King Kooba

Breakbeat funk outfit King Kooba operates under the direction of Charlie Tate, who previously worked alongside Neneh Cherry and Howie B., together with producer DJ Shuff, whose real name is Matt Harris. Tate handles arrangements while DJ Shuff supplies the turntable expertise, allowing the pair to craft material suited to both club systems and home listening. Onstage the lineup expands to include Simon Richmond of Palmskin Productions, who contributes keyboards and effects, Greg Rowland formerly of Neneh Cherry, who supplies further keyboard parts, Max Sedgeley known from Roni Size and Breakbeat Era, who plays drums, guitarist V-Love from K-Creative, and vocalist D'Jaine. Early coverage positioned the group as the Funkadelic counterpart to Roni Size’s Miles Davis, a reputation that accompanied the release of three albums plus several singles across 1998–2000. Their first long-player, The Imperial Solution, arrived in 1998 and featured contributions from musicians associated with the Brand New Heavies and the Herbaliser; Enter the Throne Room followed in 1999 and NuFoundFunk closed the sequence in 2000. As an act on the Second Skin roster, King Kooba has also accumulated numerous appearances on various compilations.