- Mon, 2009-01-19 15:55
The Gilles Peterson Worldwide Awards are returning to Cargo for the annual celebration of the best music championed by Gilles Peterson on his Worldwide and Radio 1 show. The awards, hosted by Gilles Peterson, are an annual celebration of all the best new music that has come through this year on his show, with some of the best new acts performing on the night.
Currently on Radio 1 Wednesday night / Thursday morning from 2am - 4am, Gilles aims to 'join the dots' between artists, producers and styles. He has been involved in the music industry in more ways than one for a number of years including DJing, Radio presenting, owning record labels (currently Brownswood Recordings), compiling compilations including Blue Bossa Vols. 1 & 2 and the Brownswood Bubblers series, running his own music festival and finally, as an avid music fan and collector.
We caught up with Gilles to find out about the 2009 Gilles Peterson Worldwide Awards, how he puts together his compilations, what's next after dubstep and his advice on getting into the music industry.
"I Like Music because… I love John Coltrane.” Gilles Peterson
ILM: What can we expect from the Gilles Peterson Worldwide Awards in 2009?
Gilles: The awards are a representation of what I do on the Radio, but that can be difficult to describe! When I was on Kiss FM I used to do a yearly round-up. I thought it would be good to celebrate that. We don't really clap ourselves in this scene, it can all be a little bit too cool sometimes. I thought it would be good for us to big ourselves up. That's it really. My only half regret this year is that we can't get enough people in. I'm not knocking Cargo. I love Cargo. I'm into it being there because it's personal. But it is too small. Also, last year was good because we didn't let anyone play for more than 20-30 minutes, which meant the night moved with great tempo. It should be the same this year.
ILM: And who will be there....?
Gilles: We have Jazzanova doing their first ever live show. We have a few unknowns. A group from Japan called Mama Milk, an accoustic singer/songwriter from London called Jonathan Jeremiah who is getting a lot of good vibes at the moment. A cuban artist called Kumar. DJ's from Brooklyn - Truth & Soul. Laurent Garnier will DJ for me. Quiet Village are going to do some stuff. A new soul girl called Stacy Epps. Dorian Concept - an electronic, Flying Lotus type of guy from Vienna. Also Marlena Shaw is coming along. Plus the Robert Mitchell's 3IO, an awesome jazz trio.
ILM: Why did you start the Worldwide Awards in the first place?
Gilles: At the end of the day, I'm on Radio 1, and I'm probably one of the most left field things they have on there. If you want, you can sit in the corner and keep it to yourself, or you can do things where you shout about it and people will take notice. It's good for me to remind Radio 1 what I'm about. Some good stuff has come from the awards. As I said, it's a celebration of the music we play. There is so much brilliant stuff around. For me it is also about mixing all those styles together. You know, you can play Jazz and put it next to electronic stuff or folk stuff, or a bit of techno. That's how it has worked well for me.
ILM: What can we expect from your record label, Brownswood Recordings, in 2009?
Gilles Peterson: It has been difficult running a record label! We are just finishing the new José James album. He is in New York doing that and it sounds wicked. He has done so well. He's really suprised me, particularly abroad. In Holland he is gold, in Japan he has sold like 25,000 copies. Running a label is more of a hobby really. We're going to do a new Brownswood Bubblers album too.
ILM: Skream recently played a Jazz vs Dubstep set on your show. You're known for being there at the beginning of new movements, another example being Acid Jazz. What can we expect from 2009? What's next after Dubstep?
Gilles: I think that now, people are ready for more things which are avant garde. There are artists out there such as Micachu, who I really rate. People like that are really interesting. I don't know. It's all about talent and people who really mean it. The thing about dubstep is that it has good ambassadors, like Skream and Benga, they are really shouting about their movement. A bit like Goldie and Ronnie and Bukem did for Drum 'N' Bass. I think that any movement needs those kind of characters, balanced off with more moody characters like Burial. You can see that the dubstep scene is really growing and the people at the forefront of it are really prepared to experiment. That's really exciting. There is always something happening on the British underground, or dance scene. I love that. In terms of artists, I'm always hearing good stuff. It's very open at the moment. I love that.
ILM: You've made a number of compilations in your time. What are your tips for putting a compilation together?
Gilles: I don't spend too much time thinking about it! That might be the reason I get quite a lot of them! I think if you over analyse what you do then sometimes it will just never happen. With me, if I get asked to do a record, I will collate everything I need and then try and do it instinctively, try not to over think it.
ILM: What would be your advice for anyone looking to come into the music industry? As a Radio presenter, DJ or artist?
Gilles: You've got to prove yourself. That's the thing. It is always nice to want to do something but, deep down inside you, you're going to know whether you have the passion or not. This business that we're in, if you're in it for the wrong reasons you will soon be found out. There's not much point trying, or wasting time if you're not in it for the right reasons. Most people who are successful in this didn't even realise that they were going to do this as a career. That's all they could do. That's all they wanted. My only advice is to be absolutley sure that you have the passion that is going to get you through. At the end of the day you can be as bright as you want, but you need to have passion.
ILM: Out of all the gigs you have seen as a punter, which will you never forget?
Gilles: Oh man! Er...There have been a lot of great gigs and stuff, but I can only think about what I have enjoyed recently. I do a few festivals, I have my own little festival in the South of France, you should come! It's in July in a little town called Sète. Last year the best set I heard was Laurent Garnier on the beach. It was really ridiculous!
ILM: And now he's playing at your Worldwide Awards!
Gilles: He's DJing at The End for the closing party and he said he would come along and do a little set before he went down there. I might do the end bit this year, why not!
ILM: How do you prepare for your DJ sets?
Gilles: With the DJing I go through phases. I'm good sometimes and then I kind of get really rubbish. It's weird. At the moment I think I'm on the crest of dropping and being really bad, or, because I've been abroad recently in Australia, Sydney and Singapore, I think I've got a good set right now! Whether I'll still have it by next Saturday I'm not sure. I'm going to try and hang on to it though...!
ILM: If you were interviewing Gilles Peterson, what one question would you be sure to ask?
Gilles: How to stay healthy in this business...
ILM: And your answer would be...
Gilles: Er...I would say, just be careful! Hahahah!
ILM: Watch your back?!
Gilles: Yeah! And excercise. And drink as much water as you can.
