Freaky Flow

All Music Guide:

One of the most recognized DJs in Toronto, North America's drum'n'bass mecca, Freaky Flow began extending his reach in the late '90s, signing an album deal with Moonshine and touring relentlessly. By the early 2000s, his efforts paid large dividends: he had become one of North America's top drum'n'bass DJs, alongside other luminaries such as Dieselboy and AK1200. Furthermore, Freaky Flow's fame also elevated MC Flipside's status, the DJ's longtime exclusive MC.

Though born in Philadelphia, Freaky Flow moved to Toronto at a young age. There he took an interest in hip-hop, culminating in his decision to begin DJing. It wasn't long before he was cutting and scratching, in addition to mixing records. Then, once drum'n'bass began making its way from England to North America, Freaky Flow changed his style, excited by the possibilities of using his DJing skills -- honed from years of cutting, scratching, and mixing hip-hop -- to spin drum'n'bass. It also helped that Toronto became North America's drum'n'bass mecca, adopting the style as its own just as Detroit had done with techno, Chicago with house, and New York with garage-house.

By the late '90s, Freaky Flow was one of Toronto's most championed drum'n'bass DJs, standing out from the crowd not only because of his already-honed skills but also because of MC Flipside, who never failed to accompany the DJ during his many live performances. In addition to DJing, Freaky Flow also began producing tracks in the mid- to late '90s, working for Placebo Recordings (distributed by Stickman Records). His first nationally distributed mix album, Obscene Underground (1999), took him to the next level. Soon Freaky Flow was no longer confined to the lively Toronto scene; drum'n'bass fans around the world were now able to hear his obvious talents. The remarkable success of Obscene Underground led to a multiple-album deal with Moonshine, one of North America's leading -- if not North America's leading -- dance label. Freaky Flow's partnership with Moonshine opened yet more doors for the Toronto DJ, who was internationally recognized at this point.

Wikipedia:

Freaky Flow is the stage name of Stephen Grey a drum and bass hip hop DJ.

Biography

Life

Freaky Flow was born in 1977 as Stephen Grey in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1979 with his parents, he relocated to Toronto, Ontario, Canada. While attending high school, he began to DJ as a hobby. Eventually it developed into a career while earning a Bachelor of Arts Degree at the University of Toronto. In 2009, he moved to Los Angeles, California. He has dual citizenship in the United States and Canada.

Name Origin

“...The way I got Freaky Flow was when I first started spinning anything, it was hip-hop. Then drum and bass caught my attention and I started getting into that. I heard drum and bass, but even as I heard it for the first time, I was still feeling like hip-hop could be incorporated into it.

Now this was six, seven years ago, when hip-hop and jungle blending together was just an unheard of thing. The two scenes were separate and segregated, and people didn't want to mix the two crowds. Hip-hop purists were just as bad as jungle purists. Hip-hop purists didn't want drum and bass invading their territory, and junglists had this misconception that all hip-hop jams are violent, and all hip-hop lyrics were violent.

But I like the energy of hip-hop and I started mixing that into drum and bass, and the crowd took really well to it. But other key figures didn't. They didn't like the fact that I was doing this.

So my flow was different. And I was labled [sic] a freak. Hence, Freaky Flow. Additionally, there was also that Jeru the Damaga [sic] song "Come Clean," where he happens to say those two words together, back-to-back and I thought, ‘Oh, that's great, I can scratch with that.’”

Career

In 1993, Freaky Flow first began DJing mainly at house parties and small events. He started his career in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

In 1995, Freaky Flow was “introduced” at the very first Liquid Adrenaline event in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

In 1995, Freaky Flow released his first DJ mix tape, entitled Music To Make You Freak – Volume 1. In the years that followed, Freaky Flow released seven additional mixes, in audio cassette form, prior to releasing his first CD in 1999.

In 1997, Freaky Flow launched Placebo Recordings (a subsidiary of Stickman Records) with MC Flipside, and The Stickmen. The label produced three vinyl records.

In 1999, Freaky Flow released his first DJ mix CD, entitled Obscene Underground – Volume 1: Freaky Flow (often referred to as “Tits”, due to the album artwork, which bares this word on the front of it), which has sold over 20,000 units in Canada (and was not widely released outside of Canada). To date, this is the highest-selling drum and bass mix album ever released in Canada.

In 2001, Freaky Flow was signed to Moonshine Music (which had also released mix albums by DJ Keoki, D:Fuse, DJ Micro, AK1200, DJ Baby Anne, DJ Dara, Cirrus, Anabolic Frolic, Ferry Corsten, and others). That same year, on Moonshine Music, he released his first mix CD outside of Canada, entitled World Domination.

In 2002, Freaky Flow released another album on Moonshine Music, entitled Keep It Live, his first ever commercially released live recording. The album is hosted by MC Flipside, and was recorded at an event in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

In 2004, Freaky Flow released the album The Envy, on New York label, Topaz Records.

In 2005, Freaky Flow independently released another mix CD, entitled Flashback, featuring only songs that he had written, co-written, or remixed since the start of his career.

In 2007, Freaky Flow launched a new record label, Freaky Flow Recordings. That same year, the label released the debut album of the Canadian electronic music group, The Heavy Petters (often billed as Freaky Flow Presents: The Heavy Petters). The album was entitled Smell The Glove. Freaky Flow served as Executive Producer.

In 2009, Freaky Flow released the mix album The Furious Factor on New York’s Moist Music, as a joint-venture with Furious Records. This album was a retrospective mix compilation made up entirely of notable releases on Toronto-based drum and bass label, Furious Records.

In 2011, Freaky Flow continued his Volume mix series (the last of which was Volume 008, several years earlier), with two new mixes, Volume 009 and Volume 010, both given away free online.

Grey has also been known to include music from other genres in his DJ sets, ranging from Fleetwood Mac to Don Henley. He is the owner of Freaky Flow Recordings (a division of Freaky Flow Entertainment Group), the record label that released the Canadian electronic music group, The Heavy Petters (often billed as "Freaky Flow Presents: The Heavy Petters").

Having released six mix CDs in total, Freaky Flow has sold more drum and bass mix albums than any other Canadian DJ. In Canada, Freaky Flow has sold more drum and bass mix albums than any other DJ from anywhere in the world, including the best-selling drum and bass mix album ever released in Canada, Obscene Underground – Volume 1: Freaky Flow (often referred to as “Tits”, due to the album artwork, which bares this word on the front of it), which has sold over 20,000 units in Canada (and was not widely released outside of Canada).

Freaky Flow has performed in over ten countries, including Canada, the United States, Japan, Slovenia, and others. He is also currently sponsored by gsus sindustries, a clothing company, and represented by Circle Management, a DJ booking agency.