PERHAPS the best way to describe MTV’s recent artist of the week, Team Facelift, is a cross between the Wu-Tang Clan and Barbra Streisand – the band’s two biggest influences.
That may sound like an unlikely combo. But the creativity and chemistry fueling this N.Y.-bred hip-hop trio, which blends deep-house and glam-rock elements into its sound, isn’t anything to laugh at.
OK, well maybe just a little – when you consider their bizarre dress code and stage names: Fat Jew, Karim Fonda (a k a Alden Pact) and Machine. (Their real names? Josh Onsasis, Alden Fonda and Jay Fox.)
“Did you see Jamie Foxx rip off my green kimono at the VMAs?” asks 25-year-old Fat Jew, who will perform alongside his partners at the Canal Room tomorrow night. “Of course we want to have fun, but our focus is making music unlike anything out there.”
The trio set its sights on that goal about four years ago, filled with disdain for the lack of influence N.Y.C. was exerting on the hip-hop world.
Staying far away from the sounds that were dominating the airwaves – Lil Jon and the Dirty South crunk attack – Team Facelift invaded Fonda’s bathroom and started recording.
“That’s when we put together ‘N.Y. is dead.’ We were really upset with what was going on,” says Machine, who along with his partners helped fund the recent “Re-elect Mayor David Dinkins” billboard in Harlem.
Much of that material, which was crafted on laptops, was included in the band’s first album, “Famous in Japan,” and the ensuing mix tape sold out of their car.
The rest of the material makes up “Mixed Emotions,” released independently last year. Magnetic beats like “I Wanna Have Your Baby,” “Dippin’ Chicken” and “Lotion in the Basket” (an insane ode to “Buffalo Bill” from “The Silence of the Lambs”) showcase their raw lyrics and diverse sound. It attracted the attention of MTV as well as concertgoers across the country.
The group’s profile has risen over the past year with its live shows, the atmosphere of which can best be described as part ice cream social, part swingers’ orgy.
Despite the madness surrounding the unsigned trio, several major labels have reached out to them. They’re currently working on new material, and they’re also in talks about starting their own TV show.
“We’re like a breath of fresh air for people looking to hear something different,” Fat Jew says. “We’re not like anything else.”
No argument here.