UK Indie Dance Powerhouse Chocolate Fireguard Music, LTD. Grooves Towards the Cutting Edge with Hip-Hop Unit Practical Headz Four Piece Group's Explosive Debut 'Who Iz It? Currently Available on CD Baby

Ensemble Will Join Popular CFM Labelmates Kava Kava, La Cedille And Others At 4th Annual Timeless Festival in Huddersfield September 10, 2005


Already established as one of the UK’s premier dance
music tastemakers by virtue of its releases by psychedelic dance/rockers Kava Kava (Maui) and the innovative compilation Interesting Flavours, the Huddersfield, West Yorkshire based Chocolate Fireguard Music, Ltd. took the grooves even further earlier this year with the release of Vu Du Large by French hip-hoppers La Cedille and Brave by Wakefield based The Bluefoot Project.

Now, CFM dives funk-first into the burgeoning UK hip hop scene with the release of Who Iz It?, the bold and aggressive debut by Practical Headz, a four piece ensemble of rappers and producers hailing from the Dalton Area of Huddersfield. Yet another must-have import out of CFM founder (and Kava Kava frontman) Pat Fulgoni’s home base, Who Iz It? is currently available for purchase online via CD Baby. Fulgoni, who calls the group’s in your face, darker edged, synth based sound “very different from American hip-hop” is currently putting together a deal for brick and mortar U.S. distribution.

Practical Headz, whose members are known as Bishop, Fingaz, Spida Lee and The Practical Hand—and whose vocals blend strong Yorkshire accents with distinctively exotic flavors from Carriacou, their ancestral homeland island in the West Indies--will be among the headliners on September 10 at the 4th Timeless Festival. The foursome made their debut as a local showcase act at the festival in 2002.

The Timeless Festival is an annual community event held at Ravensknowle Park on Wakefield Road in Huddersfield. Attended annually by approximately 7,000 people, the festival is the brainchild of Fulgoni, who each year offers a slate of famous acts and showcases for deserving, up and coming local artists; genres range from dub music to hip hop, funk, break and rock. Other performers this year include DJ Vadim’s Oneself (Ninja Tune), Rodney P (BBC Radio 1 Xtra), Transglobal Underground, Panjabi Hit Squad (BBC Radio 1 Xtra), Kava Kava, La Cedille, Ground Wurq, Flexible Future featuring DJ T-Rex (a French drum ‘n’ bass collective), Nex, Mary Jane and many more. Acts perform on three stages, and the festival includes freestyling and DJ workshops.

Despite the success of a major area regeneration Programme, a recent reminder of the fragility of inner city life was the shocking revelation that one of the suicide bombers in the recent London bombings was in fact from the Dalton area of Huddersfield, another two from the surrounding area. Spida Lee comments: “we’re trying to promote a nice vibe through it all. The musical opportunities presented by Chocolate Fireguard and the Timeless Music Project offer will hopefully attract creative kids who might otherwise take their lives in harder directions”

Practical Headz, whose debut album features tracks like “Get the F**k Out!”, “Stop The Diction,” “Reality” and “Throw Ya Handz Up!”, is mostly studio based but has performed gigs in London and Birmingham. Their meteoric rise in UK hip-hop circles has drawn incredible praise from a wide variety of top music publications, radio DJs and artists alike.

Daddy G from Massive Attack says, “These guys are great. ‘Get The F**k Out should be the next single. Really good.” AIM exclaims, “Four heavy tracks, fresh production and tight rhymes. ‘Reality’ is my pick. Very good.” The accolades go on and on: “Heavy! More peeps putting Yorkshire on the map!” (Kidkanevil ‘Statelesss,’ Leeds/UK); “Nice to hear some good music come out of Huddersfield – good quality EP with Reality getting the nod for radio support.” (Tom Simpson, The Dugout on Juice 107.2, Bristol); “Solid as a rock! Very good” (Mr. Morgan – Electriks, Manchester); and “Interesting to hear material that isn’t based in London. Reality is really good for my floors” (Paul Turner, Voodoo/CFEX, Plymouth).

The incredible sonic quality of Who Iz It? was noted by Nick Maxwell of Brighton/London, who says, “Some seriously heavy production on this 12”! It starts off well with ‘Get The F**k Out, which is a massive beat, and ‘Stop the Diction’ is equally as powerful!”

The humorous side of Practical Headz is also becoming a big part of the group’s notoriety on the hip-hop scene as well. “Ha!” says Ian Cracknell of “Vibra Recs” in Sheffield. “Get the F**k Out’ is hilarious, really cheered up an otherwise grey morning. Really like ‘Reality’ – giving plays and may drop on a future mix-tape – nice 12”

Chocolate Fireguard Music’s most notable Stateside releases over the past few years include Maui, the third album by Kava Kava, songs from which received airplay on more than 300 college radio stations and have been licensed all over including a slot in new Showtime TV series ‘The Weeds’ ; Interesting Flavours, a sizzling compilation featuring tracks from Freddy Fresh, Jason Sparks, Kava Kava, Bentley Rhythm Ace, The Bluefoot Project and La Cedille; Brave by The Bluefoot Project, a hybrid band led by vocalist Rachel Modest, whom one critic called “a smouldering fusion of raw soul, tortured blues, slick jazzy break beats and gritty funk”; and Vu Du Large by the hard driving, seven piece French hip-hop ensemble La Cedille.

“Practical Headz are really talented and as with all artists I sign to the label, have an enormous amount of soul,” says Fulgoni. “I think adding them to our roster really helps us diversify, and with this release it’s exciting to be part of the ever-expanding, influential UK hip hop scene.”