Contact: Chris Dedrick, chris[@]chrisdedrick[.]com
Influences
Although the Free Design attribute some of their influences to contemporaries of the day (Beach Boys, the Association), it's also important to note today's artists who continue to draw inspiration from the Free Design's work:
Cornelius, Stereolab, Belle & Sebastian, the High Llamas, Kid Koala, Caribou, The Orange Peels, Bela, Danger Mouse, Super Furry Animals, Pizzicato Five, Beck, Peantu Butter Wolf ...
The release was co-produced by Chris Dedrick, whose elaborate backing vocals and brass arrangements evoke an era of meticulous craft, adorning the songs with breathtaking ornamentation executed by the True North Brass ensemble.
The Free Design were a Delevan, New York-based vocal group playing jazzy pop music. Their music can also be described as sunshine pop and baroque pop, which were pop music subgenres at the time.
The members were all members of the Dedrick family: Chris Dedrick (who wrote most of the songs), sister Sandy and brother Bruce were the original lineup. Younger sister Ellen joined the group later, as did cousin Jeff Dedrick for a brief time, and youngest sister Stefanie joined near the end of their initial career. Their father, Art, was a trombonist and music arranger. Their uncle, Rusty, was a jazz trumpeter with Claude Thornhill and Red Norvo. They formed the band while living in New York City. Chris has said the group was influenced by vocal groups like The Hi-Los (who performed in Greenwich Village frequently at the time) along with Peter, Paul and Mary and the counterpoint experiments of Benjamin Britten. Their trademark sound involved complex harmonies, jazz-like chord progressions, and off-beat time signatures, all products of Chris's classical training.
The band released seven albums from 1967 to 1972, the first six on Enoch Light's Project 3 label and the last one, There is a Song, on the Ambrotype label. For the most part, they were accompanied on the albums by studio musicians.
After the breakup, Chris Dedrick recorded a solo album, Be Free, which went unreleased until 2000, then moved to Toronto, where he became a music producer, arranger, classical composer and soundtrack composer.
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"Love You" was used in a Drumstick Ice Cream commercial on Australian television in January 2007. The lyrics of "Love You" make reference to the famous Australian folk song Waltzing Matilda and there is also a line which says "Joey catch a kangaroo".
FREE DESIGN REDSIGNED SERIES
The Now Sound - Redesigned - THE CD
Highlights include Stones Throw’s official beat conducter Madlib, who turns ‘Where Do I Go’ into an afro-funk celebration. Belle & Sebastian's Chris Geddes envisions ‘2002 – A Hit Song’ as a four-on-the-floor stomper and Danger Mouse & Murs make their debut collaboration with a wicked twist on the unreleased track ‘To A Black Boy’.
Caribou delivers an insane 8 minute free jazz psych opus while the Super Furry Animals and Sterolab & the High Llamas celebrate their love of the group with their trademark sound. Previously unreleased works include Styrofoam's fresh take on ‘I Found Love’, Koushik with Dudley Perkins add some deep hip hop to ‘Don’t Cry Baby’ and reknowned turntablist’s Kid Koala & Dynomite D rework the darkest song in The Free Design’s catalogue, ‘An Elegy’. Far from being another boring tribute piece, 'Redesigned’s musical testimonials speak for themselves. Everyone involved has sought something deeper than your average remix: obvious testaments to The Free Design’s unique brand of feel good pop psych.
Volume One in the series begins with five acts eager to honor The Free Design: Peanut Butter Wolf, the Los Angeles based turntable titan and owner of Stones Throw Records (his first solo material in ages!); Seattle's legendary crate-diggers the Sharpshooters; the ultimate beat conductor and Blue Note recording artist Madlib; twee kings Belle & Sebastian's Chris Geddes and DJ Hush Puppy; and the psych-friendly French group Mellow (composers of Roman Coppola's "CQ" Soundtrack). With fresh takes on classic tracks, these artists create The Free Design Redesigned, Volume One - first in a series of 12-inch E.P.'s...
