FACT mix 568: Mike Patton

FACT Mixes

“I am no one to be a purist.”

Artists don’t come much more legendary than Californian vocalist Mike Patton. Known for his distinctive vocal style, Patton rose to notoriety with avant-garde rock troupe Mr. Bungle before, in 1988, replacing Chuck Mosley as frontman of rock band Faith No More. From there, things escalated fast – Faith No More’s popularity in the US and beyond positioned countless new eyes on Patton’s more divisive projects – such as Mr. Bungle, who were signed to Warner Bros. as a result of Patton’s popularity – and he suddenly had a springboard for his diverse musical interests.

In 1999, Patton established the Ipecac imprint. The influential label would go on to release curiosities from a diverse run of talented weirdos, from mainstays Melvins and Patton’s own Tomahawk, Peeping Tom and of course Fantômas to avant rap troupe Dälek, Mouse on Mars and kid606. Ipecac even managed to snag a release from soundtrack composer Ennio Morricone that still stands as the composer’s most gripping body of work. Not bad for a label that’s notoriously critical of tying its artists into long-term contracts.

With all this under his belt, it would have been easy for Patton to rest on his laurels, but over the last few decades he has continued to push himself ceaselessly. He’s worked with artists like Kool Keith, Massive Attack and, notably, Björk (on her vocal-heavy Medúlla album), lent his voice to video games such as underrated comic book-influenced FPS The Darkness, Portal and Left For Dead (he played the zombies, of course) and even appeared in films such as forgettable Will Smith vehicle I Am Legend and oddball action film Bunraku.

With all this in mind, it should explain why we just had to ask Patton for a FACT mix. And it shouldn’t be a surprise that the mix is a mad as a box of spanners, kicking off with the theme from South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker’s Team America: World Police and ending on a classic cut from Nick Cave’s The Birthday Party. Patton calls this selection an “insomnia playlist” – too much ‘Caffeine’, maybe?

Tracklist:

Team America – ‘America, Fuck Yeah’
Lulu – ‘To Sir, With Love’
Terveet Kadet – ‘Brutaali’
Abdel Halim Hafez – ‘Gana el Hawa’
Al Green – ‘Simply Beautiful’
Gurdjieff / De Hartman – ‘First Dervish Prayer’
Anibal Troilo – ‘Triunfal’
The Persuasions – ‘Thin Line Between Love and Hate’
Chavela Vargas – ‘La Llorona’
The Birthday Party – ‘Nick The Stripper’