NU SOUL CENTRAL
TUESDAY 10PM – MIDNIGHT
I’ve been DJing since 1986, playing all things soul, jazz, funk and house. I had my first residency at Rumours Cocktail bar in 1987. I spent pretty much the entire 1990’s in the Covent Garden area, DJing initially at the Boulevard Bar from 1992-1994 then on to the Spot Covent Garden where I had a residency from 1994-2001. During this time my sets focused on 80s groove, jazz funk and 90s RnB. Playing at the Spot put me on a great platform and gave me the opportunity to play at some of London’s popular club nights and spells abroad in clubbing hotspots Faliraki and Ayia Napa.
Since the noughties, I’ve been involved in several high profile and popular soul music events. One of the highlights is my involvement in Soul Network. I joined the team in 1997 after working with the fabulous Vivy B at a monthly event in central London. The Soul Network brand has been delivering successful events for over 25 years and I’m honoured to have been a part of this from the early days in Club Cohiba South East London, to the present day. One of the most popular Soul Network events is Soul in the Algarve which has been running for 15 years. We have also taken the Soul Network holiday experience to Barbados on a couple of occasions with Soul in the Caribbean in 2010 and 2012.
Another event I’m associated with is Move On Up!! This has been running for over 15 years. I’ve been a part of this event with my good friend Stevie Dundee since he brought me on board circa 2004. The first parties we held were in bars in our local patch Balham, south London. The music policy was simple, a mix of jazz funk, 80s groove, 90s RnB, house and as Stevie would say “a wee bit of reggae”. Move On Up has always had its roots in south London. Following an initial period in Balham, we made Streatham our home and were based at the Greyhound Bar & Pub until 2015. We then moved down the road to The White Lion where we have since established more events including the Streatham Soul Club (every Friday) and the very popular White Lion bank holiday all day parties.
Another event that I’ve regularly been a part of (for over 10 years) is the Soulboat London cruise established by Neville Ebanks. This is one of my favourite events in the soul music event calendar, particularly the summer cruises where we take the party out on deck and take in London’s iconic riverside attractions while travelling up and down the River Thames.
Although my DJing experiences have spanned over three decades, I’ve been a radio presenter for just over 20, notably on Solar Radio with a few stints on other radio stations. My Nu Soul Central show has been broadcasting on Solar Radio since 2002. I’ve used this as a platform to showcase new soul music with a focus on soulful house, nu-jazz and neo soul. To give you a flavour, my play lists regularly feature artists such as Masters at Work, Louie Vega, Sean McCabe, Josh Milan, Reel People, Omar, Tony Momrelle, Zo and Eric Roberson. I’m also a big fan of producers Dj Spen, Joey Negro and John Morales among others. Although I like to champion new music, I still find time to play old school on my radio show and club sets. Going back, my all-time favourite artists are Teena Marie, Frankie Beverley & Maze, Roy Ayers, Patrice Rushen, Leroy Burgess and our very own Omar.
One of my proudest achievements in the music industry is my award for Runner Up – Best Club DJ 2013 as voted by the readers of Soul Survivor Magazine. Usually blowing a trumpet over runner up doesn’t warrant much merit but, on this occasion, the winner was none other than Paul ‘Trouble’ Anderson. To be runner up to an absolute DJ legend felt as good as winning.
DJing has always been more of a hobby for me rather than a career. Outside of DJing, I’ve been an FA qualified football coach for over 20 years. I currently work for Chelsea FC Foundation where I develop football projects for young people in the community. Most people know that in actual fact I’m an Arsenal fan however I’ve always said that it’s not necessarily the colours of the kit or what’s on the badge, but the power of the football that can give young people the opportunity to thrive and prosper.
Thank you for reading my page. I hope to catch you on my Nu Soul Central show – Tuesdays 10pm – midnight UK time.