First up, Grey Album mastermind Danger Mouse & DefJux legend Murs make their debut collaboration with a wicked remix of the unreleased Free Design track "To A Black Boy". Murs pens a rhyme for the ages in response to 18-year old Marcus Dixon's unjust 10-year prison sentence (Fortunately, Dixon was released from prison in May of this year).
Volume 2 also includes an insane 8-minute free jazz psych opus by Caribou (formerly Manitoba); Ubiquity's DJ Nobody teams up with keyboardist Ikey Owens of Mars Volta on the brilliant "Girls Alone"; Welsh rockers Super Furry Animals take on "The Proper Ornaments"; and Stereolab collaborates w/ Sean O'Hagan & The High Llamas, presenting a magnificent Free Design medley, mixing over a half-dozen Free Design classics into electronic moog madness a la Blade Runner.
Proving that the musical universe is indeed cyclical, the third and final installment of The Free Design Redesigned series comes to a full-circle with another assortment of contemporary notables up for the challenge of reinterpreting selections from The Free Design's staggering catalog (available on CD and LP from Light In The Attic).
Witness turntable virtuoso Kid Koala & Beastie Boys/Modest Mouse remixer Dynomite D. transform "An Elegy" into a baroque jazz-infused bomb, deftly cutting the haunting vocals into the moody mix, while Morr Music's Styrofoam & Sarah Shannon (formerly of Velocity Girl) beautifully rework the 1968 classic "I Found Love" into a fuzzed-out summer-feeling anthem. Stones Throw artists Koushik & Dudley Perkins' "Don't Cry Baby" (plus instrumental) brings an even bigger smile to the original with chopped-up break beats, soulful laidback vocals from Perkins, and a taste of The Free Design's original.
As a special bonus, Volume 3 sees three original Free Design gems making their vinyl debut. "To A Black Boy" is an unreleased standout so skillfully manipulated by Grey Album/Gorillaz producer Danger Mouse and DefJux legend Murs on Volume 2. "Don't Cry Baby (Paddy's Reprise)" is a remix exclusive to this edition. Rounding out the EP is a unique slice of early '70s pop culture exposing the jingle writing skills of Chris Dedrick for none other than Chapstick.
I'm hitting the road in a couple of weeks to raise money for War Child, Coast-to-coast – 50 cities – ALL PROCEEDS TO WARCHILD. Why? 66% of all war victims are CHILDREN. Shocked like me? War Child helps these children that have been affected by war. Check out the new blog – the whole story is up there. Love to have you be a part of it.
You’ll find a Blog, Tour page and a Bio page. I’ll be blogging daily from the road.
Yo Free Design - "Love You" used in a TV ad for Toyota!!! Fantastic! Bringing a little sunshine sound to those that don't know of you! Great! Jared xxx
The Biggest, Baddest, Mofoz Lowdown Around this Town...heres our latest design, an homage to the classic that is The Last Dragon...only 40 made, bout half are gone..buy them with paypal at our myspace or at our site at http://www.mofozvisualz.com ..stay doing big things with the power of the Glow.
The Now Sound - Redesigned - THE CD
Volume One in the series begins with five acts eager to honor The Free Design: Peanut Butter Wolf, the Los Angeles based turntable titan and owner of Stones Throw Records (his first solo material in ages!); Seattle's legendary crate-diggers the Sharpshooters; the ultimate beat conductor and Blue Note recording artist Madlib; twee kings Belle & Sebastian's Chris Geddes and DJ Hush Puppy; and the psych-friendly French group Mellow (composers of Roman Coppola's "CQ" Soundtrack). With fresh takes on classic tracks, these artists create The Free Design Redesigned, Volume One - first in a series of 12-inch E.P.'s...
First up, Grey Album mastermind Danger Mouse & DefJux legend Murs make their debut collaboration with a wicked remix of the unreleased Free Design track "To A Black Boy". Murs pens a rhyme for the ages in response to 18-year old Marcus Dixon's unjust 10-year prison sentence (Fortunately, Dixon was released from prison in May of this year).
Proving that the musical universe is indeed cyclical, the third and final installment of The Free Design Redesigned series comes to a full-circle with another assortment of contemporary notables up for the challenge of reinterpreting selections from The Free Design's staggering catalog (available on CD and LP from Light In The Attic).
