Hailing from the city of soul, Philadelphia, Clayton and Fulcrum have been making funky and soulful music since 2002.  Not limiting themselves to any particular genre or tempo, they run the gamut of styles, rhythms, and vibes in search of musical fulfillment.  Their DJ sets also reflect this diversity, and are a vibrant display of the potential in their studio vision.

Before the international movement that has coalesced as the genre Nu Funk, C&F called their music Breakbeat Funk.  Breakbeat Funk possesses the warm feeling that's in older Funk, Soul, Jazz, Latin, Jamaican, Brazilian, and African music, and is married with electronic music production.  Both musical and bass heavy, Clayton & Fulcrum's songs are pushing the Nu Funk, Nu Jazz, and Nu Soul sounds to the states, and the rest of the world.

By collaborating with fellow forward-minded Philadelphians, Moqita, they've incorporated vocals, flute, rhodes, wurlitzer, saxaphone, clavinet, wah guitar, and percussion into their rhythm collages.  Using replications of the studio equipment used during the 60’s and 70’s, and the techniques of Dub mixing, they embody their songs with the warmth and space that modern digital recording can lack.

Clayton and Fulcrum have established a reputation for creative live and DJ sets in Philadelphia, New York City, and Washington D.C.  They've opened for such acts as De La Soul, Massive Attack, and DJ Krush.  Their debut album, The Soul Purpose, and various remixes, have helped spread their sound to the world.  Their sophomore effort, Songs From The Soul City, pushed their vision further. Now they're at work on a third album which is aimed for the dance floor.

Fulcrum

Programmed for music since birth, Fulcrum (born Patrick McCunney) has always felt a need to express through it. Subtle influences such as his father’s jazz guitar playing were the initial catalyst in his realization that music was the only path for him to follow. His experimentation with the saxaphone in grammar school led him further into his instrumental curiosity, eventually leading him into an absorbing relationship with the guitar.

Strongly influenced by Garage and Punk bands in his early adolescence, Fulcrum started two of his own bands, one which toured all over North America & Canada and produced two EPs and one Full length album.  Five years of rockin’ eventually moved Fulcrum towards the other side.  More and more his ear was drawn closer to the breakbeat and away from the punk and into the funk.  Having seemingly no time for the band anymore and finding a true love for the turntables, Fulcrum was eventually dismissed from his band, to him this meant more time for the new sound. 

The summer of 1999 saw Fulcrum’s introduction into the Philadelphia drum and bass community, having joined forces with DJ’s Karl K, and Jaeson Kennedy in their weekly internet radio broadcast, Injection 2012, which hosted worldwide talent.  Soon after in October of 2000 Fulcrum got involved with Clayton the Chemist in yet another weekly broadcast called IntheLab.  Various weekly residencies expanded his experience as a DJ in Philadelphia having shared decks with many international drum and bass DJ’s. 

Clayton the Chemist

Dave Clayton grew up in Albuquerque, NM. It was there that he was introduced to electronic dance music, but Philadelphia is where his musical taste came of age. In 1995, his studies brought him to State College, PA, where he attended Penn State. During this time, he was the resident DJ at a local nightclub, and played various events in the area.  His Clayton the Chemist DJ moniker was coined from a joking observation hip hop DJ JJ Brown made that, "You look like a mad scientist up there mixing records, like some kind of crazy chemist."

Between 1997 and 1999, on alternating semesters, he worked in a Co-op position for Structural Dynamics Research Corporation. This enabled him to live near San Francisco CA, Cincinatti OH, and Denver CO. Playing in these cities solidified his technical DJ  abilities, and enhanced his diversity.  After a May 2000 graduation from Penn State, with a BS in Aerospace Engineering, he accepted a Support Engineer position for the Finite Element Analysis team behind Femap.

For the next 3 years he worked full time.  He organized his free time with a balance between establishing himself in the Philly DJ circuit as a diverse and adept DJ, and teaching himself Music Production and Engineering. Clayton also created the internet radio show, IntheLab with Art Cuebik and Fulcrum.  As his knowlege grew, so did the equipment list in his studio, The Natural Selection Lab. There he studied Acoustics and his craft of Music Production, Engineering, and Mastering.

In Oct 2003 he dedicated himself to music full time, and established the business Natural Selection. Since then he has provided professional Acoustical, Audio Engineering, Mastering, and Publishing Services to a variety of clients in the greater Philadelphia area, Hollywood, San Francisco, Denver, and Atlanta . He achieved the difficult feat of both mixing and mastering 2 albums. While managing his businesss, he furthered his acoustical knowlege and Studio Acoustical Treatment Design talents. His Studio, Recording Techniques, Mixing, and Mastering skills were honed to near perfection.

As a need for income supplementation from part time jobs increased, he pushed Natural Selection into the background, and made Data Analysis, Programming, Database Devlopment, and IT Support his primary focus. From Jan 2007 to March 2011 he was a Productivity Consultant for PC Helps. March of 2011 saw his progression to a Software Engineer at Montgomery Investment Technology, Inc. There he provides Software Development of tools used in the Valuation of Options and Derivitve Securiies.

He still provides Professional Audio Services to a select number of clients, but balances it with Clayton & Fulcrum's Production and Mastering in his free time. His label, Natural Selection, has released 2 Clayton & Fulcrum albums, and 2 digital EPs.