Fila Brazillia
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Biografía
- Fila Brazillia were the most popular and acclaimed of the noted Pork Recordings stable. Formed in 1990 in Hull, UK by Steve Cobby and David McSherry.How do you profile a prolific polymath whose fiercely independent spirit, inventiveness, sense of humour and proudly ‘trans-categorical’ approach to music has been delighting listeners and confounding critics for over three decades? In these circumstances, it’s usual to list achievements and career highlights, but in the case of Steve Cobby, that would barely scratch the surface. A one-man production line who records, releases and promotes his music from a shed-turned-studio (the ‘Shedio’) in the back garden of his Kingston-Upon-Hull home, Cobby is a musician, composer, producer, remixer, DJ and label owner all rolled into one impossible-to-pigeonhole package. In some ways, this is the essence of Steve Cobby’s music, too. Aside from consistent quality, his vast catalogue is marked out by two things: a keenness for collaboration and a chameleon-like ability to deliver emotive, melodious and engaging music that frequently nestles the grey areas between different sounds and styles. This key sonic trait first became apparent with the emergence of Fila Brazillia, his long-standing collaboration with fellow Hull native David ‘Man’ McSherry, in 1991. Initially born out of a desire to be creative free of the constraints often imposed by the established music industry, Fila Brazillia delivered a string of inspired singles and albums, most frequently on Pork Recordings, a label established by Cobby co-founded. On the back of a string of loved-up dancefloor and downtempo classics, the pair became in-demand remixers, adding their trademark touch to a wealth of tracks from the likes of Radiohead, Simple Minds, A Certain Ratio, The Orb and Black Uhuru, and toured the world with an expanded line-up. There have been other collaborative projects too – the ZTT-signed Heights of Abraham, early UK deep house quartet Deep Six, Hey Rube! with Cabaret Voltaire’s Stephen Mallinder, BBC with post-punk and dub legend Dennis Bovell and Jim Brown, and one-off singles with the likes of rapper Dijinji Brown, Crazy P frontwoman Danielle Moore and the late Richard H Kirk – but just as many solo releases. Cobby’s first forays into solo studio work came in the 1990s, primarily as The Solid Doctor but also under a variety of one-off pseudonyms. In 2014, he reverted to his given name for the release of acclaimed album Saudade on Declasse, a ‘DIY label’ he founded to release his own material. Since then, he has delivered a string of sublime solo sets – including the immensely personal and poignant I’ve Loved You All My Life (2021) and 2023’s inspired The New Law of Righteousness – all of which combine acoustic, electric and electronic instrumentation and draw on Cobby’s disparate musical tastes and penchant for creating both dancefloor-focused music and immersive, headphone-friendly soundscapes. Cobby’s close-knit ties to his home city have continued to root him and inform his work. He soundtracked the music for Hull’s successful 2017 City of Culture bid and recorded two albums with fellow Hullensian Russ Litten, whose poetic spoken word contributions frequently referenced local history, heritage, and the East Coast experience.̸Albums Old Codes New Chaos (1994) Maim That Tune (1995) Mess (1996) Black Market Gardening (1996) Luck Be a Weirdo Tonight (1997) Power Clown (1998) A Touch of Cloth (1999) Jump Leads (2002) The Life and Times of Phoebus Brumal (2004) Dicks (2004) Subtle Body (International Feel, 2023) Singles Mermaids (Pork Recordings, 1991) Rankine (Pork Recordings, 1992) Fila Funk/Rankine (Live At Bounce) (Pork Recordings, 1993) Pots & Pans/The Sheriff (Pork Recordings, 1993) Slacker (Pork Recordings, 1994) A Zed & Two L’s/Harmonicas Are Shite (Pork Recordings, 1995) Soft Music Under Stars/Blood (Pork Recordings, 1996) Wigs, Bifocals And Nurishment (Pork Recordings, 1997) The Speewah/Feathery Legs (Pork Recordings, 1998) Bovine Funk/Here Comes Pissy Willy (Pork Recordings, 1998) Throwing Down A Shape (Pork Recordings, 1998) FB@V&A (Pork Recordings, 2001) Fila Brazillia Versus A Certain Ratio (Pork Recordings, 2003) Fila Brazillia Remix Beef Wellington & DJ Razor (Pork Recordings, 2003) The Goggle Box (Pork Recordings, 2004) Neanderthal (Twentythree Records, 2007) One Track Mind (Twentythree Records, 2007) EPs Sycot Motion (Mindfood, 1996) Ridden Pony (Pork Recordings, 1999) Bitten Bugs (Pork Recordings, 1999) Spill The Beans (Pork Recordings, 2001) Three White Roses & A Budd (with Harold Budd and Bill Nelson) (Twentythree Records, 2002 – recorded 2000) Saucy Joints (Twentythree Records, 2002) We Build Arks (Twentythree Records, 2002) One Track Mind (Twentythree Records, 2007) MMXX (Twentythree Records, 2020) Compilations Music for Freelance (1999) Retrospective (Twentythree Records, 2006) Remixes Brazilification (Remixes 95–99) (Kudos, 1999) 21 Brazilliant Remixes (B2) (Twentythree Records, 2003) Soul Sauce on Verve Remixed 2 (Verve Music Group, 2003) DJ mix albums Another Late Night: Fila Brazillia (2001) Another Fine Mess: Fila Brazillia (2004)
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