Femi Williams (aka Femi Fem) kicked off his career running the Family Funktion/ Shake & Fingerpop warehouse parties in the 1980’s with Norman Jay & Judge Jules. This collective of DJs, artists musicians & filmmakers initiated the rare groove & acid jazz genre with Soul2Soul & Jamiroquai both hailing from the same club scene.
In 1990, he set up the groundbreaking Young Disciples with Marco Nelson featuring Carleen Anderson. This is the band which set the tone for the acid jazz movement in London, incorporating funk, soul, hip-hop and breakbeats into their soundscape and placing integrity at the heart of their sound. After chart success including the single Apparently Nothin’ which came from their Mercury Award-nominated Road To Freedom album on Talkin’ Loud Records.
Responding to the demand Femi began writing, producing and remixing for a wide range of artists such as Ultra Naté Justin Timberlake, Mary J. Blige, Des’ree, D’Influence, The Pasadena and Beyoncé. Alongside this work, his public profile as a headline DJ and promoter made his face well known at Cream in Liverpool, Ministry of Sound in London and at London’s Jazz Café playing at events for Prince, Janet Jackson, Stella McCartney, Jade Jagger, Gucci and the Russian Embassy to name but a few. Femi has also produced catwalk show music for fashion designers such as Ozwald Boateng, Katherine Hamnett, Julien MacDonald and Bella Freud.
The best known of Femi’s DJ appearances, however, was the regular Friday night slots at his own club nights, MOBO Award-winning, Rotation at London’s Subterranea and Saturday nights at Camouflage, his longstanding 4-floor club in Islington, London. When in town, artists such Goldie, Tricky, Spike Lee, Laurence Fishbourne, Wesley Snipes, Jay Z and Bjork would slip in unannounced to hear the sets and be part of a crowd whose distinction was their diversity and conviviality.
Femi’s DJin’ has also seen him open up to audiences around the world through tours and appearances playing in Australia, Japan, Germany,
Switzerland, Dubai, Hong Kong (where he supported the late Gil Scott Heron), Austria, France, Spain, Ibiza, Ireland, the Czech Republic, New York, and Detroit. A truly born collaborator, as musical director & resident for Supperclub in London’s Notting Hill from 2009- 2013, Femi hosted nights and introduced audiences to up and coming DJs and artists, something that he is passionate about and pursues through his mentoring of numerous emerging artists and performers.
Catch Femi, Sunday from 7 pm till 9 pm, only on Mi-Soul radio.
