Thundercat

All Music Guide:

Stephen "Thundercat" Bruner spent the last part of the new millennium's first decade becoming the go-to bassist for practically every artist in black vanguard music. His nimble, syncopated, groove-heavy basslines were heard on albums by Erykah Badu, Sa-Ra, Flying Lotus, and others. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Bruner had the good fortune to be part of a music family. His father, Ronald Bruner, Sr., was an accomplished drummer, working with artists like Diana Ross, the Temptations, and Gladys Knight. Bruner's older brother, Ronald Jr., a Grammy-winning drummer, has worked with esteemed artists such as Kenny Garrett and Stanley Clarke.

Bruner's first major work came as a teenager; while still in high school, he joined Ronald as part of the L.A.-based punk band Suicidal Tendencies, replacing Robert Trujillo, who moved on to play with Metallica. At live shows, the young Bruner displayed flair and dexterity, playing some of Trujillo's three-finger riffs with just his thumb. Possessing a kinship and interest in the L.A.-led movement of genre-mixing black music, Bruner began collaborating with some of its foremost creators. His basswork on "The Cell" was, perhaps, the standout musicianship on Badu's New Amerykah, Pt. 1. He appeared on J*Davey's version of Frank Zappa's "Dirty Love," Sa-Ra's "Love Czars," Shafiq Husayn's "Cheeba," and Bilal's "Levels," and even collaborated with bass legend Bootsy Collins on Snoop Dogg's "We Rest in Cali," among dozens of other cuts. During that time, he performed live with conductor Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, who led the Suite for Ma Dukes orchestra, a contemporary ensemble that revisited J Dilla's Donuts.

Bruner's most prolific and fruit-bearing musical relationship has been with DJ/producer/instrumentalist Flying Lotus, for whom he provided both bass and vocals for 2010's Cosmogramma. Lotus then served as executive producer for Bruner's 2011 debut, The Golden Age of Apocalypse, which he released under his Thundercat moniker on Brainfeeder. Golden Age received considerable acclaim, notably for Bruner's acrobatic bass and his repurposed take on '70s-inspired fusion from George Duke and Jaco Pastorius, the bassist to whom he's most compared. Bruner's darker second album, 2013's Apocalypse, was recorded in the wake of close friend and collaborator Austin Peralta's passing.

Wikipedia:

Thundercat was originally the name of a series of snowmobiles produced by Arctic Cat from 1993 to 2002, the most powerful snowmobiles of their era. In 2007, Arctic Cat re-introduced the name for a line of all-terrain vehicles.

Description[edit]

In its time the Thundercat series was considered one of the fastest and the most powerful sleds available. This is partially due to its counterbalanced big-bore case-reed triple cylinder engines available in 900 or 1000 cc sizes, which produced up to 175 horsepower. The Thundercat has since been replaced by the ZR900 in 2003 and in 2007 was replaced by the F1000. The Thundercat is still considered to be the most powerful production snowmobile to this day. The Arctic Cat Thundercat belongs to an elite group of classic two stroke musclesleds which also includes the Arctic Cat ZRT 800, Polaris XCR 800, and the Skidoo Mach Z.

Chassis used[edit]

Thundercat 900

Thundercat 1000

Name reuse[edit]

In July 2007, Arctic Cat revived the Thundercat name, affixing it to their new 950cc V-twin motivated ATV. Perhaps appropriately, it is the largest and most powerful ATV ever built.