Vincent Frank first taste of fame came as beatboxer and electropop act Mr Mouth back in the mid 2000s. As 2006 transitioned into 2007, Mr Mouth gave way to Frankmusik, which became something of a sensation on Myspace (the reigning social network of the time) with his debut EP Frankisum. As Frankmusik, he made the long list of the BBC's Sound of 2009 poll, signed a deal with Island, released his debut full-length album Complete Me (#13 UK) and two hit singles, Better Off As Two (#27 UK) and Confusion Girl (#26 UK). A deluxe edition of the album with a bonus disc titled Re-Complete Me (the album remixed and re-edited into a single continuous 38 DJ set) was also released, as was an acoustic version titled Completely Me.
Thereafter he packed his bags, moved definitively to the US and signed with Cherrytree/Interscope, through which he released his sophomore full length album, Do It In The AM, in the fall of the last year. Additionally, he has produced and written for Joe Jonas, Ellie Goulding, Erasure, Colette Carr, Keke Palmer, &c &c, and counts the likes of Lady Gaga, Mika, Pet Shop Boys, Nelly Furtado, Nicole Scherzinger, Far East Movement and Space Cowboy among his numerous remix credits.
Having announced the end of his working relationship with Island UK in October and the end of "Frankmusik" itself on his official Twitter (which was deleted shortly thereafter) just under a week before Christmas, he is now ready to unveil the next step in the Vincent Frank evolutionary saga: Vincent Did It, or VDI for short.
Not limited by genre, style, market demographics, expectations, projections and all of that stuff, VDI is the genesis of Frankmusik taken to the next level, the continuation of what made him a star in the first place: following his creative instincts and making the music he wants to make.
This past week I got to relay a few questions to the newly christened VDI - check 'em out below:
FOTP: Vincent Did It! What exactly has Vincent done?
Vincent: Got retarded
F: What's the mission statement behind VDI?
V: Make music I want to hear in the future.
F: As soon as you announced the end of Frankmusik, you deleted your twitter account with thousands of followers. Why was it necessary for you to make such a clean break between Frankmusik and VDI?
V: Frankmusik was a good time. I just wanted a fresh start in the new year. Nothing more :)
F: Is there a line that separates Vincent Frank the man and Vincent Did It the artist? Or are they one and the same?
V: Pretty much the same. Just as annoying as each other.
F: You've had a number of artistic names and monikers in your time - Mr Mouth, The Beat Machine, FrankreMix, and it's not the first time you've announced that you're laying Frankmusik aside. Is each moniker a separate artistic identity (or alter-ego even), or are they all just cumulative stages in the evolution of Vincent Frank? What is it you've been looking for that you haven't found yet?
V: Just stages. I've only just started with the monikers seriously.
F: 2011 was a big year for you for various reasons - various collaborations, touring, and by no means least releasing your own sophomore record. In hindsight, what's your appraisal of the album? Did it turn out as you had envisioned when you set out to LA to make it?
V: I never envision any of my work. It's a free process. As soon as I predict or try and figure out what it is I am going to do/become it always ends up being contrived. I like my second album. I am going to like my third even more.
F: What can we look forward to from VDI in 2012 and beyond?
V: Shit that I should have never stopped making.
Thereafter he packed his bags, moved definitively to the US and signed with Cherrytree/Interscope, through which he released his sophomore full length album, Do It In The AM, in the fall of the last year. Additionally, he has produced and written for Joe Jonas, Ellie Goulding, Erasure, Colette Carr, Keke Palmer, &c &c, and counts the likes of Lady Gaga, Mika, Pet Shop Boys, Nelly Furtado, Nicole Scherzinger, Far East Movement and Space Cowboy among his numerous remix credits.
Having announced the end of his working relationship with Island UK in October and the end of "Frankmusik" itself on his official Twitter (which was deleted shortly thereafter) just under a week before Christmas, he is now ready to unveil the next step in the Vincent Frank evolutionary saga: Vincent Did It, or VDI for short.
 |
| VDI logo |
Not limited by genre, style, market demographics, expectations, projections and all of that stuff, VDI is the genesis of Frankmusik taken to the next level, the continuation of what made him a star in the first place: following his creative instincts and making the music he wants to make.
This past week I got to relay a few questions to the newly christened VDI - check 'em out below:
FOTP: Vincent Did It! What exactly has Vincent done?
Vincent: Got retarded
F: What's the mission statement behind VDI?
V: Make music I want to hear in the future.
F: As soon as you announced the end of Frankmusik, you deleted your twitter account with thousands of followers. Why was it necessary for you to make such a clean break between Frankmusik and VDI?
V: Frankmusik was a good time. I just wanted a fresh start in the new year. Nothing more :)
F: Is there a line that separates Vincent Frank the man and Vincent Did It the artist? Or are they one and the same?
V: Pretty much the same. Just as annoying as each other.
F: You've had a number of artistic names and monikers in your time - Mr Mouth, The Beat Machine, FrankreMix, and it's not the first time you've announced that you're laying Frankmusik aside. Is each moniker a separate artistic identity (or alter-ego even), or are they all just cumulative stages in the evolution of Vincent Frank? What is it you've been looking for that you haven't found yet?
V: Just stages. I've only just started with the monikers seriously.
F: 2011 was a big year for you for various reasons - various collaborations, touring, and by no means least releasing your own sophomore record. In hindsight, what's your appraisal of the album? Did it turn out as you had envisioned when you set out to LA to make it?
V: I never envision any of my work. It's a free process. As soon as I predict or try and figure out what it is I am going to do/become it always ends up being contrived. I like my second album. I am going to like my third even more.
F: What can we look forward to from VDI in 2012 and beyond?
V: Shit that I should have never stopped making.
Finally, Flop Of The Pops brings to you exclusively the first stream and download of Vincent Did It's debut track, the aptly titled "Dynamo". I love it love it but I'll leave it to the music to do the talking: