THE GUESTLIST NETWORK | DECEMBER 2010
15
GILLES PETERSON
Firstly how did you first get into music?
I rebelled and decided I wanted to take off my French clothes, I went to school in London and met some bad influences that took me to Soul Weekend when I was 15!So basically I got taken down the wrong route!
How did you family react to that?
They were shocked and de- pressed!
They’ve come to terms with it now yeah?
They left the country really fast, basically my entire family left by the time I was 17 and i was in England on my own.
Getting into mischief? Yes with a million turntables and a bunch of Jazz/ Funk records and I made my way from there.
You were heavily involved with whole Pirate Radio
scene as well I mean that must have been exciting times?
Yeah it was brilliant I got to know London really well at an early age because I used to be the one standing on the top of buildings putting the aerials up so I had the keys to all the council flats in the tower blocks in London. So I used to basically be up there 5am in the morning rigging up everything I suppose so that was exciting for a young boy at my age.
So you’ve just celebrated 12 years of your worldwide radio show, you must have had so many highlights over the years-you’ve interviewed so many people what has been some of your highlights? You know what it’s been this year, as it’s been this time of the year when you look back and it’s just everybody. I did a show with Tom Bjork, Erykah Badu..loads of people!
Erykah Badu..one of our favorites!
It’s been brilliant I have so many amazing guests, all these groups like Flying Lotus, Mount Kimbe and James Blake and all that stuff, this year I’ve just been like wow I cant believe I experience such great things, musically so I think this has been a really great year for my show is all I can see really.
What inspires you to keep on going?
I just love it , it’s so cool and I get to meet all these great people, I like the fact I’m not stuck in one particular music box, I get a lot of inspiration from the old lot, older musicians Jazz and Soul heads.I like to be a DJ and do all that but I also like running a record label and inspire young people to get into music, there’s a lot of responsibilities that come along with the role that I’m in, hopefully I’m doing an OK job at it really. In the morning when I wake I’m
Tabatha Taylor
Starting out from London pirate radio, today Gilles Peterson is a defining figure for the British jazz scene. Maintaining a global reach that is matched by no other DJ, he is one of the coolest guys on the music scene and we were lucky enough to grab a quick chat with this music legend.
up I’m so excited when I get new stuff come through- but some of it is rubbish!
You explore so many differ- ent genres of music is there one in particular you feel more involved with? I’m a bit of a black music freak to be honest with you, so music of black origin as well I’m really get- ting into that Rockabilly scene at the moment, I haven’t shared that with my listeners yet improvisa- tional artists I suppose.
Where’s one of the craziest places you’ve played? There’s a festival I play I Kazakh- stan which is always fucking mental!I really want to play in Argentina and Hawaii.
Your knowledge of music is crazy!Do you feel you have a responsibility to break new music?
Yeah I like doing that i really
enjoy artist growing and getting big, people like Darkstar, Scuba,
Mala.There are some really great talented characters in the dubstep scene and I have really been get- ting into it. It’s natural for me to work and play a lot of these artists as they excite me musically, I don’t desperately play it because its cool-I play it because I get a kick out of it!
You have your two New Years Parties that you are doing with Norman Jay, its going to be a crazy night?!
Its local for me, for me i can walk to the Garage at midnight then we are going to some how get to South!Me and Norman have been mates for ages we go back a long way and we both have managed to survive the world of DJing!We bump into each other all over the world. Norman is an inspiration to me, like he is to a lot of DJ’s and people.
So if you could take three
people for dinner right now dead or alive who would they be?
Arsene Wenger, and who do i really fancy?!Bjork she’s a giggle and intelligent, I have always had a laugh with her and Sun Ra as hes a totally intergalactic space cadet.. so would be a wicked mix!Arsene Wenger would freak me out though!
Whats the greatest lesson that life have taught you? To never judge anyone, do your thing and be positive!
You can catch Gilles Peterson at TWO of his New Years Eve parties- one in Islington and one in Clapham. For tickets go to
www.ticketweb.co.uk
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