Dan Prothero

Dan Prothero is a New Orleans-based music producer, engineer, graphic designer, and record collector. His label, Fog City Records, is a focal point for all these interests and provides a forum to develop new artists with maximum independence.

“People ask what kind of music my record label puts out, and seem to expect me to name a genre. But I haven’t been thinking along those lines. I’ve found myself gravitating toward music with a strong sense of place, toward musicians who have a distinct voice and yet are such a part of where they’re from that maybe they can’t sound any other way. When it comes time to record, I’ve always looked for studios near where the songwriter grew up, tried to eat the food they eat and meet their friends and family. Because I’m trying to understand that connection to that place. And to make sure I’m introducing the listener to the artist properly. The second record we put out was Stanton Moore’s All Kooked Out! and his mom basically catered that recording session. And in the end, Stanton’s record pairs very well with her red beans."

Dan helped launch and develop the look and sound for other record labels in San Francisco in the 1990s, forming bands and producing recordings, writing liner notes and designing the album artwork. Eventually, it was time to strike out on his own.

The initial release on Fog City Records was Coolin' Off from New Orleans funk band Galactic. Released in 1996 (as one of the first Enhanced CDs ever produced), it received a spotlight in Billboard Magazine which quickly brought it to a large audience. Ultimately, it was picked up by Sony Music along with Galactic's follow-up Crazyhorse Mongoose which Dan also recorded and produced. Fog City Records has since cultivated a series of new artists, diversifying beyond the limitations of a single genre while developing a distinct sound and a loyal following.

This all began with a year in England in the late 1980's. At that time, London's underground music scene was bubbling over with warehouse parties spinning "rare groove" -- really American funk records from the early 1970's. Not being old enough to remember that decade, the scene was an eye-opener and marked the beginning of a musical path that he's been on ever since.

Returning to the states, Dan developed his taste (and record collection) running a DJ service - seeking out the rarest records and shipping them to overseas collectors. Pooling the proceeds into some basic recording gear, he began sampling beats and arranging music. “Golden era” hip hop was the blueprint, with its heavy emphasis on samples from much of the music he was collecting.

A move to the San Francisco Bay Area set things into high gear. Hooking up with some fellow record collectors, Dan began designing the first album cover art for fledgling reissue label Luv N Haight, and took on the job of recovering the music from old 45's (sometimes from his own collection). Eventually word got out that he was producing beats at his home studio, and the results were released as Bulldog Breaks, a series of breakbeat records that went on to become widely sampled themselves.

The next step was a series of "live" breakbeat albums called Master Drummers. The series included two volumes from legendary drummer Bernard Purdie and another from Headhunters drummer Mike Clark, and was sampled by The Chemical Brothers, Sabrina Claudio, Kruder & Dorfmeister, DJ Krush, Yesterdays New Quintet, and others. Dan steadily progressed to recording and producing bands -- including a solo project with Galactic drummer Stanton Moore, whose debut record is also on Fog City Records (along with another project recorded in the same session, the debut recording from Garage A Trois).

About Fog City’s third release, recorded in Austin Texas with Papa Mali, Dan says: "I’ll always be fascinated with early funk records, and so I'm obsessed with heavy drums and bass. But the Papa Mali album was a turning point for me. Although it has plenty of big drums, the confessional tunes we recorded at the end of the session are important to me because I might have ignored them a few years ago. Maybe it opened another path to what I've been seeking all along -- a raw and human experience caught on tape, instead of layers on top of a beat. It's also the record that has attracted the most attention from musicians I've signed since. To me, the projects I've done from that point on (including seven albums from JJ Grey & Mofro) seem most memorable because of the personality of the songwriter, rather than the signature of any producer."

"I started Fog City Records so I could guide these records to listeners myself, and avoid the need for the approval of anyone not in the band. I’m grateful to have worked with such talented artists along the way. The challenge of recording music so that it's consistent with my favorite records is a lifelong pursuit. Anyone who submits themselves to a worthy craft will always be learning, and always find it rewarding, as I have."