One for Amp Fiddler
Detroit icon leaves a peerless legacy over five decades.
Joseph ‘Amp' Fiddler once described himself as “a musician, producer, writer, entertainer, sound designer, keyboard player … Detroiter”. That’s close to, but not quite, the measure of this fly yet humble individual’s gifts to the world. Sadly, he succumbed to cancer at 65 after a long and dignified battle where his faith and positivity rarely wavered. A recurring trait in someone who experienced so much deep personal loss.
For those who aren’t aware, Amp was a vital conduit for black music in and around Detroit. The man who studied with What’s Going On arranger David Van De Pitte and Tribe Records alumnus Harold McKinney and who came up with Enchantment and RJ’s Latest Arrival.
The keys maestro who played/toured with Parliament Funkadelic and made telling contributions to records by Maxwell, Seal and Primal Scream. A perennial advocate of technology and progress through drum machines and synthesisers, he then bridged the world of house-to-techno in collaborations with Kenny Dixon Jr (aka Moodyman), Theo Parrish and Carl Craig. The performing credits are crazy.
A key claim to fame, though he rarely made it, was introducing hip-hop legend
J Dilla to the MPC, allowing him and his Ghost Town crew to learn and record at Camp Amp. So often the OG and mentor on the block, his Conant Gardens basement was also open to important next-generation artists such as Waajeed, who later opened an Underground Music Academy in their city. Amp paid it forward from George Clinton and they did likewise. Community.
We haven’t even touched his solo offerings, from breakthrough album Waltz of A Ghetto Fly to a jazz fusion set with Will Sessions and recent collection Basementality (featuring Raphael Saadiq and Meshell Ndegeocello).
With each encounter and musical exchange, he carried forward a lesson, whether it was Clinton’s way of harnessing and directing vocal performances or navigating tours with big egos. And knowing when not to play in a band. In other words, leaving space for others to do their thing, which guys like Moodyman also know well.
Amp was one of the first people I interviewed as a rookie music journalist for Straight No Chaser magazine in 2006. It felt like a formative one. He was chatting to me over the phone while running a few errands. Friendly, down to earth and so proud of where he came from, it made sense to make the piece a guide to the D.
Sadly, I can’t find the cassette or the magazine. So here it is in another form.
Interview with Amp Fiddler, Straight No Chaser magazine 2007
They don’t come more streetwise and savvy than Joseph ‘Amp’ Fiddler. The keyboardist, vocalist, songwriter and producer has worked with everyone from George Clinton and Prince to Dilla, Moodymann and Carl Craig.
Residing in his beloved Detroit, Amp’s the perfect man to demystify the Motor City and to tell us what this place is really all about. The world beyond Motown, dark days, cold nights and techno.
Amar Patel caught a few words with the man, while he was multi-tasking in Conant Gardens, mixing new LP Afro Strut and helping his brother recover from a brain tumour.
Motown is almost taken for granted these days. Detroit’s greatest gift to the world. Name three Motown artists that helped shape your life and maybe tell us why.
Marvin Gaye – He was so boisterous about the course of love that he was running at whatever time he was writing but also it was the political and social statements that he made which were important to me.
Dramatics – My brother used to play their records all the time and I always used to think that it was too R’n’B for me since, at the time, I was into my sister’s taste in music which was more psychedelic rock ‘n’ roll, p-funk and all that. But later, as I got older and got a job playing keyboards for Enchantment I remember opening for them and thinking how amazing their show was. The songs that they had were off the hook you know. So I met and worked with them and that had a big influence on me as far as soulful singing went. One of the guys, LJ Reynolds, lead singer, did a solo record Key to the World and I toured with him off of that. His vocal phrasing influenced me a lot.
George Clinton – He came in during Motown and when I met him it was the whole experience his recording style, techniques and all that shit. A huge influence.
As a kid growing up in the Motor City. did you dream of owning a particular car?When I was a kid everyone worked at the factory and there were always new cars on the block. It was amazing! But the one that stood out for me the most was probably the General Motors Cadillac. My neighbour had a new Cadillac every year so, to me, those were the most amazing cars. Any 60’s/70’s Cadillac with a convertible top was like, ‘wow!
What are you driving right now?
Right now I’m driving a Toyota Scion XB. I’m saving gas, man…I’m smart about this shit right now, you know.
If you want to chill out in Detroit what do you do?
