Big Boss Man

Big Boss Man are a London, United Kingdom group active since 1998. They are a four-piece band built around Hammond organ-driven music, drawing on funk, soul, boogaloo, 1960s R&B, Latin, pop and related dance music styles. They release on Blow Up Records.

Formation and line-up

The group forms in early 1999, although the act is active from 1998. The members are Nasser Bouzida, also known as the Bongolian, Trevor Harding, Scott Milsom and The Bongolian. The band members know each other from earlier work in other groups and form Big Boss Man as a way to focus on the sounds they share an interest in, especially original dance music with a dirty, funked-up feel.

Sound and style

Their music centres on Hammond organ and vintage keyboards, with Nasser Bouzida playing mini-VIP, Farfisa and Hammond organs, Wurlitzer piano, Moog synthesisers, drums and percussion. Scott Milsom plays bass and Trevor Harding plays guitar. Their recordings make use of old analogue equipment and other temperamental vintage gear, which fits their rough-edged, retro dance sound.

The band is associated with 60s-inspired dancefloor music, including Northern Soul, garage, Latin soul, French beat and samba elements. Specific tracks mentioned include “Everybody Boogaloo”, “Complicated Lady”, “Tu As Gaché”, “Kelvin Stardust”, “B.o.o.g.a.l.o.o.”, “Black Eye”, “The Bloater”, “Pies and Pastiche” and “Full Brazilian”.

Albums and releases

Big Boss Man release their debut album Humanize in 2001. The record provides the soundtrack to the short film Sweet, featuring The Mighty Boosh, and the band also appears as the live band in the nightclub scenes. That film receives a Turner Classic Film Award at the National Film Institute, an Empire film award, and a BAFTA nomination.

The band’s second album, Winner, appears in 2005 and is produced by the band with Morgan Nicholls. Recording begins in a disused classroom using an 8-track tape recorder and a small number of microphones, before further editing, recording and mixing at A Major Studios in Shepherd’s Bush, West London. Morgan Nicholls is associated with The Streets, Muse, Senseless Things and Morgan, and the sessions use instruments and equipment linked to Immediate Records’ in-house writer Billy Nicholls, including Hammond, Clavinet, Wurlitzer and other vintage keyboards.

Their third album, Full English Beat Breakfast, appears in 2009. It is recorded by the band at their 8-track studio and mixed by Nick Terry at Studio 2 at The Premises in Hackney, London.

Touring, remixes and collaborations

Big Boss Man tour widely in the UK, Europe and further afield. They play in Spain twice, with more than 500 venues selling out there, and also tour Germany and Italy. They play large festivals in France and perform a one-off show in Moscow at the invitation of Artemy Troitsky.

The band also works on remixes, including a version of Mansfield’s “If I Want It” for the album Golden Hour and a reworking of the 1960s cult Euro TV theme “Robbi, Tobbi...” for Diggler Records in Germany. They also provide two remix versions of Paul Weller’s “The Bottle” in 2004 for a limited 7-inch release.

Recognition and notes

Russian TV describes Big Boss Man as the world’s hottest Hammond beat group. The band also holds the record for the longest drum break at the 2007 World Breaks & Beats Festival in Helsinki. They feature on numerous compilations and record a specially made version of “Christmas Boogaloo” for the Xfm charity album It’s A Cool Cool Christmas, alongside artists including Belle and Sebastian and The Flaming Lips.