Back in the 1999 the club kids had come and gone, the raves were dying and much of the Electronica music sound was tired. Many were starting to feel the music might be at the end of it's line when New York City duo Ming and FS brought something fresh to the genre when they released Hell's Kitchen. That sound, Junkyard, was a blend of Hip Hop's tempo and swagger with Drum and Bass' frenetic energy. Over the course of the next five years Ming and FS continued to release albums and tour the world with an amazing live show. These two djs nimbly scratched and blended off each other to create live (re)mixes of songs; both their own and others. They could also pickup real instruments for some variations on the theme. Also the firsts to tour using purely CD-turntables...they always seemed at the forefront of innovation and progression. In 2004 they released Back To One and...well that appeared to be it. They played a few more shows over the course of the next few years but noise from the Ming and FS camp mostly went silent.Then trolling through Myspace I heard an incredible, yet somewhat progressive sounding, pop song by Kirstin Price. Lo and behold that was co-written and produced by FS. I decided to look up Fred Sargolini (as the goverment no doubt knows him) to see the status of Ming and FS and find out about the future of music.
5151: The Ming and FS website lists a show that is coming up on a year old as the "next show" and there are few updates to the site (none leading to your solo myspace page or current projects)....so what's up with Ming and FS?
FS: Ming + FS is on indefinite hiatus. In 2006 I launched my own company called Patriarch Recordings. I felt a strong need to focus on Production and Composing, and as cliché as it may sound, it was just time for a change. Some of the things I'm excited about are Kirsten Price's record coming out on Sony/Columbia. I produced and co-wrote 7+ songs on her untitled debut album. She has an incredible voice and I find her style to be a mix of Janis Joplin meets Tina Turner.
5151: These last few months have seen you working with hip hop artists, a pop singer and like-minded genre blenders Diet Kong...is this the Future of Fred Sargolini?
FS: This is the future of Music. I believe the kids growing up today don't see the traditional genre lines as we old timers do. Bands like Gnarles Barkley and LCD Sound System will one day be the norm. Art, music, and commerce are blending like never before. People want good music, not just good "hip hop", or just good "rock". And by people, I mean young kids, not us grumpy old farts who complain too much.
5151: What drives you to work with such different projects?
FS: I find the term "drives" very interesting. Actually, it feels a bit like that. I often feel suddenly compelled to start on a project or work with a specific artist. I don't know why. Instinct or boredom or a mixture of both.
5151: How much are you involved in the albums by Diet Kong and Kirstin Price? Are you a main songwriter across the entire albums or a guest to drop some different flavor?
FS: I usually write at least 50% of every song I produce. To me, production and writing are very intertwined. The more you understand a song, the better you can produce it, and you innately understand best what you write. I produced and co-wrote 7+ songs on Kirsten's album. As I said, she has an incredible, sultry voice and it's an honor to work with her. With Diet Kong, the album was entirely Produced and Co-written by me. So I'm heavily involved, and emotionally committed.
Above the music, I like to help artists develop in any way possible. Keith Gladzys, the lead singer/artist of Diet Kong, has been my friend for over 10 years and it was finally time for us to sit down and do a project together. His talents go way beyond singing. He is one of my
favorite, visual artists. He is a big inspiration to a lot of my own visual art. Keith was also gracious enough to let me direct a music video for the first single "Much Love In The Evil Sound". So I'm very much into the "you help me, help you, help me" type situations. Do the art properly and the commerce will follow.
5151: Will you be touring with any of these acts?
FS: Not if I can help it.......There is so much art and music that just can't be accomplished from the road. Occasionally I do miss the good drink and random socializing.......but not for thirty nights in a row. It was hard for me to feel inspired on the road.
5151: The song for CSI is dope (and probably lucrative)....can we expect to hear more FS on our TV sets?
FS: Yes - more on the TV and on the Big Screen as we type. Here are some recent placements and gigs:
- FS Beatz (Frederick Sargolini) Feat. Northern League in the #1 movie Stomp The Yard.
- "Magic Tree" in - CSI, and The L Word
- Working on a new theme for an "untitled" show on the WE network.
- MTV has used various songs, most recently - Bam's Unholy Union, Jenifer Lopez's Dance Life, Adventures In HollyHood feat. Three 6 Mafia
FS: Maybe Reno 911? or Aqua Teen Hunger Force? That would be very interesting and quirky.
5151: Your myspace page gives a glimpse not only of your varied musical interests but also your visual arts. Is there a style or form of art in which you feel most comfortable? A style/form you won't touch?
FS: My natural tendency is to disregard labels or forms of any kind, both in music and art. I've been a visual artist all my life but this is my fist public display of any kind. Art always played second fiddle to music. I'm sure I will soon be shoved in a box of some kind but right
now I'm enjoying creating in the void. So I don't know if I can honestly answer your question. I find way too many artists know exactly what they don't want to do. I do not create that way; I try not to have those aversions. I hope to cover as many styles and forms as time will permit.
5151: Job interview style....Where does FS see himself in 10 years?
FS: Directing, producing, composing, creating something somewhere.
5151: Thanks for the interview.....one final question....can you please tell us a little about the song(s) you provided for download?
FS: Your welcome, great questions.
- "Barbouze" is my new project that reinterprets the experimental,disco-hip hop, sound emerging from France.
- "FS Beatz" is me creating the finest music in abstract hip hop.
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