I’d probably jump in my car and get a massage or something, out in the suburbs. Better than that, I’d just ride my bike. That’s what I’d do. I’d just ride! To Belle Isle, or downtown. It takes you away from talking to people when you’re on a bike. Eeeeasy. Easy livin.
What bike have you got?
I’ve got this new one called a Townie 24 by a company called Elektra. It’s kind of like a hybrid of an old-school bicycle and a truck!
Let’s talk cafes and bars. What are some of the coolest places to hang out in Detroit?
Everybody is going to Northern Lights these days where they play hip-hop and soul music. Kids especially hang out there, on Milwaukee St. It’s got a cool vibe.
What about grabbing a bite to eat on the run or a late meal if you’ve been working overtime in the studio. What would you do?
On the run is easy; I’d just do a salad. You can’t get in trouble with a salad. Much better than some bullshit McDonalds, you know. Nasty fries like cardboard and that. Chicken salad or any regular salad.
Jazz. Where would you go to hear some serious jazz in Detroit? Have you ever stepped up for an impromptu jam?
Birth Place is good, downtown at the Market Place. Another one, one of oldest places, is Baker’s Keyboard Lounge on Berkeley. I’ve done a little session before at Baker’s. For other kinds of music there’s the 5th Ave Club where you might go and see John Arnold, Ayro or some other cats playing. I’ve just seen John in the gym about ten minutes ago actually!
Do you ever just go out for a drink and get invited up on stage to do something
Yeah that shit still happens, but I don’t do it often because I don’t have time. I don’t really go out that much anymore. Plus I’m not into smoking and drinking so I’m trying to kinda stay out of that vibe. I know I’m gonna get enough of that when I’m on tour anyway so I don’t really have to go out, nah mean. I’ve done partied with those other groups I played with. Parliament Funkadelic…
Do you still buy albums? What music are you into at the moment?
I still buy them when I get time, though I have stopped buying for a while ‘cos I’m trying to get my house together. Getting things organised. The last couple of things I bought were Corinne Bailey Rae (different, nice, I wanted a girlfriend of mine to hear it as she wants to play guitar and sing), the new Van Hunt and Dangermouse/Cee-Lo thing (Gnarls Barkley), I like that shit, I really like that. The rockier sound, the mixed sounds, the big drums.
Speaking of heavy drums and beats, can you give us the names of a few Detroit producers that we should be checking for?
There’s a lot I don’t know of; so many coming up it’s crazy. But Andrés, early Slum Village DJ, has done a track with me that I really like. He learned with Jay Dee (J Dilla). The ones I know of are the ones on the record because….that’s all the fuck I do! Other than that I don’t fuck with anybody else. I don’t have time.
You knew Dilla from the early days. Tell us about that.
It’s kind of interesting. These kids were just walking through the neighbourhood. I think they heard some music and I think they knew a kid named Cricket who wanted to rap. I gave ‘em a chance you know to see what they were like on the mic, and maybe make a beat for them. They eventually brought Dilla and T3 over to the house. They said they had a rap group and they needed some help so I helped them. I had an old MPC 60 I bought in ‘85 or some shit like that, which I introduced Dilla to.
Do you still use your MPC now and produce yourself a lot on the new album?I’ve done quite a bit myself, not a whole lot, some drum work but we’re using my drummer a lot for this one. I like working with other people. I’m not trying to be Mr Producer, or Prince, the man that writes produces and plays like ten instruments. That’s cool but I think it’s lacking in some ways. I prefer to collaborate, let others breathe something into the music and then I’ll complete it.
“I prefer to collaborate, let others breathe something into the music and then I’ll complete it.”
Undoubtedly you know other artists, even outside of music, like visual artists and poets. Who do you feel deserves recognition outside of Detroit and the USA?I like this girl I met on Myspace, Gaella. She’s interesting. It’s hard when you’re making a record. I’m just like a homeboy for real. I’m not really seeking stuff out.
But I did hang out with N’Dambi recently, having met her on Myspace, when I was in LA. I think she’s an amazing talent that people don’t know about. For a good book check The Traveller’s Gift by Andy Andrews, a quickie but a very good one. I got it at the airport coming in and I read it real fast. An easy but inspiring read. Another one is The Alchemist by Paul Coelho. It keeps you thinking ahead and being positive.
