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Gilles Peterson
Posted:
28 Sep 2011
Gilles Peterson’s BBC Radio 1 show airs in the UK from 2am to 4am on a Wednesday night (or Thursday morning, depending on how you look at it). And the music he plays is what you might expect an insomniac or gas station clerk stuck on the night owl shift to indulge in.
Known for digging classic hidden gems out of his record bag from a vast array of genres – mostly featuring soul, hip-hop, house and Afro tracks but all with an underlying jazz sensibility to them – Peterson is generally known as an eclectic genre-hopper who could give former station-mate, the late, great John Peel, a run for his money.
Peterson began DJing for the Beeb in the late 1990s, at a time when radio was still a well-visited medium. Some 13 years later, his show, Worldwide, is still being aired not only in the UK but in 17 other countries. Coupled with the advent of online radio and internet streaming, his Worldwide show has gained considerable popularity across the globe.
Spawning off of the success of the show came his own label – Brownswood Recordings, and also the annual Worldwide Awards that highlight the best new tunes that pass through Peterson’s show.
Proving himself quite the Brazilophile, some of Peterson’s better-known compilations (Gilles Peterson in Brazil and Brazilika) put together classic tracks with newer songs and remixes into one album. Recently, Peterson ventured to the shores of Cuba for the double disc album Havana Cultura, featuring a newer generation of musicians who he says have been overshadowed by the success of the iconic Buena Vista Social Club.
While Kee Club isn’t quite a substitute for a South American smackdown, Peterson’s set is probably the closest you’ll be able to get without leaving the city.
Andrea Yu
Kee Club Fri Sep 30
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