Craig Charles Funk and Soul Club

Yes - it's back! The boom bappest, fattest & funkiest collection of sounds made for soul searching sore ears -The Craig Charles Funk & Soul Club returns!

Since the release of Volume 1 in 2012, Craig has barely had a chance to change his socks, presenting his massively popular radio show on BBC 6 Music and having been on an almost constant DJ tour - dragging his Trunk Of Funk far and wide to play for increasingly large audiences, including kicking off the Glastonbury Festival with a 4 hour set, causing all manner of musical mayhem at WOMAD 2013, tearing the roof off the Soundwave festival in Croatia - as well as hosting his regular club nights at Manchester's Band On The Wall - with block rocking live shows from names like US funk legend Lee Fields, Spain's Sweet Vandals and Australia's toughest raw funk collective Deep Street Soul amongst many others.

And so - the man, the myth, the legend, the not-so-tall, the not-so-dark, the not-so-handsome Craig Charles has hand picked fresh and classic nuggets from the very best soul, funk & dance floor grooves around for Volume 2 of his top selling compilations series.

This edition contains some 100% completely brand new exclusive tracks not heard anywhere before, including Dr Rubberfunk's 'Creek Walk', Emma Beatson and The Hawkmen's track 'Do It', and Lack Of Afro's 'The Outsider - Part 2' which was recorded specifically for this album.

You have to hear Cookin' On 3 Burners Hammond funk version of Gary Numan's Cars, you will flip your lid twice when you hear funk royalty Fred Wesley & Anthony Joseph join forces on Mops Mop's Run Around, and your ears will buy you flowers in gratitude once you have treated them to The Hot 8 Brass Bands version of The Specials Ghost Town and the original acid jazz troubadours James Taylor Quartets debut 1987 single Blow Up!

Of his second selection for Freestyle Craig says: "Whilst my 6 Music radio show features much of the music from the golden age of American soul & funk music, my compilations for Freestyle are a showcase for the contemporary bands that are all part of the worldwide response to the original pioneers and innovators of that sound - all the artists featured are doing their funky thing now - this is no history lesson!"

There are indeed living legends featured, not only Jocelyn Brown featuring on Jessica Lauren's funking gospel style stomper Happiness Train, but two appearances from the recently honoured Omar LyeFook MBE - who not only guests on Lack Of Afro's remix of The Hidden Jazz Quartett's High Heels, but also as impressively on the brand new version of his massive early 90's hit There's Nothing Like This - which features bass player to the gods Pino Palladino.

The Craig Charles Funk & Soul Club Vol 2 is the gift that just keeps on giving - it's like having Craig himself DJ-ing in your house. This selection is his greatest yet - and if you don't wear out your carpet getting down to these tracks - you should check your pulse - as you may already be dead!

And don't forget - there's no sleep till bedtime!

03 Mop Mop - Run Around feat. Fred Wesley & Anthony Joseph [clip]

i-sha feels through a deeply personal session of emotional resonance and cathartic intensity for this week’s Fact Mix.

https://www.factmag.com/2023/04/03/fact-mix-i-sha/

Fact Mixes

Fact Mix 902: i-sha (Apr '23)

Live At The Jazz Cafe

Blow Up

The Craig Charles Funk & Soul Club, Vol. 2

Koekwaus

The Riviera Affair

The standout track from Aldo Vanucci’s Love is Loops EP is back with some killer remixes.

Not one but two D&B mixes to choose from with V Recording’s Dr Meaker first up to the plate with a funked up jazzy D&B mix that shows why his recent productions have been getting so much airplay.

London bass crew Futurizm offer a tougher tech-step version for the heavier sets but both mixes are set to blow up the dance.

Straight out of Antwerp - Belgium’s D’Steph comes correct with a retro warehouse mix that oozes class and Smoove drops a funky Breakbeat mix for his legion of jazzhead followers.

The original – well what can you say ?

Kylie Auldist is the singer with one of the world’s most in demand Funk & Soul bands (The Bamboos) as well as being a solo artist in her own right on the highly respected Tru Thoughts label. Between her and Aldo Vanucci – the 14th Best DJ in Plymouth – they have crafted a modern classic.

Released by: Jalapeno Records 
Release/catalogue number: JAL144 

Aldo Vanucci -Feat Kylie Auldist - You're All Show - Smoove Remix

Actor, stand up comedian, poet, radio presenter and club DJ, Craig Charles, has been a dedicated soul boy from a tender age. In fact, he was raised on the sounds of sweet soul, "My father came over from Guyana in the West Indies and he brought a load of records over with him. There was always Ray Charles playing in the house, The Platters, Aretha Franklin and Otis Redding. My Dad would play all this old stuff. In fact I was very close to getting called Otis when I was born! One of my earliest memories is my mum and dad dancing around the kitchen to Ray Charles' I've Got A Woman. I remember the look of sheer joy and exhilaration on their faces. I was hooked!

"When punk landed I was P-Funking. When young kids where pogoing like morons, I was dusting talc off my shoes. I used to go to an underground black club in Liverpool when I was 14 - I remember dancing to Up for the Down Stroke by Parliament. Everyone thinks of The Beatles or Echo and the Bunnymen when they think of Liverpool, but I remember being so proud when The Real Thing were in the charts, because at least there was one black Liverpool band making it."

After achieving mainstream success with his poetry, and then acting and TV presenting roles in cult sci-fi comedy Red Dwarf, Robot Wars and TV's longest running soap opera Coronation Street - as the taxi driving, soul music fanatic Lloyd Mullaney - Craig's reputation as a fun, funk loving soul boy was cemented with the public. In 2001, as the BBC prepared to launch the new digital radio station BBC 6 Music, he was asked to present a show. Over ten years on from the debut broadcast, the show is now the award winning station’s longest running, and has the biggest share of audience too, a very impressive result for what was originally thought of as a 'niche' programme!

It wasn't long before promoters of club nights and festivals were asking for Craig to bring his 'Trunk Of Funk' out on the road, and countless DJ slots across the UK and into Europe included; Mostly Jazz Festival, The Cheltenham Jazz Festival, Kendal Calling and the Big Chill, Vintage at Goodwood and even the world renowned Glastonbury Festival.

As it was clear there was huge demand for more - monthly 'Craig Charles Funk & Soul Club' nights began at The Wardrobe in Leeds, Band On the Wall in Manchester, and attendance records were smashed as eager funk fans created road blocks as they clamoured for the combination of nights of top DJ tunage and blistering lives sets from the likes of Maceo Parker, The New Mastersounds, JTQ, The Fantastics!, and many of the acts included on this very compilation. Without doubt, his radio show and funky evangelizing is one of Craig’s proudest achievements, and it was only natural that Craig and Freestyle Records would join forces to bring forth this album.

The Excitements - Wait a Minute

This is a portion of a Johnny "Hammond" Smith song entitled "Dreams." Johnny is on piano and Grover Washington Jr. is on saxophone. This is just a sample from the song for the purpose of this remix contest. Enjoy.

Dreams-remix

Releasing the best in funk, jazz, soul, reggae & more since 2003

The Excitements - Wait a Minute

Freestyle Records

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