Come Get It I Got It

David Holmes is not so much a DJ as an archaeologist. A man brought up on a diet of Tamla Motown, he has mined the past for his new long-player, Come Get It I Got It and putting together a joyous blend of soul, funk and general good shit, combined with some of his own stuff in the guise of The Free Association, that’s unlikely to make it into your collection by any other means.

The sound is BIG as we swing out of the gorgeous opener, Sixto Rodriguez’s ‘Sugarman’ and dip into Muddy Waters and some great soul beyond. As a DJ he commendably lays himself bare, revealing many of his influences on both his own records and his soundtrack work, the feel of Out Of Sight and Ocean’s Eleven… both drawn from the same sonic well.

Compilations can be disjointed affairs but Holmes holds onto the thread right the way through on this one. Rich in material, it peaks with Harold Alexander’s yelping ‘Mama Soul’ and Johnny Jones And The King Casuals’ take on ‘Purple Haze’.

You may never have heard of Valentin Mehler or trawled through myriad second-hand record shops for The Staple Singers’ ‘Why? (Am I Treated So Bad)’ but the joy of this record is that you can leave that to Homer. If you’ve ever felt yourself shakin’ along to Mr James Brown’s type of thing, then you can trust the Belfast boy. Come on, dive in.