The originators of the Rare Groove scene are back together – playing Loose Funki music – all you have to is get down…

A 35 year vinyl partnership…

1984 – Rene Gelston, top stylist at Vidal Sassoon (later to become the owner of Black Market Records) created the Black Market night, at London’s most elite club, “The Wag”. He recruited an untested, unknown DJ, Barrie Sharpe. Barrie turned up on the opening night with a box of 7” funk records from the 1970s, a sound rarely played in the UK even in the 70s. When he heard & purchased the imported records, they were relatively hard to find. The night was an immediate success. Barrie also brought in his neighbour Lascelle Lascelles, who had an equally rare collection of 70s funk vinyl. Together they instigated a global change in the sound of club music; the sound became known as “Rare Groove” & Black Market the pinnacle of nightclubbing…

1985 – Barrie Sharpe & Lascelle Lascelles decided, along with the Duffer boys to start their own club night. After a year at the Wag they started a new night “The Cat in the Hat”; this was where the two recreated the essence of their youth & the music got deeper, funkier & looser. They introduced Rare Groove classics such as “Across The Tracks” – Maceo & the Macks, “I Believe In Miracles” – The Jackson Sisters, “I Know You Got Soul” – Bobby Byrd, “Express Yourself” Charles Wright, “Think About It – Lynne Collins”, and most of the other tunes people were starting to recognise as “Rare Groove”. Paul “Trouble” Anderson also joined Barrie & Lascelle, playing his own style of loose funky music. The Cat in the Hat was the place that many of the later to become Rare groove DJs went to do their homework…

1986 – Due to growing commerciality of the Rare Groove scene, Barrie Sharpe & Lascelle Lascelles, alongside drummer Jan Kinkaid, guitarist Simon Bartholomew, bassist Andrew Levy & Singer Diana Brown, formed the live funk band Diana Brown & The Brothers; Barrie played percussion & Lascelle rhythm guitar. Due to the popularity of the fast expanding Rare Groove movement the band was in great demand & requested to play at many live music venues, nightclubs & the very popular warehouse parties. Then some of the band recorded & released, a very well executed & successful Rare Groove cover of Sweet Charles’ “Yes It’s you”, the audience bought into the hype that it was an original 1970s recording. Lascelle, Jan, Andrew & Simon split from the band to form the commercially successful, “Brand New Heavies”. Barrie & Diana moved on to record Masterplan…

Funk music has a story – a path… In the early 1970s Lascelle and I separately took this journey… Come to THiNK & hear us tell our stories…