View any playlist compiled by BBC Radio 6 DJ Gilles Peterson, and chances are for the four artists you’ll know there are 40 you won’t – but that won’t stop you tapping your foot.
Musicians with names like Snarky Puppy, Los Papines, Salaam Remi and SCNTST – all of which have that right “combination of melody and the avant garde”, as Peterson puts it – make it through the screed, as the Radio 1 alumnus digs through archives from all corners of he earth.
“Man, I’m still searching for those Chinese beats that must exist somewhere!” vows the 49-year-old Londoner, who will continue his scour through our corner of the earth this month at Unico.
Peterson arrives in Shanghai on his way through a five-date Asian tour by special request of Unico's well-connected owners. But that doesn’t mean he agrees with writer PJ O’Rourke’s dismissal of the region as “the continent that rhythm forgot.” Peterson has done more research.
“All those funky exotic records out of Vietnam and Thailand are heavy. [We] need more of those. And don’t get me started on all the killer music that exists in Japan,” he says, getting started.
Peterson has built his brand for digging deeper than wider, building his expertise first in acid jazz, then funk, jazz and Cuban music, while his fine-tuned ear has helped him scout the likes of Erykah Badu, Roni Size and Jamiroquoi on his three record labels.
“Things have changed since I started in the 80s,” Peterson reflects; back then, he DJ’d on pirate radio before landing his first BBC gig at Radio London’s Mad on Jazz.
“My first comp and remixes didn’t even have my name credited, but these days the DJ is the star most of the time and the bands are secondary,” he observes. “I see myself as a curator though, especially during my [Worldwide Music] Festival and when arranging the playlists for my radio show.”
Any doubts as to his cultural reach should be dispelled by the presence of his curatorial skill to pixilated carnage in the British billion-dollar grossing Grand Theft Auto V, where players can tune into radio station ‘Worldwide FM’ – a nod to his internationally syndicated program – providing the chillwave and deep jazz-funk soundtrack needed to run down strung-out hos that owe you cash.
“The game’s creators used to come to my clubs in London back in the day,” recalls Peterson. Such famous club nights as ‘Talkin’ Loud, Sayin’ Somethin,’’ at the old Dingwalls in Camden, helped define the 80s UK underground.
For his tireless efforts, Peterson received this year’s AIM Indie Champion Award for pushing artists that are heard by audiophiles and the adventurous alone. And that’s the only trophy he needs. (“I forgot [the ceremony] was on and forgot to turn up to pick it up,” Peterson humblebrags.)
This recognition comes years after he was asked to leave his Jazz FM show for anti-war comments on-air during the first Gulf War.
“I was glad to make my views felt back then,” Peterson now says. “Although, today I probably need to be more subtle about my views, as working on the BBC is a big responsibility and my expertise is in music – not politics.”
Of course, even DJs need a break from the beats and bops. “It’s been important for me to have a family outside of music,” he continues. “Apart from being a crazy Arsenal fan, I tend to go to bed before 11pm most nights that I don’t work and always wake up at sunrise to go on big runs around London. Those are my most happy moments!”
But while he’s with us, Peterson will be on the late shift keeping his ear out for those elusive “Chinese beats” and other tracks buried in the Far East missing from his playlists.
“There’s a great Mandarin version of a Galliano track called ‘Prince of Peace’ I once heard, in a hip-hop style” he says. “I’m desperate to find a copy.”
Readers, here’s your chance to look absolutely cool in front of Gilles Peterson: He’s looking for the last track from pop diva Faye Wong’s 2005 release Faye Wong’s Story (Wang Fei de Gushi) entitled ‘Qing Wu Ke Qi,’ performed with the homoerotic HK duo Softhard. It’s in Cantonese, not Mandarin, and available at your local pirate CD store. Gilles – you’re welcome.
We’re offering a pair of tickets to see Peterson on Saturday. Send the answer to the following question to win@urbanatomy.com by 6pm on November 8 (Friday) with the subject 'Gilles Peterson'.
Name the artists who made up the very first top 10 Worldwide Winners list, as voted upon by listeners of Gilles Peterson's Radio 1 show in 1999.
// RMB100. Gilles Peterson will curate his night of eclectic gyrating at Unico on November 9, 10pm-late. Three on the Bund, 2/F, 3 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu, near Guangdong Lu, 5308 5399, unico.cn.com
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