A fun and flavorful tribute to ‘70s funk, as crafted by Sylk 130’s creative mainspring, renowned DJ/producer/remixer King Britt.

1. Narration (King Britt)
Cosmic Lounge Music (ASCAP)

2. Jimmy Leans Back (King Britt)
Cosmic Lounge Music (ASCAP)

3. City (5-6 Theme)* (King Britt, Antoine Green, Tom Scott)
Cosmic Lounge Music (ASCAP)/Hollenbeck Music admin. by Irving Music, Inc. (BMI) Contains samples from “Refried” performed by Tom Scott courtesy of Sony Music Entertainment

4. The Reason* (King Britt, Boz Scaggs, David Paich)
Cosmic Lounge Music/BMG Songs Inc./Hudmar Publishing Co., Inc. (ASCAP) Contains samples from “Lowdown” performed by Boz Scaggs courtesy of Sony Music Entertainment

5. E.R.A.* (Ursula Rucker)
Cosmic Lounge Music (ASCAP)

6. Gettin’ Into It* (King Britt, W. Brown, L. Snell, A. Jones)
Cosmic Lounge Music (ASCAP)/Irving Music, Inc. (BMI)
Contains samples from “Fighting Fire With Fire” performed by The Bar-Kays courtesy of Fantasy, Inc.

7. When The Funk Swings (King Britt)
Cosmic Lounge Music (ASCAP)

8. Season’s Change* (King Britt, Lloyd McNeill)
Cosmic Lounge Music (ASCAP) and Lloyd McNeill (Copyright Control)

9. “13” (King Britt)
Cosmic Lounge Music (ASCAP)

10. Red Handed (King Britt)
Cosmic Lounge Music (ASCAP)

11. Taggin’ & Braggin’* (King Britt, Antoine Green, Booker T. Jones)
Cosmic Lounge Music (ASCAP)

12. Incident On The Couch (King Britt)
Cosmic Lounge Music (ASCAP)

13. Gorgeous (King Britt)
Cosmic Lounge Music (ASCAP)

14. A Day In The Life* (Ursula Rucker, Herbie Hancock, M. Ragin)
Cosmic Lounge Music (ASCAP)/Hancock Music (BMI)/Wah Watson Music
Contains samples from “Bubbles” performed by Herbie Hancock courtesy of Sony Music Entertainment.


15. New Love (King Britt)
Cosmic Lounge Music (ASCAP)

16. Uptown (King Britt)
Cosmic Lounge Music (ASCAP)

17. Last Night a DJ Saved My Life* (Michael John Cleveland)
Longitude Music/Comart Music (ASCAP)

18. When The Funk Hits The Fan (King Britt)
Cosmic Lounge Music (ASCAP)

19. Next (King Britt)
Cosmic Lounge Music (ASCAP)

All songs produced, created and visualized by King Britt. All songs co-produced, set designed and realized by John Wicks. Both for Sylkscreen Productions. Recorded and soundscaped at Third Story Recording, Philadelphia, PA. Engineered by John Wicks. 2nd engineer: Mark Sarisky. All songs written by King Britt except for those denoted by *. Executive producers: Josh Wink, Kevon Glickman, and Brenda Dash. Mastered by Manny Lecuona at Mastervoice, Conshohocken, PA.

VOCALS AND PLAYERS:
Antoine Green as Capital A
Ursula Rucker
as the Voice of Reason
Vicki Miles as Vicki Miles
King Britt as Sylk 130
Alison Crockette as Diva Blue
Tanja Dixon & Alma Horton
as T&A on the rocks

COSMIC LOUNGE ARKESTRA:
James Poyser
Pete Rudd
Daryl Burgees
Tony Jones
Jamaladeen Tacuuma
Lee Smith
Stan Slotter
Bob Howell
Robert Landam
Japer Barron
Norman Jeff Bradshaw
Elliot Levine
Alan Goldsher
Tim Motzer

Also Starring:
Des
Espo
Jimmy Britt
Pearl Britt
Stamma Ramma
Victor “Master Vic” Cooke
Matt Brown
Tara Darby
Darian Bagley
Jason (Get into it)
Rob Yancey
Blake Tart
Wikit
Elena Sergi
Chris (Uptown)

