‘THERE IS NOTHING AS
VIBRANT, AS CREATIVE OR AS
BIG AS THE UK CLUB SCENE'
. . ulw- «we .""
.‘ln
,9 \
er . \ “4“,
Let the good times roll
Mark Edmundson talks to one of the ambassadors of UK club culture, the Good Times man himself, Norman Jay.
says Norman Jay MBli of making the Queen‘s l)iamond Jubilee Birthday Honours List in 2002. ‘l\'ot that it's made any great difference on the ground except your phone calls get answered.‘ Shunning hype. celebrity and fleeting trends. this most unpretentious of
‘I I felt unbelieyable and it still feels great now‘
l)Js has stood steadfastly by the music he loses. sure of
its feel good impact. and is unashamedly proud to be a Member of the Order of the British limpire. He admits that without this singular passion he ‘could‘ye been selling hamburgers or selling insurance. or es en in jail'. lle‘s thankful this didn't happen. as are we.
Norman Jay has fashioned a glittering yet humble career in clubs. at festivals and on radio by sticking to the single fundamental rule of the trade: keep your audience happy. Since his first gig at the age of II. playing records at a cousin's birthday party. Jay has found himself. or put himself. in the right place at the right time. Inspired first by the rise of disco in late 70s New York and the almost mythical emergence of hip hop culture in the South Bronx soon after. he would be pivotal in the i‘apturoiis dawn of acid liouse in the l'K. hosting warehouse parties and setting up the then pirate radio station Kiss. He coined the term ‘rare grooye’. introduced the UK to important l'S house producers at his early 90s club High On Hope. and launched the acid ja/I-centric Talkin~ Loud label with (iilles Peterson.
But for the last decade he has been happy to be "The l)eejay‘s DJ~ — and everyone‘s for that matter. 'l'm not interested in being the most upfront DJ out there. just as I‘m not interested in being the most out of touch DJ
out there.~ Anyone who has heard Norman Jay play. or listened to one of his many compilations. will know that the (iood Times man pays little heed to current trends in popular music. or indeed genre. He plays what he likes. what he knows will bring a smile: ‘all styles. a few curve balls. predictably unpredictable. but always good.‘ That isn't to say he doesn‘t champion new blood. he is at his most passionate when discussing the merits of British music today. "That drive is still there. ’l'hat’s what separates the l'K clubbing scene from the rest of the world.. Jay argues. ‘l'ye played all oyer the world and I‘m well qualified to say that. There is nothing like the [K club scene: nothing as Vibrant or creatiye. certainly not as big. and certainly no other iiiusic scene in the world has a history like ours. We may not haye giycn the world rap or jazz or soul or disco. but then America would ney er haye giyen tis acid jam. or acid house. or rare grooye. it doesn't have the culture for it. So we should he justifiably proud.‘
Norman Jay MBli: ambassador for music. An inspiring and inlluential tigure that remains humble in character. He was eyen great on Question Time 7* though I'm sure he knows we‘d all rather he kept slinging those happy platters for Queen and country. Ive had a pair of cars that have neycr let me down. My strength. my main l'octis and interest. is making people dance. That's what I do. giye people a good time.
Norman Jay guests at Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh, Fri 2 Jun; ABC, Glasgow, Sun 4 Jun.
1. i" 1314?: »
THE BEST 'DANCVEG‘FHLOOR ACTION
:5: Bang Bang You’re Dead Gay Against You play live at this night oi electro. punk and indie. all for Amnesty lnternational. Cale Royal, Edir'iburgh, Thu 25 May.
:31 Obscene The drum 8. bass seSSion says goodbye to the Venue With a guest set from DJ Teebee (Movmg Shadow). 1 he Venue. Edinburgh, Fri 26 May.
tit Pressure The tiger of electro Felix da Housecat ioiiis the techno master Dave Clarke tor some heavy duty beats and bleeps. The Arches. Glasgow, Fri 26 May.
.1: Tom Novy One of the mainstays oi the German dance scene, Tom Novy (pictured) mix up add. house. funk and breakbeat. The Liquid Room, (Edinburgh, Sat 27 May.
:11 Optima Their last ever night at the Venue followed by a guest set from Bush Tetras. The Venue. Edinburgh. Sat 27 May; Sub Club. Glasgow, Sun 28 May.
121 The Wee Chill Food, live mUSlC and diverse DJ sets, this all» day chill lest boasting sets by the Nextmen and Kid Carpet among others. The Queens Park Glasshouse. Glasgow, Sun 28 May.
1%: Pin Up Nights Three years old and celebrating in style, with Cayto playing live and FactOry Records boss Tony Wilson on spinning duties. The WoodSide Social Club, Glasgow, Fri 2 Jun. ii: Norman Jay Smooth velvety sunshiny tunes that bring the outdoors indoors with the king of summer at the decks. Let 'em roll. Troub/egroove at Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh, Fri 2 Jun, ABC, Glasgow, Sun 4 Jun. Coloursfest Scotland's premier dance festival, featuring the likes of Timo Maas, Fergie and loads more across SIX arenas. Braehead Arena, Glasgow, Sat 3 Jun.
LCM/1,77”: .l‘..’":.’/i)(/"/ THE LIST 31