Mike "Prince Fatty" Pelanconi
Mike Pelanconi – better known by the musical alias Prince Fatty – is an Anglo-Italian record producer and audio engineer.
Early life and career
Pelanconi was born in the South East of England, to an English mother and Italian father. He spent much of his childhood in Italy, before moving to Brighton and then London as a teenager, ultimately working as a recording engineer in the music studios of Soho.In the late 1990s, then in his 20s, he moved to Los Angeles and worked with various hip-hop and soul acts, before returning to work in Europe.
Origin of the Prince Fatty name
In 2005, Stüssy created a clothing line inspired by the vivid styles of Jamaica to celebrate their 25th anniversary. They hired musicians to create a limited-edition musical single to complement it.Pelanconi was part of this group, which included Nasser Bouzida and Trevor Harding of Big Boss Man. They chose the new artist name Prince Fatty as a reference to King Tubby.
The instrumental track they wrote and recorded for Stüssy, Nina's Dance, was unexpectedly successful, getting airplay on BBC Radio 1. It was named after Pelanconi's then-partner, the mother of his child.
Survival of the Fattest
Subsequently, Pelanconi used the name for a full-length album, produced by him, called Survival of the Fattest.For this, he assembled a "supergroup" of reggae greats, including afrobeat saxophonist Bukky Leo, drummer Style Scott from the Roots Radics, Nostalgia 77's horn section, and Hammond organ by Bubblers from Ruff Cut Band. Guest vocals were provided by Hollie Cook, singer from The Slits and daughter of former Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook, as well as Winston Francis, and Little Roy.
The album was recorded on vintage analogue equipment to preserve the signature sound of reggae and dub records. Pelanconi also strove to update the sound by speeding up tempos and attempting to push the boundaries of classic dub and reggae by referencing the modern influences of hip-hop.