(August 27, 2024) It would not have been hyperbole to call Amp Fiddler your favorite artist’s favorite artist. Fiddler, who passed away in December, served as the go to multi-intrumentalist and mentor for musicians in the funk, soul, neo-soul, hip-hop, dance and rock genres.
In between releasing his own genre bending albums between his 1991 solo debut With Respect and his final album, 2021’s Basementality, Fiddler worked with Parliament-Funkadelic, Corrine Bailey Rae, Jamiroquai and Maxwell.
Fiddler’s death left a void in the music scene that is most acutely felt in his hometown of Detroit, where he performed with and mentored hometown legends such as Enchantment, Was (Not) Was and J Dilla. Tomas Doncker, musician and label executive, also collaborated with Fiddler, and he has released two versions of the tracks “Change” and “All Together Now.”
The tracks come from what Doncker calls The AMPlified Soul Remixes, which Doncker and Fiddler collaborated on in 2021. Doncker said that the remixes tap into Fiddler’s decade long work with the P-Funk family, and the sleek bassline in “Change” gives off Bootsy Collins vibes.
The song’s hypnotic aura features funk-rock guitar riffs, and church-tinged work on the keys provides a funky platter for the song’s message of people trying to cope with our constantly changing world. Check out Tomas Doncker and Amp Fiddler on “Change” here.
By Howard Dukes
