It's a David and Goliath tale for Huddersfield-based Chocolate Fireguard Music - and once again, David appears to be be winning!

The label, set up to promote and sell funk, urban, soul and dance to the masses, appears to have hit a musical nerve in the US, with a number of their artists getting serious amounts of airplay on radio stations usually dominated purely by American groups.

The Bluefoot Project: One of Chocolate Fireguard's leading acts in the US

The company's director, Pat Fulgoni, has obviously come a long way since Chocolate Fireguard first opned its doors to local talent in 1999.

But it was a visit to New York that has recently got things moving in what now appears to be a serious challenge to the giants of the US music recording industry.


Pat says: "New York was quite a daunting prospect but I found people to be surprisingly open to new ideas and approaches."

From Huddersfield to the Big Apple may seem a huge step, but the company is already proving to be a major transatlantic hit. For the second year running, Chocolate Fireguard are celebrating the fact that one of their releases has been selected to feature on Virgin Megastores USA 'Best of British' campaign.

Last year it was the compilation 'Taster: Sounds From the Funky Underground Volume 2'. This year, 'Brave', the debut album by West Yorkshire's Bluefoot Project has been chosen as one of only four imported titles to be racked on 'Best of British' listening posts in the chain's six biggest stores in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and New York.

Huddersfield's Kava Kava: Another band on Chocolate Fireguard's roster

But Pat Fulgoni says this is just the start: "Things are really moving along now and following on from our two successive years in the 'Best of British' promotion, we're looking forward to developing the label further in the States. I know that 'Brave' is getting a lot of airplay on KCRW, one of the leading radio stations in Los Angeles, so we have great hopes of more success there!"

But despite the fact that this Huddersfield record label is proving such a hit across the pond, they are clearly not forgetting their roots. The company's also finding time to promote the town's very own free community music festival on November 6th 2003. The Timeless Festival takes place in Huddersfield's Ravensknowle Park and will feature classic bands such as The Selecter, along with Chocolate Fireguard's own Kava Kava (also from Huddersfield) and the Bluefoot Project.

So, could another British invasion of the US - this time with a strongly West Yorkshire flavour (flava?) - be just around the corner? Watch this space..!