Norman Jay

Not many DJs can claim an MBE among their achievements, but Norman Jay is no ordinary DJ. Awarded a Member of Order of the British Empire for "deejaying and service to music," Jay is goes straight to the point when asked what those services are - "you only have to turn up to Notting Hill Carnival in London and over a quarter of one weekend you'll find out exactly why."

Jay, along with brother Joey, founded the Good Times Soundsystem after he witnessed a community block party on a trip to Brooklyn in 1979, and the pair now help attract thousands of revellers to London's Notting Hill Carnival (which itself has an attendance of over one million), and the accompanying 'Good Times' compilation series, which now has seven instalments, has helped take the soul, funk, disco and jazz (and numerous combinations of the genres) that the soundsystem plays to the world. Jay cheerfully assures me that this material provides a pretty good indication of some of the music that he will be playing at his show in the Persian Gardens, but it's worth remembering that he describes himself as a house DJ so it's hardly unexpected when he adds that "there will be loads more besides - but remember I'll only have a 2 hour set in which to present it."

These compilation CDs, though they take this music all over the world and provide an introduction to Jay for many listeners who can not necessarily listen to his radio shows, are the source of plenty of frustration for Jay. "They're so difficult to put together" he bemoans, clearly annoyed at the process that forces him "to assemble an album out of the tracks you have been granted permission/ a license to use." This in turn affects choices like whether to prioritise old or new music, ultra rare collector's discs or more widely heard tracks - "there are only so many tracks that record companies will make available to you - irrespective of rare tracks I might want to include."

Fortunately there are no such restrictions on the track selection for his live sets, and though he admits that finding the material can be a bit of a chore - "it's very time consuming and a lot of the time it is not really worth the effort as I get sent a lot of stuff which I just can't use" - he manages to dig up gems on a pretty regular basis. Following in the lineage of DJs like John Peel, Jay refuses to be restricted to any single genre (though he does pretty much stick to music of black origin), and almost anything can get played in his live sets and on his radio show.

Though the long-standing host has recently severed ties with the BBC after 11 years due to "scheduling changes" that would involve moving his show to a digital-only slot, he's currently "considering several international and UK offers" for radio work. Being such an in demand host allows Jay the freedom to be relaxed about things, secure in the knowledge that the music he plays will still be heard, and he's adamant that the move doesn't signal the end of an era - "it just feels like the beginning of a new one" is his upbeat response.

Things have certainly changed significantly since his days playing massive illegal warehouse parties and DJing on pirate radio station KISS (which he helped found in 1985, and which five years later got its legal broadcasting license). The music which once led to the Jay brothers being heckled when they introduced it to the Notting Hill Carnival has a worldwide following, with Norman Jay still respected as of the leading voices. But as for whether fame and influence of a widely heard show that helped to bring rare groove (a term which he coined with 'The Original Rare Groove Show' on KISS) to the world have changed him, Jay is once again frank and to the point. "It hasn't' changed at all - I can only ever be me - not anybody else."

Alexis Buxton-Collins

Norman Jay plays at The Persian Gardens on Sat 15 Mar.