Originating from Manchester, England and signed to the city's famed Grand Central Records label, Peter Parker (b. Dan Baxter) and Sneaky (b. Simon Houghton) have released two albums of downbeat hip-hop under their moniker, Fingathing. Parker and Sneaky first began playing together in the backing band of Grand Central pioneers Rae And Christian. They inaugurated their own recording career in 2000 with the funky "Atomic Drop" appearing on Grand Central compilation, Central Heating 2. Their passion for instrumental hip-hop informed the same year's debut, The Main Event. The concept was simple but effective, with Parker doing the scratching (and as a former DMC champion the quality is excellent) and the classically trained Sneaky playing the double bass.
Although fresh is a word that can be over used in the hip-hop community, Fingathing's follow-up, Superhero Music, certainly added a new spin to the instrumental hip-hop genre. From the comedy breaks of "Drunken Master II" to the superb mood-driven "Haze", the album expanded upon the blueprint of their debut to great effect. The duo perform live with recruits including Danny Ward aka Dubble D (drums/percussion), Steve Brown (keyboards) and DJ Treva Whateva, with spectacular live visuals supplied by resident artist Chris Drury. Fingathing supported one of their notable influences, DJ Shadow in 2002.
DISCOGRAPHY: The Main Event (Grand Central 2000)***, Superhero Music (Grand Central 2002)****, Fingathing And The Big Red Nebula Band (Grand Central 2004)***.
Encyclopedia of Popular Music
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