Maxi Jazz is an English musician, rapper, singer-songwriter and DJ from Brixton, London. Born Maxwell Fraser in 1957 and dying in 2022, he works across dance and electronic music and is best known as the lead vocalist of Faithless.

Early work and radio

Fraser discovers hip-hop in the early 1980s and starts out as a DJ with The Soul Food Cafe System in 1984. He brings that sound to pirate radio station LWR in 1987. In 1989, The Soul Food Cafe Band is taken on by Tam Tam Records, the dance imprint of Savage Records, and records the album Soul Food Café.

He sets up Namu Records in 1992 to release the band’s material, issuing three EPs. The band also tours as a support act for a number of artists, including Jamiroquai in Amsterdam, Soul II Soul in Barcelona, Galliano in Switzerland and Jason Rebello in Brazil.

Faithless

Fraser meets Rollo Armstrong in a studio and goes on to form Faithless with Armstrong, Jamie Catto and Sister Bliss. He is the group’s lead vocalist from 1995 to 2011 and again in 2015. His lyrics range from upbeat to melancholic and deal with personal and social subjects, including current affairs and social commentary. His Buddhist beliefs, and the band members’ own beliefs, contrast with the name Faithless, which is chosen during the writing of “Salva Mea”.

Other collaborations and projects

Fraser works across Europe after The Soul Food Cafe Band dissolves. He collaborates with Jah Wobble on the Invaders Of The Heart album and performs live with the Wobble Collective. In 2006 he provides vocals for Tiësto’s “Dance4life”, and also sings with Robbie Williams on the collaborative album 1 Giant Leap on the track “My Culture”.

Later work

In 2015, Fraser fronts a newly assembled group called Maxi Jazz & The E-Type Boys.