Keb Darge

Heavily involved in Northern soul and the development of what he termed "deep funk" -- as a DJ, compilation producer, and label operator -- Keb Darge's route through a tireless promotion of neglected and forgotten soul and funk from the '60s and '70s began when he was a regular at the Wigan Casino, the epicenter of Northern soul. Through his late teens and early twenties Darge was an active DJ, but eventually moved to London and stopped spinning. By the late '80s, at the height of house music's popularity in the U.K., he was DJing again and started a club night called "Deep Funk." Going against the grain, he and his associates struggled to build an enduring scene and aesthetic, but it all began to thrive once he established himself through a regular deep funk night at a Soho club called Madame JoJo's. Still DJing through the early 2000s, Darge has put together numerous compilations, including BBE series like Keb Darge's Legendary Deep Funk, Soul Spectrum, Jazz Spectrum, and Funk Spectrum; he and Wu-Tang Clan's RZA presented a disc each of selections for BBE's Kings of Funk set. He branched out with Lost and Found: Rockabilly and Jump Blues, another two-disc BBE compilation, this time shared with Cut Chemist. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide