All Things Deep - Reviews - Various Artists: Spike's Choice

Various - Spike's Choice

The new funk movement that is currently represented by Big Daddy, Stark Reality and Poets of Rhythm owes a debt to Desco Records. One of the key players in popularizing live funk for a new generation, the New York label specialized in limited-issue 45s of new acts until its closure in 2000. As each single was limited to 500 copies, they sold out quickly, making it nearly impossible to build a complete collection. Thankfully, Spike's Choice brings together the first twelve singles in their entirety in one handy CD.

The dominant influences here are boogaloo and James Brown, as will be made clear by the Sugarman Three, Lee Fields and Sharon Jones, all of whom are decisively retro in their approach. Hard drums, honking sax, and strident vocals are hallmarks of the Desco sound, erupting to life on "Soul Jasper" by house band Soul Providers and Jones' low-down cover of JB's "I Got the Feeling." Ravi Harris and his Prophets offer a trippy alternative brand of funk on "Thunderbird" and "Path of the Blazing Sarong." These sides are simply some of the funkiest released in the last ten years. Spike's Choice is a crucial document of the resurgence of funk.

Released 1998 on Desco

Selected Tracks:

Sharon Jones - Damn It's Hot
Sugarman Three - Double Cross
Ravi Harris - Hot Pants Road
The Other Side - Diggin' Up the Yard