Re:Align:Design to build ROCKERS REVOLT. The brand spanking new record label brought to you by UK ska & reggae sensation Pama Intl. Releasing the finest soul-fuelled reggae-dub-roots-lovers-rocksteady-steppas-ska, modern day classics.
Keb Darge’s brand of funk is about passion, energy, authenticity and belief. Specialising in compiling otherwise unobtainable, incredibly rare 45s alongside fellow fanatics DJ Shadow, Ian Wright, Snowboy, Darge has championed his sound for almost a decade at his now legendary Deep Funk club nights at Madame Jo Jos in London. Keb’s obsessive musical archive plots the trajectory of funk from its Northern Soul, R&B and boogaloo origins through to the disco and jazz-funk period.
Legendary for the choicest and rarest collection of Funk 45’s known to man, Keb Darge has spent nearly 10 years travelling around the world collecting and thrilling audiences with his own distinctive style of Funk, this in turn has brought this long neglected music back to the dance floors for which it was made! Inspired an international revival of DJ’s digging in the crates to unearth a wealth of Black American soul music which was all but destined for obscurity.
Keb Darge started collecting Funk and Soul in 1972, before becoming engrossed in the Northern Soul scene. He was one of the top dancers at Wigan Casino, and was voted number one Northern Soul DJ for several years running. He made the switch from Northern to Funk and Soul in the mid eighties, and is now recognised worldwide as the number one rare Funk DJ on the planet. Constantly in demand worldwide he still sees Jo Jo’s as his home and refuses to play elsewhere on a Friday unless it is part of a long haul tour. He has done numerous compilations on his own and with names such as The RZA (Wu-Tang Clan), DJ Shadow, Pete Rock, and Kenny Dope Gonzalez, who he now runs Kay-Dee Records with. A New York based label that is bringing us the tunes played on the Friday nights at Jo Jo’s. He now writes, arranges, and produces new tunes for the club so that his playbox never goes stagnant.
Useful Links:
http://www.kaydeerecords.com/
http://www.discogs.com/artist/Keb+Darge
http://www.madamejojos.com/
http://www.telfordswarehouse.com/
Diesler’s first release was Cotton Wool, part of Tru Thoughts Shapes One compilation: despite being written when he was only 20, the song still found its way onto Radio 1, a massive achievement for a debut track. (more…)
Phil Charnock has been a dance music addict for his entire life, and what better way for that passion to manifest itself than behind the decks? Phil’s eclectic sets embrace many different styles from across the musical spectrum. House, hip hop, soul, disco, jazz, you name it, he digs it. Phil excels at connecting the disparate threads of dance music and making the set remain coherent and accessible. (more…)
DJ Name: Shikibu
AKA: Ann, Twitcher
Catchphrase:
-
Funkdub Styles:
Soul/ Funk + a bit of hip-hop and other assorted ditties
Influences:
Mr Scruff, DJ Numark, DJ Shadow - all great advocates of the
funky break (not that my DJing skills come close)
Heroes:
Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, Marlena Shaw, Stevie Wonder, James
Brown, Aretha Franklin the list could go on and on and on and on.
Villains:
Bland MTV friendly RnB/ hip-hop like 50 Cent and J-Lo which
undermine all the good work done by others.
5 Artists to Watch /or/ Tips for 2005:
Tom Vek, The Magic Numbers, Quantum Soul Orchestra, ARP (Grand Central), hopefully a new album from Q-Tip.
Contact: Shikibu
DJ Name: Woj
AKA: Pierre Luigi Collina, Colin Wojtowycz
Catchphrase:
‘It’s got to be funky!’
Funkdub Styles:
Funk, classic soul, hip-hop, alternative dance, electro and indie.
Influences:
Anything soulful or funky, so labels such as Atlantic, Stax or Motown are always a good start for classic styles. Contemporary artists that influence me include Mr. Scruff, Herbaliser, Jurassic 5, Aim, Go! Team, Mark Rae, Chemical Brothers and Gorrilaz. I also like indie music that can cross over with dance music so bands such as The Charlatans, Primal Scream, New Order etc.
Heroes:
The late Bill Hicks (Controversial American stand up comedian of the 1990’s) - For being intellectual and challenging, sometimes even infuriating but always hilariously funny. His material is still as relevant today as it was 15 years ago.
Mr Scruff (Manchester based Ninja Tune dj) - His music introduced me to soulful dance music and he is a nice chap to boot as he promotes several good charities through his music.
Villains:
People who promote bland music, TV or film which reward a lack of originality and aim to satisfy the lowest common denominator. So reality television, ringtone music or celebrity gossip magazines. Also people who start fights or wars to solve problems instead of communicating ideas.
5 Artists to Watch /or/ Tips for 2005:
Amerie - ‘One Thing’ is an immense modern funk tune. watch out for more of the same.
DJ Format - ‘If You Can’t Beat Em Join Em’ - Fast flowing, rap filled hip hop without need of guns or beatches.
The Herbaliser - ‘Take London’ - If it’s anything like ‘Something Wicked This Way Comes’ or ‘Very Mercenary’ it should be super cool.
Jack Johnson - ‘Inbetween Dreams’ - If you want something acoustic and folky but still with some good tunes you can’t too wrong with this album.
Contact: Woj
James Porter is one of a small breed of young DJs proving a hit in his native Chester and resident/promoter of the city’s only electronic night Beyond The Breaks.
Phat Phil Cooper. Words alone are not enough to describe the character that is Phat Phil Cooper. Larger than life, boisterous and famed for his gregarious nature as much as his spectacular house based sets that combine electro, funk and of course those pure classics from that envious record collection of his.