King Britt worldwide management – Waxploitation Entertainment, Los Angeles

Art Direction & Design: Aimée Macauley
Digipak Design: Michael Snyder
Photography: Katrin Thomas
styling: Evan Ross
‘FROS: JB

King Britt (thanx)
1 - Thanks to my parents Pearl and Jimmy Lee Britt. Without your musical guidance, love and patience I would not exist!!
2 - Thanks to Josh Wink, my friend, partner and mental link. You looked out when others were blind. Love always.
3 - Thanks to Kelly Sloane for the good times, bad times and the greatest time of my life . . .the birth of our daughter. I will always love you.
4 - Thanks to my daughter Summer-Azul for the happiness, innocence and a reason to keep striving for the best!! This is all for you my love.
5 - Thanks to John Wicks for believing, guiding, striving, struggling and reaching with me. You are a true friend to the end.
6 - Thanks Dozia Blakey, my long lost brother and friend forever. Without your friendship and influence throughout the years I couldn’t have done this album. Love to you and your family.
7 - Thanks to Lee Jones for being a great friend and roommate when the album was being conceived. Its not fun hearing the same drum loop for 10 hrs. straight.
8 - To Urse, Bun, Alison, T&A on the Rocks and Vicki for making the album happen. You are all superstars.
9 - Last but not least to Ishmael aka Butterfly, you showed me that anything is possible if you put your mind to it. This ain’t no highschool talent show!!!

Special thanks to: Chris Schwartz and Joe Nicolo for the chance of a lifetime. Also thanks to Kevon Glickman and the RuffHouse Crew.
Brenda Dash: for sticking with me because you believed in the struggle.
Third Story Recording: Mark, Scott, Patty, Jeremy, Larry, etc.
Ari Forman: for makin’ it happen kid!!! always OTG
Matt Brookman: You are the best baby! (No Nebishes)
To the Columbia Family: Neil, Jason, Gerard, Issey, Aimée, and Julie...You guys fuckin’ rock man!!!!
Influences and achievers: On the Go, Tower Records, 611 records, Carl Craig, Dego, Mark and the Reinforced Playstation league, Goldie,
Colleen (Cosmic Girl ...), FK (I need an edit), Masters at Work (keepin’ it real), Nigel Richards, Major Jackson, Rob Clark, Knowledge, Mecca,
Amhir and The Roots, Rob Yancey & Monica, The Sloane Family, The Sergi Family, The Hooe Family, the Britt family, Silk City, Joey and the
Sugarmom’s crew, Majrike Smit (one day), Fluid, Palmer Social Club, Black Banana, XERO, Clark Mahoney (finally), Herbie Hancock, the 80’s,
Central High School and everyone else who deserve it.......!
Photoshoot done on location at Philadelphia’s Central High School. King Britt - Class of 1986.
Special thanks to Paul Hanson and The School District of Philadelphia.

Phonography by Major Jackson 1997

It is winter. The door-man in black leather blows on his fingers, stares at the miniature photo, looks up, and gestures with his head for you to enter. Tiny flecks glitter on a low stuccoed ceiling. At a cocktail table, light flares up from a lava lamp, illuminating a couple bent towards each other like angels about to kiss. The disco ball whirls, spinning slow beams of light from a million lighthouses. You pay to enter so much darkness.

No space at the bar so you stare at the neon signs blinking in the mirror behind the bottles. The smell of human sweat mingles with the soulful scent of greens and fried chicken. A crew of cool cats lean against the glass-bricked windows, bobbing their heads, quietly checking out the women in strappy dresses and ass-huggin’ bell-bottoms. The rhythm hits you like a slow punch.

There’s the DJ, hunched over his turn-tables after leaving his crates and crates of vinyl; one hand holding his head-phones, the other spinning moods and vibes so intoxicating you throw back your gin & tonic and head for the dance-floor. It’s time to lose yourself.

