Calypso King & The Soul Investigators

After the New York retro-funk imprint Desco closed, co-founder Phillipe Lehman launched Soul Fire to issue only the gritty, unpolished, lo-fi funk he favored. Calypso King & the Soul Investigators became the first act to release a full-length on the label, an unlikely Helsinki, Finland ensemble whose instrumental funk recalled the Meters, J.B.'s, and MG's. Every participant held outside commitments: guitarist Pete Toikkanen played in the garage rock band the Paisley, while organist Antti Maattanen, bassist Sami Kantelinen, and drummer Jukka Sarapaa performed in Mood, also known as Maor Presto. Formed in 1998, the group cut several 45s before linking with Lehman; their Soul Fire debut single, "Compin' and Smokin'," surfaced in 2000, with the album Soul Strike! following in 2001. The Soul Investigators later recorded for their own Timmion label, adding a horn section of trumpeter Eero Savela, trombonist Erno Haukkala, and saxophonist Lasse Tolvanen.