It was at the 10 Years Anniversary of Legendary Deep Funk at Madame Jojo’s in Soho where we first met Snowboy. Not only is he a great DJ, but also a fantastic musician and a top bloke at that. One of the firsts to give Our Label’s premier release „Give Me A Minute“ a top spot in his playlist. After he took over the Friday night at JoJo’s, Gu was was one of his frequent guests on the decks.
Read what makes Snowboy tick in the latest addition to our series “DJs You Should Know“, while you listen to one of his rather excellent Latin records.
Which style / genre do you mostly play:
Funk, Soul and Jazz Dance
Residency (current or previous):
Currently – South London Soul Train (Bussey Building) every Saturday. Previously – The Good Foot (Madame Jo Jo’s), Deep Funk (Ormonds), The Goldmine on Canvey Island), Scruples in Westcliff-on-sea), Whispers in Leigh-On-Sea, Cubism in Basingstoke
DJ gig farthest away from your home:
Australian tour
Most memorable DJ gig and why?
The first Soul all-nighter in Stockholm in the hotel foyer of Lydmar. It was so illegally over-crowded but no one danced until I came on, and they cheered every single record.
Since when have you been a DJ?
Since 1975. I was the school DJ and did all events. A club DJ since 1978.
What was your first ever record?
Thunderbirds/The Avengers – John Barry and his orchestra. 1966
Favourite record of all times and why:
The soundtrack to the film ‘American Grafitti’. Not only was it a life-changing film for me at the age of 13, it gave me a grounding in so much music.
Record that surprised you most and why:
‘Expansions’ by Lonnie Liston Smith. I first heard it in 1978. It was cavernous, exotic, celestial, grandiose, majestic, Jazzy, other-worldly…………. I’ll never get bored of it til I die. I feel the same way about the ‘Shifting Gears’ album by Johnny Hammond.
Record you usually play at all your DJ gigs:
‘It’s A New Day’ by James Brown
Vinyl or other media:
Vinyl. If there’s any new Jazz releases on CD-only I will play it on that format rather than ignore it’s existence.
Favourite club to play at:
Right now? Well it has to be my residency at the Bussey Building. 4 floors of music (plus a live band) every Saturday night. My floor is Funk all night. 1,500 people in every week. It feels like walking in to a festival every week. Other than that ‘This Is The Party’ in Taranto, Italy. Goffredo Santovito holds THE best parties anywhere.
Your favourite DJ:
If you mean EVER, then it’s both Chris Hill and Bob Jones. Not only speaking for myself, they influenced 100’s and 100’s of DJ’s and 1000’s upon 1000’s of club-goers in the UK from the late-60’s. Both mavericks and with vast music knowledge, they opened all of our minds without us realising it. Dave Lee, Gilles Peterson, Ian Levene, Pete Tong and Paul Murphy will agree with me.
Band / Musician you strongly recommend everyone should listen to:
Eddie Palmieri. The barrier-breaking Salsa Jazz pianist and composer. He has just about torn up the rule book and continues to this day. His music is so powerful. I’m proud to call he and his lovely family my friends.