2012 October

Living To Music – David Bowie ‘Hunky Dory’

The second David Bowie Living To Music selection (the first being ‘The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars’ in Jan ’11, ‘Hunky Dory’ flopped on its UK release in Dec ’71 failing to even enter the lower regions of the chart (although it was a minor hit in the US, reaching #93), but in Sept ‘72, following the success of ‘Ziggy Stardust’, Bowie’s breakthrough album (which had been released just 6 months after, in June ’72), it would finally enter the chart in its slipstream, eventually peaking 2 places higher, at #3. It’s regarded by many as their favourite Bowie album – it’s certainly right up there alongside ‘Ziggy’ for me.

By Greg Wilson|2025-04-07T10:37:51+00:00October 29, 2012|Bowie, Hear, Living To Music, Records, The Seventies|13 Comments

The EDM From Way Back When

EDM (electronic dance music), as they like to call it in the US, has never been bigger, America now fully embracing it, having previously regarded it as a little more than a side-issue, always the bridesmaid and never the bride. Now, the more curious minded dance music enthusiasts Stateside, wishing to avoid the mainstream commercialisation of a previously more underground club culture, are, often for the first time, excavating the mid-late 80’s period, when Chicago House and Detroit Techno emerged (finding far more love at the time in the UK and Europe, than in the country of its origin).

By Greg Wilson|2025-04-07T10:37:51+00:00October 25, 2012|Black Culture, DJ / Club Culture, Hear, Magazines, Manchester, Read, Records, The Eighties|16 Comments

Sylvia Kristel

The Dutch actress, Sylvia Kristel, known to a generation for her iconic role in the softcore blockbuster, ‘Emmanuelle’ (1974), died last Friday, aged 60. […]

By Greg Wilson|2025-04-07T10:37:51+00:00October 21, 2012|Film, RIP, The Seventies|1 Comment

Return Of The Prodigal – DJ Harvey

DJ Harvey (aka Harvey Bassett) makes his long awaited UK return tonight at Oval Space in London (followed by a Manchester date, at The Warehouse Project, next Thursday). It’s his first UK appearance since 2002 when he re-located to the USA, and where visa problems conspired to restrict his movements, meaning that it was almost a decade before he was able to leave the country.

By Greg Wilson|2025-04-07T10:37:51+00:00October 19, 2012|DJ / Club Culture, DJ Appearances, The Eighties, The Nineties, Video|27 Comments

The Reward For Work Is More Work

When my agent, Matt Johnson, booked me in for ‘A Night With…’, I hadn’t realised that it did exactly what it said on the tin, namely present just the one DJ for the full 8 hours the venue was open. I generally play for either 2 or 3 hours, with the odd 4 hour slot along the way – the only times I can recall playing longer (since I started out again), was a night at The Key in London back in 2005, and then the Credit To The Edit launch parties, both Sunday All-Dayers held at a couple of East End boozers (The Dolphin in 2005 and The Horse & Groom in 2009), so, as you can imagine, it came as a bit of a shock when the penny dropped and I realised that I’d unwittingly signed up for a marathon, but I quickly warmed to the idea and began to ponder the possibilities it presented.

By Greg Wilson|2025-04-07T10:37:51+00:00October 17, 2012|CD’s / Digital, DJ Appearances, Hear, Mixes, Records|11 Comments

Video Blog – Happy Mondays ‘Wrote For Luck’ & ‘WFL’

Happy Mondays ‘Wrote For Luck’ & ‘WFL’ Filmed at Legend, Manchester 1988 & 1989 […]

By Greg Wilson|2025-04-07T10:37:51+00:00October 11, 2012|Black Culture, DJ / Club Culture, Manchester, Records, Remixes / Edits, The Eighties, The Nineties, Video Blog|7 Comments

Their Name Liveth For Evermore

On October 5th 1962 the first single by The Beatles, ‘Love Me Do’ c/w ‘P.S. I Love You’, was released in the UK on the Parlophone label. Principally written by Paul McCartney a few years earlier, when he was 16 (John Lennon added the middle-eight), and based around 3 chords, it was the first of a run of 3 singles that featured John Lennon on harmonica – the others being ‘Please Please Me’ and ‘From Me To You’, both released the following year (the instrument, a signature of the early Beatles sound, was retired by Lennon 1965). The harmonica used [...]

