Cut Chemist

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Cut Chemist
Background information
Birth name	Lucas C. MacFadden
Born	October 4, 1972 (1972-10-04) (age 36)
Origin	U.S.
Genre(s)	Hip hop Turntablism
Occupation(s)	DJ, Record producer
Instrument(s)	Turntables, sampler
Years active	1993-present
Associated acts	Ozomatli, Jurassic 5, DJ Shadow
Website	http://www.cutchemist.com/

Cut Chemist (born Lucas MacFadden October 4, 1972)^[1] is a former member of the funk Latin band Ozomatli, and of hip hop group Jurassic 5. He has collaborated with fellow turntablist DJ Shadow on a number of projects.

Career

MacFadden became known through the Los Angeles-based rap group Unity Committee, and debuted on vinyl on the B-side of Unity Committee's 1993 single, "Unified Rebelution". The track, "Lesson 4: The Radio" was an ovation of Double Dee and Steinski's "Lessons 1-3."

Preceding the vinyl release, Unity Committee formed Jurassic 5, along with another group, Rebels of Rhythm. McFadden contributed avidly to the group, adding "Lesson 6: The Lecture" to Jurassic 5's eponymous EP, and co-producing the entirety of the record. Between then and other releases, he explored remixing alongside DJ Shadow and Liquid Liquid, and performed doing outside work (sampling and scratching for Less Than Jake, and appearing with Ozomatli). From late 1996 to early 1997, Cut Chemist recorded his album debut, Live at Future Primitive Sound Session, with Shortkut of Invisibl Skratch Piklz.

According to the official Jurassic 5 website, McFadden did not appear on their most recent album Feedback. In May 2006, he indicated to Billboard magazine that he has left the group.^[2]

McFadden's first full-length solo album, The Audience's Listening, was released on July 11, 2006.[1] The album includes the pre-released song "The Garden", which features a bossa nova style, vocals from Astrud Gilberto's Brazilian song "Berimbau", and berimbau instrumentals.

The song "The Audience Is Listening Theme Song" from The Audience's Listening has recently been featured in a 2G Apple iPod nano advertisement.

More recently, McFadden has opened for Shakira in 2007 on the European leg of her Oral Fixation Tour, and at the press conference held by car-maker SEAT to promote their sponsorship of the shows. Cut Chemist has also produced the track 'Radio Friendly' for Canadian rapper Abdominal's solo album.

Cut Chemist made an appearance in the 2007 comedy Juno, playing a high school chemistry teacher, playing on his "chemist" stage-name.

Cut Chemist joined DJ Shadow on a world wide tour to support their new mix "The Hard Sell" beginning in early 2008. Kid Koala will also be touring and opening for them. Dates include Dallas, New York, San Francisco, Melbourne, Toronto, Vancouver, London, Hamburg and Paris among others.

Cut Chemist's video for the song "What's the Altitude" featuring Hymnal has 93,619,283 views on YouTube as of December 11 2008,^[3] but it is not listed on YouTube's list of most-viewed videos.^{[citation needed]}

Cut Chemist is featured in the award-winning documentary "This is the Life (film)," chronicling the music movement which was birthed at The Good Life Cafe in South Central Los Angeles. The Good Life is the open-mic workshop where he first performed with Unity Committee in the early 1990s and launched Jurassic 5.

Discography

Releases

• Brainfreeze (CD)
• Live at Future Primitive Sound Session Version 1.1 (CD)
• Product Placement (CD)
• Brain Freeze Original Sound Track 1979
• The Litmus Test (CD)
• Rare Equations (2xCD)
• The Audience's Listening (CD)
• The Hard Sell (CD)

Remixes

• The Re-Return Of The Original Art Form (12")
• Midnight In A Perfect World (12")
• Midnight In A Perfect World / The Number Song (12")
• The Remix EP (12")
• Midnight In A Perfect World / Number Song (CD5")
• Number Song / Painkiller (12")
• A2G EP (12")
• Cut Chemist Suite (12")
• Remixes (12")
• Super Bowl Sundae (12")
• The Art Of War: Who Dares Wins (2xCD)
• Now, Listen! (CD)
• Urban Theory Presents...Meltdown (2x12")
• Urban Theory Presents: Meltdown (2xCD)
• One To Grow On (CD)
• Herbal Blend (2x12")
• Solid Steel Presents The Herbaliser - Herbal Blend (CD)
• The Document II (3x12")
• The Document II (CD)
• They Mixes (12")
• Biz Markie ripped up megamix (7')

Scratches

• The Funky Precedent (CD)
• Later That Day (2x12")
• Street Signs (CD)

Production

• Jurassic 5 EP (2x12")
• Jurassic 5 EP (12")
• Concrete Schoolyard (12")
• Improvise / Lesson 6: The Lecture (12")
• Jayou / Action Satisfaction (12")
• Jayou / Without A Doubt (12")
• A2G (12")
• A2G EP (2x12")
• Jurassic 5 (LP)
• Nia (3x12")
• The Funky Precedent (CD)
• The Litmus Test (CD)

DJ mixes

• Brainfreeze (CD)
• Product Placement
• The Litmus Test (CD)
• The Hard Sell (CD)
• The Hard Sell (Encore) (CD)

Appears on

• Got What You Need (12")
• The 5 O'Clock Shadow EP (12")
• My Vinyl Weighs A Ton (CD)
• My Vinyl Weighs a Ton (2x12")
• Tale of Five Cities (12")
• 2001: A Rhyme Odyssey (3x12")
• 2001: A Rhyme Odyssey (CD)
• No Categories 3:: A Ubiquity Compilation (2xCD)
• Embrace the Chaos (CD)
• Blazing Arrow (2x12") by Blackalicious
• Blazing Arrow (CD)
• The Private Press (Limited Edition) (2xCD)
• Freestyle (Steinski's Additive Remix) (12")
• Later That Day... (CD)
• Make Yourself (CD)
• Chemical Calisthenics (CD)

Tracks appear on

• Audio Alchemy (Experiments In Beat Reconstruction) (2x12")
• Audio Alchemy (Experiments In Beat Reconstruction) (CD)
• Scratchmasters Volume #3 (CD)
• Return Of The D.J. Vol. 1 (CD)
• Return Of The DJ Vol. 1 (2x12")
• Deep Concentration (2xCD)
• The Funky Precedent (CD)
• Urban Revolutions The Future Primitive Sound Collective (3x12")
• Bunky's Pick (CD5")
• Bunky's Pick (12")
• Product Placement (2x12")
• Slinky Presents Superclub DJ's (2xCD)
• In The Mix / Live (12")
• Later That Day... (CD)
• The Ultimate Lessons (2x12")
• The Ultimate Lessons (CD)
• The Ultimate Lessons 2 (2x12")
• The Ultimate Lessons 2 (CD)
• Nat King Cole RE: Generations (CD)

See also

• DJ Shadow — another turntablist who has collaborated with Cut Chemist.
• Scratch — a documentary that includes an interview with Cut Chemist.
• Turntablism

References

External links

• Cut Chemist
• Cut Chemist at MySpace
• Synthesis Magazine interview
• RBMA Radio On Demand - Melbourne Marvels - Cut Chemist (Jurassic 5)

Video links

• Cut Chemist RBMA video lecture session
• Cut Chemist & Hymnal (Jurassic 5) RBMA video lecture session Pt.1
• Cut Chemist & Hymnal (Jurassic 5) RBMA video lecture session Pt.2
• HD video of 1st Big Break on R.fm