In some quarters Detroit has a rep for being rather miserable. What’s the mood like in your neighborhood
My neighbourhood, Conant Gardens (I’m still in the hood), is getting better. There hasn’t been a whole lot of murders, robberies or anything. It’s pretty cool. I cut the lawn yesterday, my dog isn’t confined to the yard, no one has shot him or thrown bricks at him… I live on a corner house so people are constantly walking past my house or through the alley. But it’s fine.
Any places in the city that you’d like to spend time in or move to?
I like Indian Village. It’s a nice area with beautiful homes in the city. Bigger homes; you know I like to yell out of another corridor at my son rather than talk to him directly. There’s an area of woods that I’d like to move to close to the city but in a secluded area. It’s quite greener, although I have a lot of greenery in my yard.
Can you generally live a down-to-earth life where you are and not get bothered by people?
It’s good. Maybe I am a star in some ways but in others, I’m very underground and I like that. I don’t have to worry about, “Hey that’s Amp Fiddler,” or some shit. At least twice a week someone will come and say they’ve seen the video and they think you’re cool. That’s enough for me. Even when it does go over the top I don’t mind that because I’ve been around George Clinton so much, seen how people are so hyped at recognising him and talking shit but he never trips out about it. No bodyguards.
Be like a human being and everything will be cool. All people want is a conversation.
Speaking about experiences of life in certain areas, is there anything on the record that specifically springs from your life in Detroit?
There’s a song on the record that I co-wrote with a promising house artist by the name of DJ Genesis, called ‘Seven Mile’. Where I’m living is right off of Seven Mile. It’s a dope song [Amp demos a segment drifting into falsetto about the summertime while riding in his car]. You know the film ‘8 Mile’? Well, I love Eminem, he’s cool, but that’s bullshit. It’s all about Seven Mile! And you can quote me on that.
“You know the film ‘8 Mile’? Well, I love Eminem, he’s cool, but that’s bullshit. It’s all about Seven Mile! And you can quote me on that.”
You’ve collaborated a few times with Kenny Dixon Jr. What’s that like?
It’s a ride, man. Working with Kenny’s like working with George Clinton. Let’s put it that way. You have the freedom to be yourself and do what you do. And he is not going to chop your shit up and edit it out and fuck it up. He’s gonna leave it like it is and make magic out of it. And George is the same way; he likes all the idiosyncrasies that make it cool, the little weird notes. Whatever you play naturally is what Kenny and George love. I’ve learned the same thing, the way we do things.
So that’s what you’d do if you had someone like Paul Randolph in the studio, just let him do his thing and work around it?
Yeah, I’ve got one of Paul’s tracks too that I’m working on. Though he’s a little different as he likes things to be a certain way. Some people like to go over things a couple of times and get it right on point the way they want it. Where as others say play what you feel and what I like I’m gonna use. Kenny is the latter, not least ‘cos the mood is already there, but he may sometimes tell you what he wants in the mood, cos he is Moodymann after all! Ha Ha.
Any tracks that you’re particularly proud of?
Probably ‘I’m Doing Fine’. I think that’s the best one we’ve done. That’s just magic. I always hope that we can do better than that. It’s ridiculous.
Have you ever worked with Theo Parrish before? Ever considered doing something in an all-star production project like Three Chairs?
I have. I’ve done some live stuff and a track but I think Theo and I need more time to work through stuff. I’d love to do stuff like they’ve done for the Three Chairs, that working method. Hopefully that will happen soon. Also, I’m gonna be playing stuff for Andrés’ record so it’s definitely on for the future.
But his talent and influence are best conveyed through sound. So here is a special Moonbeam Levels podcast where I share more than three hours of favourites from his career.
Soon after this interview I met Amp for the first time in my hometown of Brighton after his performance at Concorde 2. Eager to continue the conversation and express my gratitude face-to-face, I got in line and introduced myself.
His reply? “Hey, what’s up Jason!” Now, you wouldn't believe how people have twisted up my name over the years. It’s only four letters but a conundrum to some nonetheless. I’ve had Mark a few times, particularly when I don’t enunciate. But Jason? Whatupdoe.
I can work out how he got there but I won’t let it spoil the comedy of the moment, which my mates dined out on for a few weeks. I wasn’t even mad. It was all love and warmth. I’ll be Jason to you, sir. It’s our thing.
Amp was always on the one, carrying himself with style, confidence, generosity and great humility. See you at the great gig in the sky with all my other legends 🕊
Want more? Check out this excellent interview by Stephen Titmus for Resident Advisor ‘s Exchange podcast.