Who the Funk is Keb Darge?
By Simon Cuerden
A legend in his own lunchbox, who the funk is Keb Darge? You have only to type
his name into an Internet search engine to find a mass off funky references
spewing onto your screen, confirming him as one of the world’s leading lights of
funk.
Now unless you have been living in a cave, the mention of Keb Darge will conjure
up various pictures to the Northernsoul fraternity. Be this of him wearing a
Levine must go T-shirt at The Mecca, ragging the dancers at Stafford or
mesmerising us with his dancing in the film Blue Juice. DJ, dancer, artist
record collector and record producer. What was Keb Darge doing in a small
nightclub in Dusseldorf during one of Germanys biggest holiday festivals?
Manifesto caught up with Keb Just before his guest spot at The Unique Club in
Dusseldorf.
Manifesto: How did you end up guesting in Dusseldorf?
Keb: Some years ago, after seriously getting into deep funk, I started DJing
this has given me the opportunity to play in Italy, Spain, and Japan and of
course the UK. Henry, the guy who owns the Unique Club invited me, sent me a
ticket and a hotel reservation so here I am.
Manifesto: What is your connection with Rockabilly music?
Keb: I ended up at a Rockabilly concert, sum what reluctantly, it was at this
concert I fell in love with the music. I listen to Rockabilly because it’s the
nearest thing to white mans soul; it gives me the same feeling as Northern does.
It’s not the same sound but it’s pure and it’s innocent and it’s good hard
music.
Manifesto: Why did you leave Northern and cross over to funk?
Keb: Twice divorced and twice selling a decent record collection, I still care
about the scene and I am passionate about our music. Living in Japan with my
wife offered up a unique opportunity to scour record shops and warehouses. I
would find my self-digging through various unheard of labels and artists of the
funk genre. The music is fantastic and like Northern, it hadn’t been heard.
Manifesto: Blackpool Mecca and the “Levine must go” T Shirts? Were you involved?
Keb: I used to wear a Levine must go t-shirt; I thought that he played a pile of
shite; I equally thought that Winstanley played a pile of shite at the same
time. I wasn’t a sixties only boy I was a good music only boy.
Manifesto: How do you feel about Stafford getting the lions share of the credit
of what is now the current sound, when in fact a great number of those sounds
were first played at the Casino during it’s last 18 months?
Keb: I don’t mind, I suppose me and Guy really pushed it you know Richard
Serling at the end of The Casino was playing really good top quality stuff but
it wasn’t really getting accepted, then Dave came along and he was playing some
brilliant stuff but he didn’t get accepted. And being the uppity bastard that I
am, I thought I will get accepted or I will ram it down their throats! So I
would say things like “Look, your into soul, this is soul ya c—ts”
Manifesto: Keb tell us a bit about the 100 Club.
Keb: I was living in London and round about their second or third night, when
they first started, they wouldn’t play Northern, they were playing mainly
sixties music I used to moan like fuck then Addy said to me after about the
third one “You wanna play a set of Northern?” “Fuckin right I do!” I used to do
the 100 Club when I wasn’t doing Stafford.
Manifesto: So how do you leap from Northern to funk?
Keb: About 1987 I got divorced and I sold all my Northern mainly to Butch, Rob
Marriott and Manship, he bought the scraps it was a good day for him that day!
He gave me six hundred quid for The Del Larks and sold it for two thousand six
hundred! I then went to Japan for six months and started playing Funk. They have
mountains of Deep Funk and Soul like Detroit used to have!
Manifesto: Do you think there is now going to be a stampede over to the Japanese
record shops?
Keb: I’m not too sure about that, the language barrier is a problem, I remember
Butch going across and ringing me from a taxi, lost in the middle of no were
with no one who could speak English! I had to tell the Japanese taxi driver to
come to Bajoua. So unless you speak Japanese or read a bit of Japanese, your
fucked I don’t care, no one going to get it.
Manifesto: Do you think we will see any of this stuff crossing over to the
Northern Scene?
Keb: Maybe not now coz the Northernsoul Scene is too fuckin anal retentive, I
can’t get into the sixties RnB, I love fifties RnB I love Slim Harpo. I like
hard core “Billy” but that aint gonna cross over! I used to be so fuckin narrow
minded Northern was the only thing with a bit of modern but then I got into
every thing.
Manifesto: How do you become responsible for four of the worlds top compilations
albums of funk with BBE Records?
Keb: My education on the Northern scene taught me about records and I had been
supplying Norman J and Roy of the Roach with tunes on the rare groove scene but
they didn’t go deep enough. They didn’t realise how much there was in the
obscure funk world. So I thought, no one has done this, every one likes it, and
I’m going to go deeper! I’m gonna go back to the states and dig out all the funk
records I suppose I was the first to start looking deep in America for funk,
like the Northern scene.
Manifesto: Are you just producing now with BBE?
Keb: No I’m actually writing some stuff as well! It’s so easy, you just sit in
the bathtub with a Dictaphone and sing songs that don’t exist, give the tape to
a musician and sort it in a studio. It’s a doddle producing records.
Manifesto: What is your involvement with The Rocket?
Keb: Ian wanted me to do a Funk room, but the first night wasn’t really my scene
with the speeches an all the carry on with The 4 Vandals. I wondered if it was
real or not? I heard the hype; I heard the song I thought, “Fuck off!” I’m sorry
mate, but you’re kidding every one on!
Manifesto: Keb your due to start your set any minute, what are you going to
play?
Keb: I have bought over a couple of hundred records, mainly deep funk but there
are going to be a few surprises tonight you’ll have to wait and see.
Manifesto: Keb’s set started with a rich deep creamy funky number that fooled
the dance floor into thinking the tempo was to fall, but this cheeky little
number plucked from Keb’s record box took us all by surprise as it exploded
into…well…………..funk!! Every now and again through out the set I thought I could
hear a distant memory of the soul scene? As this was the night Keb burst me Funk
Cherry I had to ask for information on the records he was playing. One of the
embarrassing moments was saying to Keb that the record being spun sounded a
little like Gill Scott Heron? Only to be told that it was and could I recognise
the next one? The following track was Lou Pride ripping him self-apart funk
stylee! I had to ask how much? It was over a grand!
It may not be Northernsoul but it was funkin good! I asked Keb if he had any
message for the young kids, he said:
Keb: “To all the young kids out there, stop fucking listening to music that
matches your image and listen to music that makes you feel good”
Keb Darge’s All Time Top Ten
1. Gwen Owens -Just say you’re wanted (Velgo)
2. Ernest Baker -Alone Again (Blue Soul)
3. Tomangoes -I really love you (Washpan)
4. Del Larks -Job Opening (Queen City)
5. Salvadores -Stick by me baby (Wise World)
6. Eddie Parker -I’m gone (Awake)
7. Ric Cartey -Scratching on my screen (BRC)
8. Leon Gardner -The natural (Calla)
9. Ramona Collins -You’ve been cheating (Clarks)
10. Al Williams -I am nothing (La Beat)
Keb Darge’s Current Top Ten Play list
1. Mickey & Soul Generation -How good is good (MRG)
2. The Highlighters -Funky 16 corners (PRP)
3. Groove Merchants -There’s got to be someone for me (Suemi)
4. Dayton Sidewinders -Funky I’m here (Carlco)
5. Glowlighters -Over and over (Uptown)
6. Earl Carter -Shake your po po (Princess)
7. Joe Cotto Orchestra -Alex Twister (Magda)
8. Record Player -Free your mind
9. Reggie Saddler Revue -Raggedy Bag (Aquarius)
10. The Highlanders -Lock Jaw (Lemon Drop)