Feel Good Productions
From their base-camp on a remote farm nestled in the hills of north-western Italy the intrepid sonic explorers at Feel Good Productions (FGP) have been scaling the uncharted ranges on the fringes of mainstream music for the last 15 years – promoting an eclectic collection of sometimes genre defining artists who pioneer their own ‘off-road’ sounds. And, like the map makers of old, they have shed light on new musical territories for club-goers, underground ravers and aural explorers the world over.
FGP was founded in 1998 by DJ/Producers Pony Montana and Julian Scanavino (aka DJ’s Pony Rider and Funky Farmer). While the rest of the underground party scene back then was creating an almost exclusively electronic story these two individuals were seeing things differently: It was at their hillside HQ that they put on their first free rave parties and from where they grew and nurtured what was to become their trademark ‘organic eclectic’ DJ style – spinning anything from funk to leftfield, reggae & dub to psy beats and Asian mantra to Afro-rootz.
By the turn of the millennium Feel Good Productions had established themselves as a force to be reckoned with and over the next few years they continued to attract attention from all over Europe as well as further afield; They were the catalytic inspiration behind the Funkadelica club nights (which took the form of a perpetual tour of Europe and beyond!) as well as being a key part of the Asian Underground Collective – regularly spinning records alongside the big names in London’s Global Beat scene – Nelson Dilation, Pathaan and Badmarsh – who were taking ethnic vibes and new urban beats to the international club scene at large.
Their compilation ‘Funkadelica – Dancing to a Different Drum’ was released in 2001 and included in the comp was their track ‘The Feel Good Vibe’ (feat. MC Daddy E); the track was on heavy rotation on international radio and TV networks including MTV Europe and Asia and was also featured in several compilations worldwide. The Funkadelica compilation itself became a flag bearer in the genre of Global Beat compilations and is still a foundation block for anyone interested in the genre.
Production work for FGP continued through the first half of the 00’s and the fruits of this was a series of albums, EP’s, remixes and radio oriented productions featuring a fine line-up of vocalists and MC’s from all corners of the international scene including: Daddy E, Navigator, General Levy, Vaanya Diva and many more… They also continued to release their own particular flavor of compilations, showcasing their skill for bringing together their best and freshest new findings from their sonic travels in the world of global beats and world/dance crossover sounds.
Alongside their studio work, constant touring and promoting remain the roots and have become the ever-reaching branches of the Feel Good Production tree – work that has been recognised not only by their fans and supporters but also by the music industry.. They won the Viva TV ‘Best International Act’ award in 2004 and DJ Pony was an award winner at MEI (Italian independent music meeting) in the alternative performance category for ‘Best Italian DJ Set’. DJ Pony is also a seasoned festival and live act support DJ – taking on the role of tour DJ for the 2004 Womad/Dubai festival (alongside Momo) as well as for the ‘Community Music’ Italian tour (Community Music is a touring music school formed by Asian Dub Foundation).
Feel Good Productions continue, through the unquenchable thirst for exploration and passion of its founders, to create and support a rich global network of music and musicians and to get their sounds out there to the waiting ears of a well earned and loyal fan base … keep in touch with them online via at www.feelgoodproductions.com / soundcloud / twitter and facebook.
ⓒ Wordsmith 2011
