Compering the festival’s Friday night will be Gilles Peterson, one of the UK’s most famous music lovers, record collectors, DJs and broadcasters – and probably the country’s foremost tastemaker. World-famous for his Radio 1 show Worldwide, for many years now Peterson has been introducing listeners to great music they probably wouldn’t have otherwise heard. Known for his open-mindedness and his eclectic musical selections, Gilles Peterson’s ethos seems firmly in tune with that of Mostly Jazz, Funk and Soul.
In 1988 he co-founded Acid Jazz Records, which put out debut releases for The Brand New Heavies and Jamiroquai. He then went on to run Talkin’ Loud whose roster included The Roots and Nuyorican Soul, amongst many others. Talkin’ Loud released Roni Size’s Mercury Music Prize winning album Reprazent, and Courtney Pine, 4 Hero, Young Disciples, and MJ Cole all received Mercury nominations while under Peterson’s guidance. Brownswood Recordings, Peterson’s latest outlet for discoveries, features artists such as Ghostpoet, another Mercury nominee who will also feature at Mostly this year.
Gilles Peterson was born in France to a Parisian mother and German father, but his career started on pirate radio in South London. He now travels around the world unearthing gems and returns home to push them across radio waves, into record shops, and on to dance floors. This year saw the end of his time at BBC Radio 1 and a move to 6Music, where with an extended show he will have an even larger platform for educating and entertaining his listeners.