The whole city is here swiveling and turning to a sultry beat that feels like warm liquid; some in pairs, most in clusters, rubbin’ butts, dancin’ the cypher. Some swim alone like the woman you’ve been staring at in her burgundy suede dress and lace-up boots. She bounces back and forth in front of the speakers stacked like blocks of ice. Her eyes roll back; she is looking upwards as though tonight she will climb to the stars. You’ve never felt energy like this before. Here, everyone is emancipated, everyone is free. Welcome to Silk City.

As cultural laboratories go, there is always a visionary overseeing his experiments. Here it is the man with the side-burns to match his oldest funk and soul albums. DJ King Britt. His realized dream? A place where everybody despite their class, race or sexual differences can enjoy good music and good food. Celebrating life in Philly on Monday nights is as basic as breathing, “a happy face, a funky bass, for a loving place.” Nights at Silk City might easily feature Japhar Barron’s Hipboptet, Brother Question of the Roots guest DJ-ing, Ishmael of the now defunct Digable Planets, guitar licks from Jazz musician Jamaladeen Tacuuma, or poetry by the ever-witty Ursula Rucker.

The life of the DJ is a mystery. What we know is his undying obsession for black vinyl, his desire for finding the right groove to set his audience of club-goers off running to the dance-floor, and most importantly, his inane ability to create vibes, cast out extensions as it were. He is like Elegba in Yoruba, the gatekeeper on the threshold of musical expression providing choices of escape from our mundane lives pregnant with funky possibilities. King rightly identifies his artistry as Phonography.

What we don’t know of the DJ’s life, we find in Sylk 130’s When The Funk Hits The Fan. Produced and co-written by King, it is a fictitious, bio-mythographical “film without visuals” of DJ Sylk 130, King’s ’70s alter ego. Filled with a pot full of soul-food grooves, we get a glimpse of a day in the life of Sylk, hailing from Southwest Philly. The aural documentary starts with Sylk reminiscing about the old days: basement gatherings, block parties, street life. From there, Sylk’s cinematic sound collages enter our membrane.

Featuring the mellowest of phat cuts and poetic interludes that serve to push the “sound-film” along, When The Funk... features Philadelphia artists and some of the slyest sampling of old school tunes. (King began his 6,000 record collection at the tender age of 6.) Vicki Miles, undoubtedly the best kept secret of Philadelphia’s grand diva-vocalists, shines brightly on “Gorgeous,” and “The Reason.”

Alison Crockette stars as Diva Blue on two cuts, the most notable being “Season’s Change.” Sylk 130 is chillin’ at the Cosmic Lounge when Diva Blue begins to serenade over a mellow, jazzy groove. Full of soft flutes, drum brushes, and an inspired audience, Alison’s sultry voice and supple scattin’ is the stuff legends are made of. “Taggin’ & Braggin’” finds us bobbing to Bun letting loose on a lyrical flow as he graffitis Philly while Tanja & Alma give praise to our sound-smith on “Last Night a DJ Saved My Life.”

But what do we know of King James Britt. I first met King at Central High School in Philadelphia. Even then, I was astounded at his knowledge of the great tradition of black music: gospel, blues, jazz, funk, R&B as well as the more mainstream music: classic rock, house and new wave which was very popular then and of which we both shared an affinity. We traveled together to clubs, me on the dance-floor and he studying the techniques of some of Philly’s hottest DJs, layovers from the disco era. Eventually, he would coax some of these DJs for a set or two. It wasn’t long before he set up shop here at Silk City, spinning records Monday and Saturday nights with his homie-ace-boon Dozia Blakey.

His frequent gigs at clubs around the city led to work in clubs far and wide from Atlanta to L.A. to London as Raves began to pop up around the globe. (Around this time, Butterfly of Digable Planets, a frequent visitor to Silk City, would ask King to DJ their world tour). Additionally, he was recruited to host the country’s first acid jazz radio show, “Full Circle” on WRTI in Philadelphia. As if this wasn’t enough, he has written music for choreographers and for public TV, all the while managing a musical production company with world renowned rave-master, DJ Josh Wink, producing and remixing EPs as well as soundtracks.

Despite all of his accomplishments and my running on about them, it still doesn’t suffice. It’s best that you close your eyes, let your body and soul groove in that black space between the imagined and the real and flava in Sylk 130’s odyssey.
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