Interview: Dan K. Brown – The Fixx
Article by Eric Larson, © Copyright 2018 FretlessBass.com
Featured photo credit: Christina Jansen
Dan K. Brown of The Fixx is one of the most versatile and talented bass players around, and is one of my personal favorite players of all time. His extensive use of fretless bass throughout his decades with The Fixx has some of the most creative, melodic, rhythmic, and varied bass lines you can find anywhere. And his fretted playing is equally impressive. If you are not familiar with the music of The Fixx I strongly suggest checking them out. They are still actively recording and touring – impressive after nearly 40 years together. I have seen the band live many times over the years and they truly continue to get better and better.
This is one of those bands where each member is critically important and each plays a very unique role. From the brilliant vocals of lead singer Cy Curnin and the genius style of guitarist Jamie West-Oram, to the tasteful and critical keys and synths of Rupert Greenall, the solid and creative drumming of Adam Woods, and the irreplaceable bass of Dan K. Brown – each is a master at their craft. I have met the band on a few occasions and was thrilled to have Dan answer a few questions.
FB: Tell me a bit about your musical background. What inspired you to play bass?
Dan K. Brown: My father was a professional classical musician, so music was around from an early age. It was the early sixties and a musical revolution was under way and as a twelve year old, I was keen to be part of it, even though to a great extent, I shunned the classical world my dad inhabited.
It was listening to Otis Blue by Otis Redding, played on a friends dad’s record player with a large speaker, where I could really hear the bass player for the first time. And that’s what started me wanting to play bass myself. My parents were very supportive and helped with the purchase of a first bass.
FB: Who are your bass guitar and other musical influences?
Dan K. Brown: My biggest musical influence is probably Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention, though not particularly because of the bass parts, it’s the overall boundary pushing and how different sounding from everything else it was.
Early bass influences came mainly from soul recordings like those on Stax and Motown and also from going to see local cover bands in England who played those songs live. I was unaware of the names of the musicians on those recordings at the time, but it would have been players such as Donald ‘Duck’ Dunn, James Jameson and Carol Kaye.
FB: You do a lot of sliding on bass, even on fretted bass, as we talked about briefly when we met a few years ago. Where does that come from? You also have a very rhythmic bass style. What inspires your style?
Dan K. Brown: I think the sliding influence probably dates back to seeing Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band perform the album Clear Spot. The rhythmic element comes from everywhere.
FB: I hear fretless bass throughout The Fixx albums that you were on, starting with “Sign of Fire” from Reach The Beach, to “Second Time Around” from Beautiful Friction. Some of my other favorites include “Wish” from Phantoms, “The Flow” and “World Weary” from Calm Animals, “Camphor” from Walkabout, “Yesterday, Today” from Ink (which may be tied with “Wish” for my all-time favorite), “Moving Mountains”, “Beautiful Friction” from Beautiful Friction (which may not be fretless, but has lots of sliding).
What equipment was used on those albums (basses, effects, amps, etc)?
Dan K. Brown: I’m delighted to hear you enjoy my playing… thank you!!
I almost always record DI and used a Trace Elliot amp and with a chorus pedal for the albums up to Walkabout. After that, I’d typically use whatever was around at the time. Until recently, I had always favored a pretty clean sound, which leaves the option for later treatment if required.
Oddly enough, the fretless on “Sign of Fire” was one I made myself. “Wish” was a very cheap Fender copy with the pickup replaced by a Dimarzio. Everything else up to Beautiful Friction was a prototype Wal five string. These days I use a Steinberger Synapse.
FB: How do you approach writing a bass line for a song? Does the band give input?
Dan K. Brown: The first stage in bass line creation would be to get the chord structure down , then use arpeggios and scale tones to create a rough part, this could then be developed in a variety of ways, including support for the vocal/melody line and rhythmic variations. There is invariably input from the rest of the band as well, usually in the form of general ‘feel’ ideas rather than specific parts.
FB: 2012’s Beautiful Friction is an amazing album, and one that proved to me The Fixx is at the top of their game. I understand you have been recording some new material with The Fixx. Do you play fretless on it?
Dan K. Brown: Yes, we are working on a few new projects and yes, there is some fretless.
FB: I also heard there may be new tour dates coming up. Where can fans get more info on that? Have you played much fretless live in the past?
Dan K. Brown: We are gearing up for a summer tour at the moment. All live info is available at The Fixx website (http://www.thefixx.com/) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/thefixx/) pages.
I play fretless quite a bit live and I may do so again.
FB: The Fixx have been around for almost forty years (with you joining them during the recording of their second album). What brought you to join the band – how did that come together? What makes The Fixx unique in your opinion and how has the band survived after all of these years?
Dan K. Brown: I had heard Shuttered Room so I knew of them. I came to audition on account of a random phone call I made to a gentleman named Bob Ward, who I had worked with live on a Kevin Coyne tour and also on various studio sessions. I was unaware that Bob had become The Fixx’s tour manager, and he told me they were looking for a bass player. So he got me the audition. Thanks Bob!
The very varied musical tastes within the band go towards making the whole sound and perhaps the lack of any huge egos helps with the longevity.
FB: Were there other bands or projects that feature you on bass?
Dan K. Brown: I wouldn’t say “featured” exactly but this band was fun! Stinky Winkles.
I also appear on the album Deep End by Isotope, no fretless though.
The Fixx has enjoyed a lengthly career starting with their formation in 1979 and continuing with active recording and touring to this day. Ten albums, number one singles, multiple top 40 hits, and constant touring make them veterans in the world of music. With the release of the 2012 album Beautiful Friction and tour that followed, The Fixx has proven they are still evolving and still relevant, writing some of their best music yet and performing at the top of their game. Discover, or re-discover, The Fixx. And if you get the opportunity to experience them live, don’t miss it.
Visit their website often and follow them on social media to find out more about new music and tour dates.
Dan K. Brown FretlessBass.com player bio page
The Fixx Website – http://www.thefixx.com/
The Fixx Facebook Page – https://www.facebook.com/thefixx/
The Fixx Wikipedia Page – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fixx
