Norman Jay MBE

Norman Jay is unquestionably one of the finest and most respected DJs in the world today. Born in Notting Hill, Jay played his first gig aged 8, at a 10th birthday party. Influenced by his father’s huge collection of blu beat, ska and rock steady, by the late 70s he’d become an expert in contemporary Afro-American music including funk, soul and jazz fusion.

During a series of late 70s trips to New York, visiting family, Norman was inspired by the city’s unique and vibrant club scene, and on his return to the UK teamed up with his brother, Joey, to build the Good Times Sound System, playing funk, soul and disco at Notting Hill Carnival. Cementing his reputation as co-founder of, and prime selector on the then pirate radio station KISS, Jay fostered the ‘Rare Groove’ scene filling the airwaves, and warehouse parties under the Shake and Fingerpop guises, with the best in 70s & 80s grooves, and nascent house cuts. Pushing the boundaries of the UK’s emerging club culture he went on to found the first ‘Paradise Garage’ style club in Britain – ‘High On Hope’, and, alongside kindred spirit, Gilles Peterson, Norman established the Talkin’ Loud label, spearheading the Acid Jazz scene.

Throughout the late 80s and 90s, Jay continued to build a reputation as one of the world’s best DJs, packing clubs to the rafters wherever he played, taking the underground sounds of rare groove and house firmly into the mainstream. The turn of the century saw Norman Jay assume the role of elder statesman, receiving an MBE from the Queen for services to deejaying and music. Continuing his burgeoning work as a broadcaster, and to play an eclectic mix of black and dance music across the globe as the deejay’s DJ, Norman Jay remains at the forefront of club culture, converting each new generation to the cause, championing new sounds, and guaranteeing nothing but the good times.