It seems that all my life I’ve tried to tell people about music I love. It all begins for me with an LP called ”All n All”. The cover art shouted at me. Pyramids, hieroglyphics, space ships and a visual story of ancient Egypt to futurist sci-fi scenarios blew my head before I’d heard a note. Earth, Wind & Fire had me mesmerised in a soundscape of funk, soul, jazz and Brazilean beats and I was smitten.

My best friend’s parents let us do up and kit out their big basement in Louisville Road in Tooting and we ran some serious parties. The coal bunker became the DJ box, the back store room became the bar. We even had pub optics! This was my grounding aged 14 onwards. All nighters blazing with disco, boogie, jazz funk and lovers rock. Back then clubs were fewer and further between, DJs were true gods of their domain and clubbers were driven by a hunger for new music. I would be found at ‘Crackers’ with George Power and Saturday afternoons at The 100 Club with Ronnie L, later spending my hard earned pocket monies on Willie Bobo and Azymuth LPs at Groove Records in Greek Street.

In the late seventies I was a devotee of Greg Edwards’ Saturday night ‘Soul Spectrum’ and David Rodigan’s reggae show on Capital Radio and later I discovered the London pirate station Radio Invicta where radio heroes took on the established top 40 monopoly to represent

black music for just a few hours every Sunday from a tower block transmitter. Latterly in the mid eighties it was all about pirate stations JFM, Horizon Radio, LWR, Solar Radio and Kiss FM, all strong dependable pirate frequencies populated with big characters and music evangelists.

Gilles Peterson and Jez Nelson were appointments to listen for me in the 1980s whilst I got into radio myself in 1984. I did my first ever radio show on a lesser known pirate called Radio Activity before launching Starpoint FM and facilitating the now much lamented K-Jazz with Gilles and Jez. We broadcast from my garage in South London where we linked to Crystal Palace and out to the whole of London. To be honest I half killed myself with relentless late night sessions and aerial installations on icy roofs up at Crystal Palace sites in mid-winter. It was a cold war too, DJs vs the Department of Trade and Industry Radio Investigation Department with their crew of grey men trying to track us down.

I joined in as one of the crew on Gilles’ subsequent show on BBC Radio London. It was irreverent fun of the highest order where I was usually part of a percussion ensemble along with Rob Galliano during the weekly gig guide. Sunday nights in the mid 80s were always spent at the Belvedere Arms in Richmond with Gilles dropping infectious jazz dance grooves in the most packed pub known to man. This was and remains the centre of the world.

In 1988 I decided to get out of pirate radio try and start a career. I gained experience in commercial radio with DevonAir and Orchard FM in the West Country. Down there I did everything from travel news to specialist shows. Finally, with the introduction of  so called ‘incremental’ music stations in London I joined Jazz FM as drive-time host, and latterly co-hosted the legendary ‘Somethin’ Else’ late night show with Jez Nelson that pushed the genre. In 1991 we took the show to Kiss 100 and co-founded an independent radio production company of the same name. I stayed at kiss for 15 years successfully building audiences during various daytime slots.

I left Kiss to develop a role in radio programming. At Choice FM I have occupied  head of music and editorial roles as well as remaining on air with Choice and associated station the Jazz (now off air) plus head of music and drivetime presenter at Colourful Radio and returning to Jazz FM in July 2009.

I continue my renowned fundamentalist fascination with Wimbledon’s football club.  I’ve supported Wimbledon since the non-league days of the 1970s, regularly at Plough Lane with my grandfather, following the club right to the top flight English Premier League. During the Premiership years in the 90s I was stadium host at

Selhurst Park and when we were sold down the river by the F.A over Wimbledon’s move to Milton Keynes I became a founder and board member of AFC Wimbledon. I’m still a hands on fan.  From the very first AFC Wimbledon home league game to date in the Blue Square Premier League I continue to host the stadium. Never far from my music you’ll hear me playing my eclectic blend and joking over the p.a.