Felix has left the house

Felix Da Housecat has been involved with house music from the beginning. He wrote and recorded his first dance tune, ‘Phantasy Girl’ with DJ Pierre at the tender age of fifteen. It was 1986, and for the next four years Felix enjoyed success with a string of house records. However, by the late ’80s Housecat had returned to college and stopped making and DJing house music. In fact, it was a UK label, Guerrilla, that persuaded the US producer to come out of retirement and start recording again.

Subsequently, Felix released on labels like Soma, Djax, Power Music, Bush, R&S and Strictly Rhythm, and, by 1995 had also set up his own label, Radikal Fear.

Although he had released three albums at this stage and his profile was growing, Felix was also becoming increasingly disillusioned with the music industry and took a year off before signing to ffrr, who put out his most artistically adventurous but commercially unsuccessful work to date, I Know Electrikboy in 1999. Undeterred by the cool reception the album got from the music world, Felix has just released the follow up album, Kittins & Thee Glitz.

While Daft Punk’s Discovery was an inch perfect paean to the world of Sparks, soft rock and ’80s pop, Kittins… is its cooler, slightly darker big brother, a work that perfectly replicates the sounds of Jean Michel Jarre and Depeche Mode while intertwining the sleazy strut of Prince and white funk of Culture Club into its electro grooves. Add to this equation sultry Euro DJ/producer Miss Kittin’s deadpan vocals as well as contributions from fellow house heads Junior Sanchez and Harrison Crump and you’re talking about a potent sonic cocktail.

Released on the new City Rockers label, Felix explains how the move from ffrr took place.

“ffrr didn’t really understand my music, so they never really pushed it,” he explains shyly. “At the time, I was in a five year deal with them, which meant I had to do more albums. However, as soon as I played the A&R guy at ffrr my new album, he decided to leave the label. He said to me ‘You can stay here or follow me; if you follow me you only have to give me one album.’ So I followed him to City Rockers. They’ve done an incredible job; they hear punk, electro and electronic pop on the album, everything is there except house.”

Given Felix’s background it wouldn’t be unreasonable to expect some 4/4 beats, but Kittins… completely eschews his house music past. In fact, as far as Housecat is concerned, that part of his career is done and dusted and it’s time to look back to the future. “To be honest I went through my house period from 1985 to 1990; anyone can take a 4/4 kick and after a while it gets boring. I made some of the stuff on Kittins… sound deliberately retro but if you listen to my old albums they also have the same eighties influences. Everyone knows that I’m a huge Prince fan and I grew up listening to The Police, Devo, Culture Club and Depeche Mode; without sounding arrogant, I think the music industry has caught up with me.”

Apart from Housecat’s ability to make his new album sound like it actually was recorded during the ’80s, the other great thing about Kittins… is its co-star, Miss Kittin. Pouting her way through lyrical themes like sex, fame and glamour, she lends the project the desired slinky, foxy Euro chic feel. Hooking up with Kittin in her native Switzerland, Felix admits that he always wanted to work with the Swiss DJ/producer.

“She’s very different; she has a sexy way about her without trying, “ he enthuses, quickly adding, “she doesn’t take no shit but she’s easy to work with. I look up to her like Michael Jackson or Prince. Initially, we only wanted to do one track, but after the first session I realised we had something; really cool Eurotrash music.”

Ironically, after years in the music industry, and having been a victim of a number of dodgy dealings – Felix claims that until two years ago, he wasn’t even aware ‘Phantasy Girl’ was commercially available in Europe – it looks like the softly spoken Chicago producer is about to taste success with an album that completely rejects the notion of fame.

“I made the album out of bitterness and anger with how major record companies behave towards artists,” Felix laughs. “I went into the studio to make something that sounds cool to me and the whole ‘Glitz’ concept is a piss take of fashion, glamour and fame. I hope people can see that it’s just a joke and we’re not trying to be famous. In fact I didn’t even want my name or picture on the album, but the label insisted. I just hope ‘Glitz’ doesn’t make me famous!”

Kittins & Thee Glitz is out now on City Rockers