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Anyone Seen This?

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Interesting stuff. I like a bit of Doo Wop but could never fully embrace Rock and Roll. Interesting it's mainly females but i've got a feeling it's not for the reason Keb thinks. Doesn't rockabilly have a large gay following amongst women? I'm thinking K.D. Lang etc...

My two kids dance around when i play soul in the living room on my laptop, when i put this on Logan started shouting 'Stop, stop, stop...' discerning listeners? Mind you he was trying to watch the Grand Prix qualifying at the time :unsure:

I've always been fascinated by other music scenes and how similar they are to the NS scene. I'm not surprised Keb says RnR and Rockabilly have the same politics as our scene. What's the state of the RnR scene these days, didn't i read somewhere on hear you can't give RnR 45 away now?

The track they put up there was pretty terrible I thought, but on the whole, I love this stuff. Been exposed to such a lot of it lately due to downloading all 52 epsiodes of Bob Dylan's Theme Time Radio Hour.

Who`s Keb.

Who is Keb?

Rhetorical question I know but there are many who have a large gap in the Northernsoul Scene, including Keb who if the truth be know is yet another one of the so called big hitting DJ's (nothing to do with his martial arts lol) who have popped back into the scene after the lean years and is now enjoying his reputation that was carved out at Stafford.

I may sound a little cynical here, I am not trying to be but I am slow to jump on any bandwagon giving praise that goes over the top. Keb is given (some of) the lions share of credit for the music that "saved northern soul's credibility".

The fact is that Richard Serling had championed this music in the dying days of The Casino.

Keb is a wonderful character who's return to the Northernsoul Scene stirs up some potent memories, he is first of all a superb DJ who once had a collection to kill for, DEL LARKS - JOB OPENING springs to mind but sold. His dancing even now is jaw dropping! Brilliant!

His reputation on the "Funk" scene is at the very top of that crazy tree, he is both a DJ and record producer.

I interviewed him for Manifesto a few years ago......................

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 f*** 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, "f*** 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)

Who is Keb?

Rhetorical question I know but there are many who have a large gap in the Northernsoul Scene, including Keb who if the truth be know is yet another one of the so called big hitting DJ's (nothing to do with his martial arts lol) who have popped back into the scene after the lean years and is now enjoying his reputation that was carved out at Stafford.

I may sound a little cynical here, I am not trying to be but I am slow to jump on any bandwagon giving praise that goes over the top. Keb is given (some of) the lions share of credit for the music that "saved northern soul's credibility".

The fact is that Richard Serling had championed this music in the dying days of The Casino.

Keb is a wonderful character who's return to the Northernsoul Scene stirs up some potent memories, he is first of all a superb DJ who once had a collection to kill for, DEL LARKS - JOB OPENING springs to mind but sold. His dancing even now is jaw dropping! Brilliant!

His reputation on the "Funk" scene is at the very top of that crazy tree, he is both a DJ and record producer.

I interviewed him for Manifesto a few years ago......................

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 f*** 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, "f*** 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)

Ah!!i remember now,i used to live with him & woggy the dog and the othe half dozen savory soulie`s,what a fab fella`used to let ya`play his records too!!,winds kept laughin`;naughty boy;etc etc etc.

My parents ran a R&R club in the 70`s & i used to hear a lot of this stuff, the two scenes have a lot of crossover points, dancing, record collecting & clothes.

One guy i remember really got into collecting late 40`s & early 50`s stuff, he had contacts in America for records & used to wear some amazing togs.He would turn up for an alldayer dressed as a GI & the next like an Italian gangster, his girlfriend looked like a 40`s / 50`s film star......

He was into R&R, Rockabilly, swing, bluegrass, baber shop quartets & street corner groups etc etc. I heard some amazing stuff

Kolla put a link on here a few years ago to an online American radio station that played this stuff [ i think :unsure: ]

Perhaps one of the mods may be able to dig it out

My parents ran a R&R club in the 70`s & i used to hear a lot of this stuff, the two scenes have a lot of crossover points, dancing, record collecting & clothes.

One guy i remember really got into collecting late 40`s & early 50`s stuff, he had contacts in America for records & used to wear some amazing togs.He would turn up for an alldayer dressed as a GI & the next like an Italian gangster, his girlfriend looked like a 40`s / 50`s film star......

He was into R&R, Rockabilly, swing, bluegrass, baber shop quartets & street corner groups etc etc. I heard some amazing stuff

Kolla put a link on here a few years ago to an online American radio station that played this stuff [ i think :lol: ]

Perhaps one of the mods may be able to dig it out

:lol: & musically i think. For which reason i find it strange that in the Manifesto interview Keb Darge says he couldn't get into 60's R&B.

There is a nice acetate on ebay at the moment that is billed as rock'a'billy but could very easily slip into an R&B playlist !

Back to Keb Darge, have to admire him :wicked: Always seems to be pushing the boundries & furthering his music knowledge & it appears from the interviews that the music is always his main focus.

A nice read the original post & Imberboy's :unsure:

:lol: & musically i think. For which reason i find it strange that in the Manifesto interview Keb Darge says he couldn't get into 60's R&B.

There is a nice acetate on ebay at the moment that is billed as rock'a'billy but could very easily slip into an R&B playlist !

Back to Keb Darge, have to admire him :lol: Always seems to be pushing the boundries & furthering his music knowledge & it appears from the interviews that the music is always his main focus.

A nice read the original post & Imberboy's :unsure:

Agree keb doesn't let the invisible rules get in the way of what he wants to play, I understand him prefectly. Simple just exaggerate the 'R' sound, shorten the vowels and swear like f**k.

there is already an active scene playing this mix , nice to see it catching on :D

Agree keb doesn't let the invisible rules get in the way of what he wants to play, I understand him prefectly. Simple just exaggerate the 'R' sound, shorten the vowels and swear like f**k.

And say,say ken every other sentance!!

And say,say ken every other sentance!!

we all do Kenny :laugh:

Question: What has Rockabilly to do with the Soul music experience?

Answer (in the oh-so-eloquent style of Mr. Darge): "F***ing F**** all !"

Edited by mel brat

  • Author

Question: What has Rockabilly to do with the Soul music experience?

Answer (in the oh-so-eloquent style of Mr. Darge): "F***ing F**** all !"

It wasnt posted to highlight rockabilly, more for the references to the northern scene and of course Keb, a huge part of it. :thumbsup:

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