Fun'Da'Mental have been on the cutting edge and breaking new ground since they began in 1991. Fuelled by the same ethos as Public Enemy, smashing down 'stereotypical' theories and causing mental confusion, pushing two or more opposing concepts and making something new, transforming and recreating musical ideas. Sampled political speeches from historical figures such as Malcom X, Louis Farrakhan or Mahatma Ghandi merge with layers of Zikar, Qawali music, African folk, Aboriginal, all held together by the driving force of hardcore hip-hop beats.
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"We have no fear of other musical forms; it can only benefit our awareness and enrich our approach to understanding other cultures" Using a variety of rappers, poets and singers, 'Fun'Da'Mental's line-up is ever-changing but the band's core members, PropaGhandi - a skilled producer of Asian origin, and DJ Impi-D - born in London but brought up in Canada, have together travelled the world performing at countless gigs and festivals.
While their views on certain subjects create much debate, they make no apology for their 'militant' stance. "We are hard politically, uncompromising musically and we won't be led by marketing angles. We try to give people a bit of confidence. People have to start educating themselves, respecting themselves" After numerous tours and singles came the debut album 'Seize The Time' in 1994: an album of expression, musically breaking all constraints and challenging many issues. The first track, 'Dog Tribe' caused a wave of controversy opening with a sample of an Ansafone message left by a member of right-wing fascist group Combat 18 threatening to burn and hang staff of the Youth Against Racism in Europe organisation.
Also, while the video for the single was banned from N for featuring a staged attack on Propa-Ghandi by a gang of skinheads, the NME voted it 'Single of The Week'. "Fun'Da'Mental have junked all of the fancy options available to them - their message demanding that the style can't be anything other than full-shouty, vicious, hysterical urgency" - NME (1994) A post-election trip to South Africa inspired the single 'Gold Burger' with samples of the ANC choir - a tribute to the long oppressed peoples on a global scale.
It was also an opportunity for the band to perform with Cape Town's Prophets Of Da City, one of the few hip-hop groups who rap in Afrikaans, and later bring them to the UK for a series of live dates, performing with Spearhead, Afrika Bambataa and even James Brown.
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