Sa’d ‘The Hourchild’ Ali
George Clinton on Sa’d Ali and biography follows …
Biography
Red Parrot, Roseland, Club 88, Paradise Garage, Doc’s, Zanzibar — these clubs were very specific in their vibes and auras” — that’s how Sa’d “The HourChild” Ali opens “Asylum”, his 2018 debut record for Anane Vega’s NULU Electronic record label.
Sa’d knows these clubs personally and their impact on the evolution of dance music as he was a young DJ growing up in Newark, New Jersey in the late 70’s and early 80's.
Sa’d’s Asylum track continues: “I’m not famous. I’m infamous. You have to know your shit to know who I am”. This is an on point statement considering Sa’d’s musical contribution to the distinct and diverse genres of house music, hip-hop, and funk.
Hip-hop came up next in Sa’d’s musical growth. In the mid 1980’s, going under the name Kool DJ Me, he launched Atlanta’s first hip hop radio show on WIGO AM before moving it over to FM on Kiss 104.1. Sa’d’s influence on the market attracted the attention of Tom Silverman, the founder of Tommy Boy Records, leading Sa’d to become part of the early hip-hop record label’s promotion team. Today, Sa’d’s contributions to hip-hop as a producer, DJ and artist manager are widely acknowledged and he is a board member of the New York City based Universal Hip Hop Museum.
Sa’d moved to Chicago next and was pushing the city’s house music scene into it’s golden era. He managed the legendary house music group Mr. Fingers (Larry Heard, Robert Owens, and Ron Wilson).
In 1992, Sa’d finally got to explore his funk family roots and he joined his uncle, George Clinton of Parliament-Funkadelic (P-Funk) on the road. As a touring vocalist and producer with P-Funk, Sa’d’s input culminated in 1996 with George Clinton’s & P-Funk All Stars’ Sony Records debut, “The Fully Awesome Power of an Operational Mothership”.
Later, a regular at George Clinton’s Tallahassee, Florida Headquarters, Sa’d went on to help his uncle conceive his own record label C Kunspyruhzy there, and develop the roster of next generation P-Funk artists, including Clinton’s grandchildren. Sa’d’s endeavors in Florida led to the release of the first Funkadelic record in 33 years, “First You Gotta Shake The Gate” in 2013.
Sa’d has an amazing ability to connect the dots between the various scenes he’s been a part of over the years, from his early disco DJ days all the way to his work in today’s dance music world.
His talent for connecting disparate scenes reflects musically in his extended and diverse DJ sets, but goes way beyond DJing and is making an impact in the overall music business.
For instance, Sa’d recruited Louie Vega to remix “Ain’t that Funkin Kind of Hard on You” the lead single from that same Funkadelic album. Also in 2013, Sa’d was asked to join the production team FSQ (Funk Style Quality) and help Soul Clap connect with George Clinton which led to E-Funk collaborations and a release of some of the Funkadelic material on Soul Clap Records. Sa’d also helped Soul Clap usher other important artists, like Nona Hendryx, on to Soul Clap’s self titled sophomore album, released in 2016.
Sa’d Ali — DJ, producer, vocalist, A&R / artist manager — he’s worn all these hats and was completely present to ensure new music genres like house and hip-hop fully developed to find their hungry fans. His nickname, “The HourChild” is a nod to the fact that Sa’d’s always on time, always there, for musical history.
Sa’d will be there for the next musical evolutions, either as a solo act, DJ, producer, member of P-Funk, FSQ, or wherever he chooses to put his tremendous energies.
Today you’ll find his solo productions as “Sa’d Ali” being released on Anane Vega’s NULU Electronic, and his collaborations with FSQ available via Soul Clap Records and Midnight Riot Records.
As a DJ he is represented for bookings by the Armige Agency.
