RNZ News
Fat Freddy's Drop founder Chris Faiumu 'DJ Mu' dies
New Zealand hip-hop great King Kapisi says he will always be proud of Fat Freddy's Drop founder Chris Faiumu, for taking Wellington and South Pasific music to the world. Mr Faiumu, also known as DJ Mu or Fitchie, died suddenly on Wednesday. He was a pioneer of the New Zealand music scene, and a force behind Fat Freddy's Drop, one of the most successful bands to come out of Aotearoa. Ellen O'Dwyer reports. Tags: To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
RNZ News
10 hours ago
- RNZ News
Tributes to Fat Freddy's Drop founder, DJ Chris Faiumu
Chris Faiumu died suddenly on Wednesday. Photo: Bruce Mackay/The Post A New Zealand hip-hop great says he will be forever proud of Fat Freddy's Drop founder Chris Faiumu for taking Wellington and South Pacific music to the world. Chris Faiumu, also known as DJ Mu or Fitchie, died suddenly on Wednesday . Music industry voices say he was a pioneer of the New Zealand music scene and a force behind Fat Freddy's Drop, one of the most successful bands to come out of Aotearoa. Bill Urale, also known as King Kapisi, said his death was a huge loss for the music community. Urale - originally from Wellington's south coast, where Faiumu lived - said they first met in the 1990s, when he was about 18, recording demos at radio station Radioactive. He was surprised to see another young Samoan DJ and engineer at the station. "We were just going up there and we were, like, 'Whoa, the engineer's Samoan', and I said, 'Sole, what's your name?' "He was, like, 'Faiumu', so I was, like, OK cool'. It was just nice to meet another Samoan brother, who was out there just doing their thing." Urale said that connection lasted throughout both their music careers, as he watched Fat Freddy's Drop take off. "Just thinking that my brother Chris was the backbone of the whole group, it was always a phenomenal thing for me. "I was, like man, super proud of my brother, and still super proud of what him and the Fat Freddy's boys have been able to achieve across the world, representing Aotearoa South-Pacific music worldwide." Fat Freddy's Drop came onto Wellington's music scene with hypnotising live improvised performances, before breaking out big with their 2005 album Based On a True Story . 'Wandering Eye' was a huge single and the band toured regularly overseas, gaining followings in Australasia, Europe and North America, and selling out to large concerts and festivals. Urale said Faiumu was one of New Zealand's best DJs, engineers and producers. "A lot of DJs DJ, but they don't make their own music and they don't produce their own music, so when you think about the body of work that Mu has been able to make, it's phenomenal and also, from Wellington, it's gone worldwide." Music journalist Nick Bollinger said DJ Mu devoted his life to music, starting out as an avid record collector. In Wellington, he DJ'd in bars like the Matterhorn and Bodega, then started creating his own rhythms on an MPC sampler. He created the baselines and beats that the rest of Fat Freddy's Drop would build on, Bollinger said. "He was usually back a bit and at the side, hunched over his equipment. It was hard to know what he was doing there some of the time - he was busy, but it was mysterious. "He wasn't the singer, he wasn't the guitarist, he wasn't the saxophone without him, there would have been no Fat Freddy's. "He was the roots of the thing - the foundations." Despite their success, Fat Freddy's Drop never signed to a major label. Bollinger said Faiumu never compromised on the independent spirit that helped make the band unique. RNZ music programmer and longtime friend Zen Yates-Fill knew Faiumu in the 1990s, when the two worked together in a record store, and he would attend some of the band's mesmerising gigs. He said Faiumu was a connoisseur of music, encouraging friends and listeners to discover new sounds. "He was a navigator for music, leading us into waters that we didn't really know from this country." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Scoop
13 hours ago
- Scoop
South Island Levels Up With Toi Māori-Inspired Arcade Art At Tūhura
If you were a kid in Aotearoa during the '80s or '90s, the glow of a spacies machine at the local dairy or fish and chip shop was the stuff of magic. Now, that magic is being reimagined through the lens of contemporary design and te ao Māori in Arca Arcade: Round One, a striking new exhibition opening at Tūhura Otago Museum this Friday. The exhibition, making its South Island debut, transforms nostalgic arcade cabinets into fully playable works of art. Created by Wellington-based designer Preston McNeil, Arca Arcade is a bold fusion of industrial design, retro technology, and cultural storytelling. The exhibition features custom-built, wall-mounted machines adorned with original artwork from some of Aotearoa New Zealand's most iconic contemporary artists including Gina Kiel, Flox, Otis Frizzell, Joe Sheehan, and Otis Chamberlain. What makes Arca Arcade truly groundbreaking is its integration of carved pounamu and whakairo-inspired design elements believed to be a world-first in arcade machine design. The result is a powerful collision of classic video game culture with te ao Māori, a celebration of play that's deeply rooted in place and identity. Exhibition creator Preston McNeil has spent years exploring the intersection of technology, creativity, and nostalgia. A lifelong tinkerer and designer, McNeil said he wanted to create something that honoured both the history of arcade gaming and the richness of contemporary Aotearoa art. 'These machines are a love letter to every kid who dropped their last 20 cents into a game they knew they couldn't win but tried anyway,' McNeil said. 'Blending those memories with the depth and craft of Māori design has created something I never imagined I'd be able to build. And it's amazing to finally bring it to the South Island.' The exhibition's arrival in Dunedin is no accident. Tūhura Otago Museum's Head of Exhibitions and Design, Craig Scott, says the city is already a hub for innovation in the digital space. 'Dunedin is home to incredible gaming talent and creative energy. We're proud to partner with CODE, the Centre of Digital Excellence to present this exhibition and show young people what's possible when design, technology, and culture collide. This is about inspiring as much as it is fun nostalgia.' Visitors to the exhibition can play the games housed inside each uniquely designed cabinet, making it as interactive as it is artistic. But Arca Arcade is also a reflection of where design is heading towards deeper meaning, collaboration, and connection to culture. To mark the opening, Preston McNeil will give a free public talk at the Museum on Friday night, sharing insights into the creative process, the challenges of building playable art, and how he collaborated with artists to bring each machine to life. Attendees will also get a first look at the exhibition. Arca Arcade: Round One runs from 19 July to 21 September in the Beautiful Science Gallery. Entry is free. For anyone passionate about art, design, gaming, or what happens when the past is given a future-forward twist, this is one exhibition not to miss.
