Mutate Records | Future Electronic Audio

Si Begg

si begg

From his Cabbageboy, Bigfoot and Buckfunk 3000 aliases to S.I.Futures, Noodles, and eventually signing for Mute, Si Begg has continued to side step musical complacency and defy categorisation. While others seem to be digging up the past and furrowing the same path, Begg seems to be acknowledging its existence with the flick of a sub-bass detonator.

The story of Si Begg is intriguing, non conformist and riddled with unexpected twists and turns. By his mid teens he had cultivated a fascination with the mechanics of sound, consuming sonic pioneers from Frank Zappa to contemporary noise terrorists like Nalpalm Death and electronic futurists Kraftwerk. It was inevitable that his burgeoning musical interests would soon inspire him to take a more hands on role and by the late 80s he was forming bands with school mates, playing the guitar and drums whilst simultaneously acquiring a small cache of electronic equipment from shortwave radios to reel to reel tape machines and old analogue synths. Spurred on by the likes of Cabaret Voltaire, Severed Heads and cut n paste terrorists like Negativland, Begg and a few Leamington Spa cohorts made hours of music under their Cabbage Head alias. These anarchic slice and splice affairs showed a complete disregard for genres and stylistic concerns, anything and everything was fair game. This was a blueprint Begg was to follow throughout his career.

By 1991 Begg had been DJing regularly in the Warwickshire area and was continuing with his Cabbage Head projects. Relocating to London he began DJing at squat parties on a weekly basis and by 1994 began to establish himself as a force in electronic music. Inspired and spurred on by close friend Cristian Vogel they released the 'Inevitable Technology' EP on Thomas Heckmann's Trope label. By the turn of 1995 Begg had embarked on an unstoppable musical path that would see him release a multitude of singles while constantly shifting labels and forever plundering styles and genres.

The following few years saw an explosion of releases. His workload became mammoth as EP after EP was churned out under an alarming array of monikers including Bigfoot, Cabbage Boy, Buckfunk 3000 and plain old Si Begg. He hopped between styles on a regular basis recording for Tresor, Language, Eukatech and Ninjatune mashing up experimental electronics with Detroit techno, drum and bass and electro p-funk.

Never content to stand idle, Begg continued on his mission, confounding the critics with his anything goes approach to music making and somehow finding the time to run a number of labels such as Mosquito with Cristian Vogel, Noodles and Noodles Discoteque which he dubbed 'the stupidest recording organisation in the world'. He released 'The Complete Death Of Cool' (Noodles / Leaf label), a 38 track, 72min, cut 'n' paste compilation of his own work and his worldwide league of 'noodle-eers', baffling and delighting the critics and public alike.

By the turn of the millennium Begg had signed to novamute and hatched plans for his next album, The Mission Statement under the guise of S.I. Futures. An electronic dig at the corporate world of monotony and hegemony that Begg felt mirrored the path that dance music was then heading down, the albums playful feel and effortless ease was a long way from the rigid conformity of his musical peers. Bold, brash and stylistically diverse, the album hinted at the path ahead for the already critically lauded Begg.

Amongst the steady stream of releases Begg also finds time to travel the world Djing and performing live. He's played some of the worlds most renowned clubs including Fabric in London, Tresor in Berlin and Liquid Rooms in Tokyo. Other recent projects have included music for a short film, sound design for programs on the BBC and experimental audio for a cover DVD for Creative Review magazine.

2003 witnessed his first full album release under his own name. 'Directors Cut' started from nothing. No old ideas, no half finished tracks from previous incarnations. And for once on vinyl it showcased the multi-facted and multi-talented Begg from all angles. From the ragga, garage and booty influenced lead single 'MoveUp' to opening R&B booty techno of 'Body' featuring DJ Rush on vocals the panoramic 15-track album mixed tongue-in-cheek epic techno with eccentric prog-rock, ultra hi-tech electro-breaks, Brian Wilson-inspired melodies and off-the-hook urban funk.

Most recently, Begg has kept his dancefloor hand in with one off single 'Revolution' (novamute, 2004). As a tougher and more bombastic exercise than the previous ragga, UK garage, broken beats influenced 'Moveup' and 'Buss' singles, Revolution could well be a pointer into where Si Begg's head is currently at or indeed going. Then again, with Si Begg, second-guessing this maverick producer and DJs next move has often proved futile.

Si Begg - Mish Mash Mix

Si Begg

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