Felix Da Housecat is King

By Rema Rahman
Published: August 25th, 2009 | 12:00am

There isn’t a lot to see on stage when a DJ takes to the turntables. Many fiercely concentrate on the music; others spend the time crouching below their equipment, looking for the next record to play. But when Felix Da Housecat gets behind the turntables, one thing is apparent — he is having a very good time.

From London, the same city that began his legacy, Felix describes how he feels on stage. “The scale is ripping through my veins, and the flow is going through my brain. I will take it to a point that, when they leave to go home, they don’t forget what just happened.” The famed DJ and producer is always ready, and has a game plan to make sure at least some people leave satisfied after his sets. “I try to educate them. I try to play what they want, and if that doesn’t work, I’m just going to give it to you like you wish you never got it that way.”

Electroclash is not old enough as a genre to have a granddad, but Felix Da Housecat has long been hailed as its forefather. Barreling out of Chicago’s famed house scene of the early ‘90s, Felix Stallings spent his teenage years DJing clubs — much to his parents’ disapproval — eventually latching onto DJ Pierre. While his college years saw him abandon music entirely, Felix regained his musical momentum soon after graduation from Alabama State University.

Playing under various monikers, including Aphrohead and Thee Maddkatt Courtship, he eventually landed in London with DJ Pierre when he was around 23. “I always wanted to make it in London ever since I first saw the Beatles,” says Felix. “I thought if I could make it in London, I could make it anywhere. When I went to England, they accepted me, and that’s when Felix Da Housecat was born.”

Since then, the 38-year-old has been no stranger to success, creating music that runs the gamut from dance, rock, R&B, and soul, but most importantly his signature dance-rock genre. For the duration of his successful career, Felix has been known as a well-respected DJ and producer — remixing tunes to the likes of Britney Spears’ “Toxic,” Madonna’s “American Life,” and Mylo’s “Drop the Pressure” in addition to creating his own discography, now 12 albums heavy.

Felix’s latest effort, He Was King, (Nettwerk), takes him back to his roots, so to speak. While 2001’s highly acclaimed Kittenz and Thee Glitz produced one of his most successful mainstream tracks, “Silver Screen Shower Scene,” 2007’s Virgo Blaktro and the Movie Disco was not as well-received within that year’s boom in electro-dance popularity.

“I’m glad [acts like Justice, Digitalism, and Boyz Noize] did what they did because they kept it going,” Felix says. “You have to remember: I’ve known all those guys since they were babies. They are all my friends.” Though the genre saw an explosion of mainstream exposure, “I kind of lost some people with Virgo,” he says of the album, which was heavily influenced by R&B and hip-hop. “A lot of people didn’t get it. On Kittenz and Virgo, I just did what I wanted to do. But on King, it’s more straightforward. It’s a balance between me and the people.”

A heavy house album with retro-inspired samples, King is an eclectic collection of tunes that includes the synth-pop inspired “We All Wanna Be Prince,” and the repetitive swelling of the deep bass tones of “Kickdrum.” Each track explores the many depths of dance music. “I like every song to be different,” Felix explains. “I don’t like to keep doing the same thing.” Felix accomplishes a genre-spanning effort that continues with the upbeat synths of “We” and the head-churning rings of “Elvi$.”

Felix spent the summer touring Europe, at times putting in back-to-back gigs. But tired is certainly something the famed DJ is used to. After all, this is the same man who DJed four gigs in 24 hours. “That killed me, and I don’t do drugs either,” Felix laughs. “But if someone asks me to play, I do it. I take it as a compliment.”

Felix Da Housecat may have fashioned his moniker after Felix the Cat, both of whom seem to have a never-ending bag of tricks. The Cat with endless supplies of plot devices, and Da Housecat, with a mysterious synth sack, who says “When I leave this Earth, I want to leave people with all kinds of electro.”

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