Speedometer

I was listening to Craig Charles last night on BBC Radio 6 and he played a couple of tracks by Speedometer. I was surprised when I checked my blog that I had not featured the band before now.

Here's their MySpace blurb:

UK's premier funk band started out as a quartet gigging in small clubs in the Southeast of England in 1999, playing classic funk tunes by artists such as The Meters and The JB's. The band soon expanded, adding the now renowned horn section (The Rev Horns) and vocalists (The Speedettes) in 2001, which has enabled them to deliver the powerhouse deep funk sound they're known for today.

In 2000, the first single was released "Soul Safari" on Soul Fire Records and soon followed several other releases by other labels. Each of the limited run 45 singles sold out to a rapidly growing funk audience. Three years later the band joined forces with Blow it Hard Records to record the first Speedometer LP. THIS IS SPEEDOMETER (VOL.I) which blended their love of heavy deep funk with Soul and fused this with Latin grooves that gave the eagerly awaiting funk fans and DJ's one of the best new authentic funk albums since the 1970's.

2005 saw the follow up album "THIS IS SPEEDOMETER (VOL. 2)".This second volume proved the bands credentials in delivering unrivalled heavyweight funk grooves and super-soul vocals from soul diva Ria Currie and the Speedettes. The funky re-work of Beyonce’s “Work it out” has been one of the most successful new funk 45’s to date and in the top 10 of most funk/soul DJ’s around the globe. The album also led them to Japan for a fantastic sellout tour playing 8 shows in Nagoya & Osaka. Check out 'Speedometer live in Japan' video on You Tube. Just type Speedometer funk into the search box.

2006 saw Freestyle Records in the UK release “Diggin Deeper”. A compilation of all of Speedometer’s early 7" 45 releases in one place on CD for the very first time. It also saw them back in Big Noise Studios to start laying tracks for the next album "4 Flights Up" due out in early 2007 on Freestyle Records. Over the years, Speedometer has worked with many of the US funk legends including Sir Joe Quarterman, Eddie Bo, Marva Whitney, Sharon Jones, James Bell (The Highlighters), Lee Fields, Billy Wooten and most recently, gigging and cutting two tracks in the studio with Robert Moore. (To be released soon)All the artists were blown away by Speedometer's authenticity to the original soul-funk sound and the early indications from the band suggest that the heaviest funk is yet to come..............