Trunk of Funk: Craig Charles' favourite tracks

Feature by Tallah Brash | 02 Feb 2017

Probably best known as Red Dwarf's Dave Lister, BBC 6 Music's Funk and Soul king Craig Charles lets us delve deep into his musical psyche ahead of his appearance at this year's Groove festival in the Cairngorms

What was the first record you remember buying?

I used to steal loads cause I used to work in a record shop on a Saturday, but the first record I can actually remember spending real money on was Live and Dangerous by Thin Lizzy. I must’ve been about 13, 14 and I was really into Thin Lizzy – where I grew up was a really white area, and everyone was into all this rock music. There were no black people in rock music apart from Jimi Hendrix, so I was really into them 'cause it was someone I could identify with.

I reverse-engineered my way into funk and soul music – I listened to bands like Led Zeppelin and my dad would go, ‘You know where they got that lick from?’ He’d start playing me old blues records like John Lee Hooker and B.B. King and that’s how I started getting into golden era Black American music.

What record do you never get bored of?

Cody Chestnutt’s Landing on a Hundred and The Headphone Masterpiece – two albums that you can listen to again and again. There’s a new album which I’ve been playing all the time – it’s not even out yet – called Country Hustle by a guy called Jeb Loy Nichols. He does this country-soul sort of thing. Then you’ve got things like Talking Book from Stevie Wonder, which I play a lot, and Songs in the Key of Life. What’s Going On by Marvin GayeHot Buttered Soul by Isaac Hayes... all those classic albums get spun quite a lot but I listen to a lot of new stuff as well, so you can’t have a favourite record because it changes every day. At the moment I’d say Jeb Loy Nichols' Country Hustle is my favourite album.

What’s your favourite funk record?

You can’t go wrong with Parliament. I love P. Funk (Wants to Get Funked Up): ‘I’m known as the lollipop man / Alias, The Long-Haired Sucker’... all that Chocolate City and Mothership Connection stuff. And I’ve been listening to a lot of Fatback Band recently – they’re quite groovy as well. And there’s a (new) band called The Pimps of Joytime coming out of Brooklyn, New York – they’re quite hardcore funk as well; quite like them.

What’s your favourite soul record?

I think What’s Going On by Marvin Gaye – it’s just a classic album you can never get tired of listening to. I listen to a lot of soul compilations 'cause a lot of stuff that comes out on Kent and Ace – those labels do these brilliant compilations, and every one’s a banger. I’m really into compilations at the moment.

I’ve also been listening to this CD a lot called The Curtom Story. Curtis Mayfield set up his own label called Curtom and it’s got stuff from Curtis Mayfield and The Impressions, Leroy Hutson, Linda Clifford, The Five Stairsteps, Major Lance, Gene Chandler, and it’s really cool. It tells the story of the Curtom label. I fixate on stuff like that.

What record do you love to listen to when you wake up in the morning?

Oooh, I like things that are quite groovy for when you’re waking up – another compilation, Jalapeno Funk (Vol. 8) has bands like Soopasoul, Kraak & Smaak and Skeewiff. I suppose their biggest crossover stars at the moment are Smoove & Turrell. It’s based in the golden age of funk, but it’s been remixed and rehashed for the modern dancefloor, which is quite cool.

What record do you like to dance around your kitchen to?

Ah well, it depends if me and the missus are being romantic – if we’re having a little smooch in the kitchen, it would have to be something like Always and Forever by Heatwave. That kind of thing for having a slowy in the kitchen. But things like Grant Lazlo orchestra and Marvin Gaye – that version of Heard It Through The Grapevine is beautiful. And Mario Biondi – This Is What You Are has a Latin-y tip. I’d dance to anything, me. I’ve even done The Birdy Song.

What gets you in the mood for a night out?

D’you know what? This is so egotistical, but if I’m going to go out I generally stick one of my own compilations on. I know that sounds terrible, but I’ve chosen all the tunes, I know they’re all bangers, and I know I like them all. There’s nothing worse than having to go to the CD player and flick something over… I suppose I’m lucky enough that I can do that and I’m guaranteed that every one’s a banger.

What’s your favourite opening tune to play as a DJ?

It depends. You play to all different audiences, but something like a remix of Stevie Wonder’s I Wish or something that’s really up and groovy... Get Up Offa That Thing by James Brown. Something that really goes bang, we’re here!

If you’re DJing and it’s not quite working, do you have a go-to track?

It’s more go-to styles for me – if you’re playing it heavy on the funk and people don’t seem to be getting into it, and you switch to a breakbeat kind of thing and that’s not working, then you might drop into a bit of Northern Soul. But it kind of depends on the age of the crowd; you can kind of tell from the look of the crowd what sort of music they’re into. When you’ve got a load of hipsters in you can go a bit more eclectic; it all depends on the audience. And obviously when they’re dancing, it’s just trying to keep them there.

It’s quite good to play stuff that they know but playing it in a way they’ve never heard it before. There’s a band called Traffic who’ve got this brilliant breakbeat brass version of White Lines which I like to drop cause people go, ‘Fuck, what’s this?' They think they know (it), and then they think, ‘Fuckin' hell, this is different,’ so it keeps them guessing. Keeps them on their feet, keeps them moving.

What one last tune would you play when DJing?

I do play I Like It Like That [Pete Rodriguez], it’s a Latin-based tune: ‘Hey baby, I like it like that’ – it gets everyone jumping up and down. It depends on how I’m gonna leave it – sometimes I take it right up so you’re leaving on a real blistering high, or sometimes you might wanna drop it and just bring it down; take them right towards the end, say your goodbyes… and if I wanted to bring it down, it would be something like the Hot 8 Brass Band and Sexual Healing. There’s a nine-and-a-half-minute version of Sexual Healing which is a thing of beauty, but I don’t want to tell you who does the version I play, do I? 'Cause everyone else would be playing it, wouldn’t they?!

Are you looking forward to playing Groove Cairngorm?

I’m looking forward to it. I’ve played a few ski resorts, I do the Horizon festival in Bulgaria – I’ve done it a couple of times – and we have such a buzz doing those gigs. I had a snowball fight with the audience but then again there was only me on stage and hundreds in the audience so I lost.

I don’t know what it is with skiers and funk, but they seem to like it! It’s just gonna be no sleep until way past bedtime. We’re just gonna go there and have it. Someone call the fire brigade!


Craig Charles plays Groove Cairngorm festival, 24-25 Feb

http://www.groovefestival.co.uk