The Dunedin music fraternity is shocked and saddened to hear of the retirement of popular local musician DJ Fadez, who on Wednesday announced via Facebook that he would be hanging up his mic for good. Fadez, a.k.a. Tim Patrick, made the decision after the hard drive containing his life’s work was stolen. Fortunately, nobody can steal the joy that songs like “Livin’ on the Edge” have brought to the inhabitants of Dunedin.
Fadez started creating techno remixes in 1999, but his career truly took off after 2008, when he began to sing and rap over his beats. His first music video, for “Livin’ on the Edge,” was uploaded in October 2010 and quickly went viral. He followed this up with an appearance at Zinefest 2011, gaining a firm cult following within Dunedin’s music crowd.
Fadez had a reputation as a savvy businessman as well as a talented artist. He founded a record company called Nu Age Entertainment, released a clothing range and an app, and maintained a steady Facebook presence. With Fadez’s retirement, Nu Age Entertainment is to close its doors.
Fadez’s biggest success was also his greatest controversy. Accusations of plagiarism had dogged him since late January, when it emerged that other songs featured the same beat and hook to “Livin’ on the Edge,” with one uploaded to YouTube as early as December 2009. Fadez always denied any wrongdoing, claiming that he and associate Tim Adamack had developed the music and sold it to the other artists.
However, Fadez later spoke to Critic, suggesting that his retirement would be temporary. While he confirmed that he would be on an indefinite “break,” he hinted at a return at some unspecified time. “DJ Fadez will return ‘cause so many people count on me to make great music,” he said. Dunedin waits, and hopes.
Go to critic.co.nz/djfadez to watch DJ Fadez’s magnum opus, “Livin’ on the Edge.”
DJ Fadez Away
