Funky Choad: The Unlikely Pioneer of Garage Funk

Funky Choad is the stage name of British multi-instrumentalist and producer Clive Harrington, a cult figure in the UK's underground funk and electronic fusion scene. Emerging from Bristol in the late 1990s, his 2004 album "Gritty Shakedown" achieved unexpected commercial traction, earning a Silver certification in the UK and spawning several dance chart hits.

Early career

Clive Harrington formed his first band, The Groove Mechanics, in Bristol in 1995 after studying sound engineering. The project was short-lived, but it cemented his love for raw, sample-heavy funk. Adopting the deliberately provocative moniker Funky Choad, he began self-releasing limited-run 12-inch singles on his own imprint, Dirty Valve Recordings, starting with 1998's "Bristol Bounce".

Breakthrough

The turning point came in 2004 with his second studio album, "Gritty Shakedown". Released through the independent dance label Breakbeat Pedagogy, the album's lead single "Sweat Lodge" became an unlikely hit on BBC Radio 1's evening dance shows. This exposure propelled "Gritty Shakedown" to number 42 on the UK Albums Chart and led to its Silver sales award later that year.

Key tracks

Sweat Lodge — This 2004 single was his chart breakthrough, known for its heavy bassline and sampled didgeridoo riff.

Gritty Shakedown — The title track from his Silver-certified album perfectly encapsulates his signature blend of live bass and chopped drum breaks.

Motorway Funk — A later collaboration with vocalist Lianne La Havas in 2012 that showcased a more soulful, polished direction.

Valve Job — His earliest recognizable track from 1998, which remained a staple of his live sets for over a decade.

Brick Dust — Featuring rapper Roots Manuva, this 2009 track marked his most notable foray into the UK hip-hop scene.

Following his mid-2000s success, Harrington maintained a steady output, releasing albums like "Greasefire" (2007) and "The Clive Continuum" (2015). He became a sought-after collaborator and remixer, working on projects for artists such as The Herbaliser and Alice Russell. While later albums did not replicate the chart success of "Gritty Shakedown", they solidified his reputation as a consistent and inventive producer within his niche.

Artists exploring a similar space in the UK's funk and breaks landscape include The Herbaliser who share his approach to live instrumentation over sampled breaks. Quantic mirrors his globe-trotting fusion of funk with various international rhythms. The production style of Fatboy Slim shares a similar big beat energy, though with a more mainstream big room focus. Finally, The New Mastersounds represent the live-band end of the modern funk spectrum that Harrington often draws from.

Funky Choad's music maintains a steady presence on radio stations that champion alternative dance and funk. His tracks are regularly featured on specialist shows across independent music radio stations and online rock radio streams that delve into funk's grittier side. Classic rock FM stations with dedicated new music segments have also been known to spin his more guitar-driven work.

The music of Funky Choad, a key name in UK garage funk, can be heard across various stations featured on our website. Listeners can discover his influential catalog and latest tracks by tuning into the radio stations available on onairium.com.