By Greg Wilson|2025-04-07T10:37:51+00:00October 5, 2012|Merseyside, The Beatles, The Sixties|3 Comments

Living To Music – Arctic Monkeys ‘Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not’

Arctic Monkeys make a great noise, vital and vibrant with hooks galore, but what really sets ‘Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not’ apart is the lyrical excellence of their then 20 year old frontman Alex Turner. He brilliantly articulates the experience of city centre nightlife / street life, warts and all, telling it as it is, in his own language and his own endearing broad South Yorkshire accent.

By Greg Wilson|2025-04-07T10:37:52+00:00October 1, 2012|Books, CD’s / Digital, Film, Hear, Living To Music, Read, Records, See|9 Comments

2026 DJ DATES:

31.12 Todmorden – NYE @ The Golden Lion

17.01 Belfast – The Deer’s Head

23.01 Bristol – Lost Horizon

05.02 New York – Jeans

07.02 Upstate New York – Disco Chalet

13.02 Los Angeles – Spotlight

14.02 San Francisco – Great Northern

21.02 London – Fac 51 Haçienda @ Drumsheds

06.03 Brussels – C12 Brussels

08.03 Bognor Regis – Bugged Out

21.03 Leeds – Downtown Disco @ Archive

03.04 Carlisle – The Brickyard

04.04 Dewsbury – The Terrace

05.04 Liverpool – Gloria’s

18.04 Margate – Margate Arts Club

19.04 London – Jazz Cafe

24.04 Manchester – Manchester Cathedral

02.05 London – Disco Disco @ Queens Yard

16.05 Bristol – Where We Belong Festival

23.05 Hastings – The Print Works

30.05 Steyning – Steyning Festival

12.06 Stockport – Moovin Festival

20.06 Newcastle – Frate

27.06 Penzance – Golowan Festival

11.07 London – Brixton Freight Island

26.07 Manchester Freight Island

26.07 Hertfordshire – Campo Sanchez

31.07 Oxfordshire – Wilderness Festival

15.08 Newcastle- E-Soul Cultura @ Freight Island

15.08 Warrington- Brickhaus

18.08 Ibiza- 528

23.08 Dorset- We Out Here Festival

04.09 Lindisfarne Festival

05.09 Battle – Crafted @ Powdermills

10.09 Winchester – Mucky Weekender

I’m a DJ from Merseyside. I started out in 1975, but stopped for almost 20 years, between 1984 and the end of 2003, at which point I started again.

One night during the period I wasn’t deejaying, turning off my mind, relaxing, and floating downstream I had what might be termed a moment of clarity. Paradoxically, although I was no longer a DJ in the literal sense I suddenly became aware that I’d never actually stopped being a DJ, for even if I was in a room with just one person I couldn’t help but ask them ‘have you heard this?’, and not only ‘heard’, but ‘have you seen this / read this?’, for it goes beyond music. Already taken somewhat aback by this nugget of self-discovery, I realised, in true eureka style, that this all pre-dates my being a DJ and goes back as far as I can remember – I’ve always had an inherent need to share, it’s absolutely central to my nature. This was quite a revelation.

So it’s no wonder that I became a Disc Jockey, for once I fell in love with those circular pieces of magical plastic during my formative years, it wasn’t a matter of choosing this as a path, the path pretty much chose me.

I don’t intend this to be a DJ blog as such, but more a blog by someone who happens to be a DJ – a place where personal emphasis takes precedence over professional, although, as I’ve already explained, the two aspects are, of course, inescapably entwined.

If you want info about my DJ appearances, email greg@gregwilson.co.uk for regular updates.

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