Felix da Housecat

Felix da Housecat (born Felix Stallings Jr., August 25, 1971, Chicago, Illinois) is an American DJ and record producer, mostly known for house music and electroclash.

Felix is regarded as a member of the second wave of Chicago house and has produced an eclectic mic of sound since from resolute acid and techno warrior to avant-garde nu-skool electro-disco. He gained fame not only via his recordings (under a number of aliases), including Mezcalateer, Thee Maddkatt Courtship, Aphrohead and Sharkimaxx, but also for his ownership of Radikal Fear Records.

Life

Beginnings

Stallings developed an interest in the emergent Chicago house music scene at a young age. While a student at Rich East High School in Park Forest, Illinois in the mid-1980s, a chance introduction to acid house pioneer DJ Pierre gave the then 15-year-old Stallings his break, and under the patronage and guidance of Pierre, he released his first single, "Phantasy Girl," in 1987.

Also in 1987, Felix went to Alabama State University to study media and communication. There he studied different musicians of the era, including Prince, A Tribe Called Quest, and Gang Starr, as well as developing an interest in hip hop and R&B tracks.

Nina Simone

Nina Simone (/ˈniːnə sᵻˈmoʊn/; born Eunice Kathleen Waymon; February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003) was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, and civil rights activist who worked in a broad range of musical styles including classical, jazz, blues, folk, R&B, gospel, and pop.

Born in North Carolina, the sixth child of a preacher, Simone aspired to be a concert pianist. With the help of her supporters in Tryon, she enrolled in the Juilliard School of Music in New York but was unable to continue because of the high fees. She was later denied a scholarship to study at the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, despite a well-received audition. Simone became fully convinced her rejection had been entirely due to her race, a statement that has been a matter of controversy.

To make a living, Simone chose to play "cocktail piano" at a night club in Atlantic City, where she was told she had to sing to her own accompaniment, effectively launching her career as a jazz vocalist. She recorded more than forty albums, mostly between 1958, when she made her debut with Little Girl Blue, and 1974, and had a hit in the United States in 1958 with "I Loves You, Porgy".