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Photo of Norman Jay MBE

BIOGRAPHY

Norman has played a major part in the development of the dance scene. You name it he can play it, from Rare Groove to Hip Hop to House - eclectic is his middle name.

Influenced by the powerful and exciting sounds coming out of late 6o's Black America by the likes of Aretha Franklin and James Brown, Jay became an avid collector of American black music, collecting the likes of Motown, Stax, Atlantic and Jazz. It was around this time, inspired by a recent trip to New York, that Jay decided to take his Dj-ing more seriously. He teamed up with his brother Joey and built the Good Times sound system, playing out at the famous Notting Hill Carnival to great acclaim gaining a reputation that was beginning to grow.

He amassed a huge following, attracting crowds of up to 2,000 people wherever he played. This led to an invitation from Gordon Mac to start up their own pirate radio station called Kiss FM. He hosted the very first legal broadcast on Kiss FM when they won their licence and started the very first Garage club in the UK. The club was responsible for reviving interest in old-school divas such as Jocelyn Brown, Chaka Khan. Loleatta Holloway and Gwen Guthrie, all of whom appeared at his club. Having set up the club, Jay was head hunted by Polygram to start a new label called Talkin Loud, signing, amongst others, the likes of the Young Disciples, Galliano and Incognito. After three successful years there, he left to pursue his increasing Dj commitments around the world, annually touring such places as Australia, New Zealand, USA, Japan and Europe, playing a wide range of dance and black music.

He is also Dj to the "stars", playing for the likes of Mick Jagger (at his fiftieth birthday party), Michael Caine, George Michael, Paul Weller, Lenny Henry (who reputedly model his pirate radio Dj character on Jay) Vivienne Westwood and Gaultier.

With the rise of UK dance culture, Jay has again found his niche - extremely popular with a new generation of dance fans up and down the country, whether it's playing house and garage, drum and bass or plain old skool funk, jazz or hip-hop. He has managed to maintain his musical roots whilst being right up there with the best of them.

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