Keb Darge Presents: The New Mastersounds (LP)

After many years of spearheading the UK’s live funk scene and packing out the best clubs everywhere from London to Mexico City, The New Mastersounds captured the pure energy and excitement of their live show onto this, their debut album release.

Originally released in 2001 by BBE, this was the first full-length album from The New Mastersounds, a band that subsequently went on to make nine more, and to build a hefty live following all over the USA and Japan. With heavyweight international DJ's such as Kenny Dope, Spinna, Keb Darge, Pete Rock, DJ Shadow, Snowboy & Adrian Gibson shouting about the release, bolstered by a crossover into the dance scene with "Nervous" (their homage to Masters At Work's "The Nervous Track") along with an unexpected arrangement of the 'Theme from James Bond' (move over PropellerHeads, this is the next opening sequence!), the interest generated on this album was huge. 14 tracks of hard-hitting brilliance. Most of the tracks feature the UK's most dynamic brass section The Haggis Horns, whose members went on to tour with Mark Ronson, Amy Winehouse, Jamiroquai, and later to form their own band which has released several highly acclaimed disco-funk albums.

Founder, band leader, producer & and guitarist Eddie Roberts had been playing and releasing music on the funk & dancefloor jazz scene since the late 80s, so at the time the explosion of his latest project onto the to the DJ and underground club scene came as little surprise. ‘People, behold the future of funk’ Big Daddy Magazine

Credits:
Alto Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone – Jason Rae
Bass – Pete Shand
Drums – Simon Allen (6)
Engineer – Ben Barker
Guitar, Producer, Mixed By – Eddie Roberts
Organ [Hammond] – Bob Birch (2)
Presenter, Executive-Producer – Keb Darge
Tenor Saxophone, Flute – Atholl Ransome
Trumpet, Valve Trombone [Uncredited] – Malcolm Strachan
Vocals – Rev. Chunky*, Sulene Fleming