Biography and media

BIOGRAPHY

I have been collecting and writing about music for over thirty years from weird tango records to uplifting New York house. I was the founder and author of the world’s first series of guides to independent record shops ‘The Secret List’ covering Los Angeles, Paris and London. In the mid- nineties I worked for ‘Blues and Soul’ magazine and ten years later for the innovative ‘Shook’ magazine. I’ve appeared on BBC 6 music with interviews with Cerys Matthews and Gilles Peterson and have DJed in Bogota, New York, Hanoi, Paris, Leeds, Manchester and my birth place, London.

CV

Writer/DJ/radio broadcaster/amateur artist

1991-1995 – Self-Published a fanzine ‘Left on the Jazz Side’. Interviewed Jason Rebello for the second issue, at the time the UK’s biggest selling jazz artist.

1995- Trace magazine, my first commercially published piece, a live review of George Clinton. Commissioned by Will Ashon, who later set-up the Big Dada label.

1996-2001. I worked for Blues and Soul magazine including writing the monthly jazz column between 1999-2001. I interviewed the great and the good including: Carl Craig, LTJ Bukem, Ashley Beadle, Courtney Pine and Kenny Garrett.

2003-2004 – BBC Music online.

2008- 2011 –  Shook magazine including one of the first published articles on record shops.

2013 – The Secret List – Los Angeles.

2014 – The Secret List – Paris.

2016 – The Secret List – London.

2023- played in Bogota as part of a British Council sponsored event to promote a modern, diverse UK and to highlight Colombian music.

DJ gigs: London – Brilliant Corners, Spiritland, Jumbi, The Standard Hotel; Manchester – The Refuge; Leeds – Outlaws Yacht Club; Paris – Superfly Records; New York City – The Ace Hotel; Hanoi – CAMA ATK; Bogota – El Coq.

Radio: interviews – UK nationwide, 6 Music (Gilles Peterson and Cerys Matthews); Brighton, 1BTN (Version – Jim Lister); Melbourne, Triple R (Stolen Moments – John Bailey); presenting – Voices Radio, Run Dem Radio.

MEDIA

Please download photos for promotional purposes.

Hi-resolution images:

RAW images, 20MB+ per image:

Low resolution images:

DJ/RADIO GIGS 2023

Hello all, I am back from DJing at a British Council event in Bogota and am looking forward to continuing the fun with some new gigs in London town and presenting a radio show. I will be “taking you around the world musically”, including Colombia! Come down and say hello, or message me on air.

6pm-7pm, 8/8 Voices Radio. Trial show, listen in!

7pm-12am, 24/8 , Brilliant Corners, 470-472 Kingsland Road, London E8 4AE

7pm-8pm – jazz including a host of Japanese jazz records.

8pm-10pm – global including a pre-Carnival selection.

10pm-12am – house.

7pm-12am, 31/8, Jumbi ,Unit 4.1, Copeland Park, 133 Copeland Rd, Peckham London SE15 3SN

7pm-8pm – jazz, global.

8pm – 10pm- Studio One, dub, dancehall, soca, calypso.

10pm-12am – hip hop, dubstep, drum n’ bass.

Jumbi is one of the few Black owned venues in London, promoting the wider culture of the Caribbean (and the food and drink are great, and reflect this).

7pm-12am, 14/9, Spiritland, 9 – 10 Stable St, London N1C 4AB.

I am pleased to say I will be joined Rileforce of Voices Radio. Rileforce is a seasoned DJ with over two decades of experience DJ-ing at venues such as Fabric / The 02 / Chinawhite / Café De Paris / CC Club / Rouge. His radio show embraces ambient textures, electronica, folk and everything in-between.

7pm-7.45pm – Wayne Shorter tribute (me)

7.45pm-9.45pm – ambient, electronica, folk, anything else (Rileforce)

9.45pm-12am – eighties, nineties, early 2000s – soul and boogie; new wave; surprise (me)

All times and genres subject to change.

5pm-6pm, 17/10, Voices Radio – New releases, Jeff Parker, Prince, Moodymann

Listen again

Tracklist –

Bex Burch – Dawn Blessings

Daniel Villarreal – Sunset Cliffs

corto.alto – Hello

Kamaal Williams – The Last Symphony 

Jeff Parker – Nu Nu Jo C

Jeff Parker – Supernat

Lord Tusk – Shame On You 

Brian Jackson – Mami Wata (Joaquin’s Deep Dub)

Kazzey feat Sally Green – Fantasy

Jill Jones/ The Family – For Love 

Prince – Colleen

Lewis Taylor – Stoned Part 1 

Moodymann – Forevernevermore 12” version

Busted Trees – Directions (C’s Spacetrumental) 


11am-1pm, 20/11/23 Voices Radio – covering for Sway of the Verses on his ‘The World Is Sound’ show, playing music across the Indian spectrum.

Listen back.

Track list-

Jeff Parker- Suite for Ma Brown

Tenderlonius – Kirani

Amancio D’ Silva – A Song For Francesca (from Konkan Dance)

Amancio D’ Silva – Raag Kafi

Lata Mangeshkar – Satyam Shivam Sundaram (live at the Royal Albert Hall)

The Indo-British Ensemble – Yaman

Roy Budd featuring Chris Karan – Goodbye Carter

T.K. Ramamoorthy – Sahana

Shankar Jaikishan – Raga Todi

Kishore Kumar – Kabhi Kabhi

Asha Bhosle – Main Hoon Tere Samne

R.D. Burman – Yeh Zindag Kutch Bhi Sahi

Kishore Kumar – Bachna Ae Haseeno

5pm-6pm, 19/12/23Voices Radio – best of 2023.

Photos and videos from Colombia.

DJ SET AT BRILLIANT CORNERS, DALSTON, 7PM-12AM, THURSDAY 9TH DECEMBER

I’m excited to be DJing at Brilliant Corners, 470 Kingsland Road, Dalston E8 4AE between 7pm-12am, Thursday 9th December. I’ll be taking you around the world musically from ambient to house; to soundtracks to the leftfield. Rough timings and genres below. For dining, Brilliant Corners offers a £30 set menu, booking advisable. Listen here to my previous DJ sets. Come along and say hello.  

7pm-8pm: ambient, soundtracks, classical

8pm-9pm: jazz

9pm-10pm: esoteric; global grooves

10pm-12am: house; uptempo

WEBSITE LAUNCH PARTY, BRILLIANT CORNERS, LONDON, SATURDAY 13th APRIL

I am having a launch party for the “it’s better to travel” website at Brilliant Corners, 470 Kingsland Road, Dalston E8 4AE between 5.30pm-1am, Saturday 13th April. Come and join Ben Newton, head of the Ceres Motion label and me for an eclectic selection, from jazz to new house, to obscure global dance floor gems!

SET TIMES:

5.30pm-7pm – Brilliant Corners playlist

7pm-8pm- Brother Sanjiv (ambient, jazz)

8pm-10.30pm – Ben Newton

10.30pm – 1.30am – Brother Sanjiv (music from around the world, eclectic, house); back to back Brother Sanjiv and Ben Newton