Music > Interviews

Trevor Nelson

29/05/15

Trevor Nelson’s been loving music for 30 years and on the radio since the earliest days of Kiss FM, back when it was a pirate station.  He’s DJ’d all over the world and is coming to Open this month to play some tooooooons from his Collection 3 compilation of soul and hip hop classics. If beauties like People Everyday by Arrested Development, Sister Sledge’s Thinking of You or Pony by Ginuwine don’t get you up on the dancefloor, you must be dead from the waist down. We had a right old natter about the greatest dance tracks of all time, and whether the rumours that he owns a leopard are true. 

What music did you have around you as a child?

My dad liked music; my mum didn’t really love it. The only person my dad was crazy about was Nat King Cole. He was the person that dominated my house, hearing my dad crooning around trying to sound like Nat! He listened to a bit of Al Green or Bob Marley in the car but it was always Nat King Cole for him.

Do you like Nat King Cole now then or are you sick of it?

Ha ha! You’re not supposed to like the same music as your parents are you? Even growing up I could tell the guy was class and as I’ve got older I totally understand why my dad loved him. He was pretty much peerless.

You’ve always lived in London; to what extent living there has affected your musical tastes?

Ooh, you’ve got some good questions! I think it has massively. The beauty of living in a place like London is that no matter what music you’re into a scene is there to cater for you. Like growing up in the 80’s, I remember Mods, Rockers, Soul Boys, New Romantics, the birth of house music…no matter what you liked there was a scene for you. The fact that I was able to do pirate radio when I was at my most music hungry in my early twenties was amazing.; it was rife at the time and I was chosen to be on Kiss FM, which was the best pirate to be on. I used to go to second hand record shops and buy old music, and at the same time I had a job at the cutting edge of music importing new music for record shops, all the new house and hip hop. I used to race to the airport and take the records to all the record shops where all the biggest DJ’s used to go. I was nobody but I had a really important job. I would be on the phone to New York every other night saying “What have you got?” and they’d say “We’ve got this new group called Public Enemy” and I’d say “OK, give me 50 of those”. Or “We’ve got this new guy called Steve ‘Silk’ Hurley”, or “Frankie Knuckles”. They’d hold the phone up to the speaker so I could hear it…no Internet in those days! So living in London was perfect for being involved in that sort of thing and getting immersed in music.

I’m not even sure if there is such a thing as pirate radio any more now that anyone can broadcast over the Internet. How do you feel about that?

I don’t think we need pirate radio any more. We did it because there was a need. Black music, R ‘n’ B and hip hop wasn’t getting heard on legal radio when we were young so we needed to do that through pirate radio. Now you’ve got the Internet where it’s a free for all, and just comes down to if you’re good enough you’ll get an audience. Some people are diehards and they still do it but I think a lot of that is driven by ego. I’m amazed radio is still as popular these days with how many ways you can access music now.

Your latest compilation, Collection 3 came out last year, but how do you go about choosing what tracks to include?

I’ve always been a fan of both old and new music and I’ve always enjoyed playing old school, perhaps not 70’s, but definitely 80’s and 90’s music as much as playing new stuff. And people really love it, even the 19 and 20 year olds, more than the new stuff. So I decided to make an album that covers the last 3 decades; the first album is 70’s and 80’s classics, the second one is dedicated to the 90’s and the third is all about the noughties. There’s Biggie on one, Marvin Gaye on another and I think people should be able to enjoy both. Every song I’ve ever liked has had a connection; it’s got to have soul or a melody. I wanted to make sure there were no fillers on there, and didn’t include anything I haven’t played out before. These songs are timeless.

What equipment  do you use for DJ’ing these days? Are you a Serato guy?

I’m always 5 years late for everything because I can’t be arsed. I’m not one of these DJ’s who say “Hey, man, I can move the crowd, I took them on a crescendo, I took ‘em back down”; I always just wanted to play tunes. I’m not mixing with my tongue, I’m not Jazzy Jeff. I use Serato now but only for the last couple years. When CD’s became the thing to DJ with I was still bringing vinyl. By the time I went to CD people were onto Serato…so begrudgingly I got into Serato. People told me it would make me enthusiastic about DJ’ing again and it did, plus it’s just really convenient although my computer crashed last week when I dropped a bottle of brandy on it. And I hadn’t backed it up for two years. And I had the busiest week of my year. I was traumatised! I managed to pull off all the gigs though.

Have you ever considered making your own music?

I ran Cooltempo Records for EMI in the mid ‘90’s and had every opportunity to make my own music. I dabbled once, I did a remix, but I’m not musically trained, I have a good ear but my hero’s Stevie Wonder. He can play 30 instruments and he’s blind. Who the hell do I think I am to try to make music? So I never bothered. I’ve executively produced things but I find the studio process so dull and boring.

Do you have a favourite DJ to watch or listen to?

I don’t club it at all unless I’m working myself these days. My favourite DJ’s are Jazzy Jeff, Masters at Work, Shortee Blitz…there are so many good DJ’s. I could name 40 of them. Any DJ who’s soulful I like.

Do you have a number one dance anthem of all time?

I would say my favourite dance tunes is Crystal Waters’ Gypsy Woman. I had the original version on acetate exclusively on Kiss FM and it was unremarkable. Then I went to New York and went to a club there and all the music makers were there; the tune went on and I said “What the f*ck is this?!” and they said that it was a remix by Basement Boy, and I just went nuts. Another choice would be Adamski’s Killer, I used to love that tune. 

I have to ask you this, finally. On your Wikipedia page it says you own a leopard. Do you own a leopard?

What the f*ck?! I’ve not read Wikipedia in forever! What, it says I have a leopard?? I’ve got a little cat called Margot, she’s the most beautiful cat in the world. You can call her a leopard if you want! Wikipedia is just hilarious. You’re the first person EVER to ask me that!

The Plugg present Trevor Nelson at Open on 20th June, with support from The Doggett Brothers and Tropico DJ’s. Tickets from ueaticketbookings.co.uk