Gilles Peterson spinning as part of movement’s WorlDwide Session with Jason Palma , John Kong , DJ Aki and Dee Jay Nav at Roxy Blu (12 Brant), Friday (March 12). $15 advance, more at the door. Rating: NNNNN
Now that anyone with five LPs and a shoulder bag thinks he or she is a DJ, the salad days of the jet-setting celebrity selector are numbered. Like their supermodel counterparts in the fashion world, the big-name jocks – like many British contemporaries of tastemaking BBC Radio 1 personality Gilles Peterson – have essentially priced themselves out of the market.
And, really, why would a promoter spend thousands booking some surly Eurostar DJ and then have to pamper the prima donna when some bike courier kiddo will gladly spin for $50 and two bottles of domestic beer?
True, Peterson distinguishes himself from the other marquee talent by plugging the genre-crossing experiments of adventurous new artists rather than pandering to the weekend club crowd’s mainstream tastes. That’s evident from his Eclectic, Vol. 2 mix (TrusttheDJ. com) featuring Nick Holder’s hilarious No More Dating DJs.
But in championing the latest broken-beat and electro-soul dabbling, Peterson has moved further away from his roots in the 80s UK dance jazz scene, leaving more dedicated vinyl hounds like Adrian Gibson, Nicola Conte and the Movement crew to pick up the rare groove slack.
Last year’s release of the disappointing 60s Brit jazz compilation, amusingly called Impressed With Gilles Peterson (Universal), seemed to be an attempt, however misguided, to reconnect with his past. Hopefully, he had the sense to pay someone to dig a little deeper to find a few dance-floor-ready tracks for the forthcoming volume 2.
If not, well, I’ve got a standing offer with Universal to compile an alternate selection of classic UK jazz joints called Unimpressed With Gilles Peterson. In any case, don’t miss his Worldwide Session at Roxy Blu Friday (March 12). Peterson may not be back for a spell.
timp@nowtoronto.com
