Gilles Peterson is not your average superstar DJ. Since his early days as a suburban soul boy with a passion for Level 42, Earth Wind & Fire, and Central Line, he's become an iconic figurehead for a generation of jazz aficionados. Through his days at seminal pirate radio station Radio Invicta and Kiss FM, to being head of one of the most respected urban soul record labels, Peterson has steadily become one of the most sought after international DJs, and is now one of the most credible Radio 1 presenters.

the avid teenage record collector, who asked his dad to give him a lift to the nearest high spot so that he could transmit a pre-recorded two-hour pirate radio show, has become a marketable commodity

His ego isn't so large that he's incapable of a two-way conversation, and although he's extremely busy he remains naturally friendly and charismatic in person. Ostensibly he comes across as the archetypal jazz vinyl enthusiast who got lucky, and this goes someway to explaining his enduring popularity as the champion of leftfield jazz and soulful dance music.

The day before we meet up at his old flat in North London (where he still houses a small studio and a vast record collection) he helped launch Selfridges Brazil 40 festival – a month long celebration of Brazilian culture which fused together art installations, dance, music, food, and the latest Latino inspired fashion.

Such is his popularity now that a whole display window was dedicated to the artwork for his brand new double CD compilation Gilles Peterson in Brazil; a fact that he finds both complimentary and surreal. These days the avid teenage record collector, who asked his dad to give him a lift to the nearest high spot so that he could transmit a pre-recorded two-hour pirate radio show, has become a marketable commodity.

Peterson is smaller than one would imagine, and these days he sports a scruffy beatnik hairstyle and obligatory jazz beard (part Spanish conquistador part Rio Ferdinand). His flat is rented out to a friend, but he's not sure if she's still living there or not. It seems a strange arrangement as he's constantly in and out recording shows in the basement for his syndicated Worldwide Radio show (which goes out to over fifteen countries) and conducting interviews when the need arises. He's known for his generous nature amongst his peers, but one can't help wondering if this is in part due to a feeling of guilt derived from his continued success whilst others floundered in the dying embers of the Acid Jazz movement.

The thing they like about my gigs is that there are always a lot of girls. The fact that I have a Latin/Brazilian influence appeals to women, and without them it's not worth doing clubs

Peterson is an enthusiastic walking encyclopaedia of jazz. Names whirl off his tongue and ricochet off the stacks of records that surround us. "There are quite a few different angles to explore now," he says. "What we have now is a more multicultural movement, so you get projects like Future Sounds of Jazz with people like Jason Yarde and Soweto Kinch performing alongside Mathew Bourne and Leo Taylor. All these people are really good players that are at the forefront of a very buoyant live scene.

"On the other hand you get crossover bands like Cinematic Orchestra or 2 banks of 4 coming at it from a nu-jazz direction, or guys like Mathew Herbert who have a completely different take on things. He's an absolute phenomenon to me -- the Brian Eno of the future. His Big Band project is wonderfully fresh and exciting and I wish guys like Gil Evans were alive to hear what he's attempting to do. I mean, when was the last time since Woody Herman that someone had a big band on tour?"

For the first part of his new Brazilian compilation, Peterson looked back to his early DJing days for inspiration. "I put together my first compilation called Jazz Juice in 1984, and it had Airto's 'Celebration Suite' and some Sergio Mendes on there. I think Brazilian music has always been somewhere in what I do. People say the one thing they like about my gigs is that there are always a lot of girls there. I think the fact that I have a Latin/Brazilian influence appeals to women, and without them it's not worth doing clubs."

"The first CD is full of little nuggets such as Os Cobras' 'Nana'," he says. "The second CD represents what is slowly becoming an interesting scene in Brazil. Last year the drum & bass scene in the UK got darker and that put a lot of people off, but at the same time there was this emergence of a new Brazilian sound represented by guys like DJ Marky and Patife, which had a lot more melody and accessibility." The last time he was in Brazil, Peterson DJed in Sao Paulo, and he explores that cities contribution to electronica influenced neo-bossa with Patricia Marx, Otto, and Bruno E.

Universal want to keep me as part of their label because I add a small slice of credibility to a sea of rubbish

The reaction to his Brazilian compilation has taken Peterson by surprise, especially as his recent Worldwide Exclusives compilation for Universal hadn't received the support he would've liked. "I made all this effort to ask the likes of Gotan Project, Zero 7, and Cinematic Orchestra for exclusive tracks, and delivered a really fresh concept on a mix album. But it just slipped out and will sell a few copies because there's no one working it.

"Whereas this Brazilian album is on a very small independent label and suddenly I'm walking past Selfridges and there's an entire window devoted to this record with my face on it. I called my mum to come over to England just to see it because she'll be astounded. I think it says quite a lot about the difference between independent and major labels right now. The fact is that Universal want to keep me as part of their label because I add a small slice of credibility to a sea of rubbish."

Growing animosity towards the parent label of Talkin' Loud reached a head after Peterson quit his own label four years ago. "After I left Acid Jazz, I wanted to create a label that would be able to support the music and take it to another level. The whole Acid Jazz thing was associated with retro music and mod culture, and I wanted Talkin' Loud to have a far wider, contemporary appeal. That's why I signed groups such as Reprazent, 4 Hero, and Innerzone Orchestra.

"It was an invaluable experience for me sitting in on A&R meetings discussing Elton John's career whilst trying to get a video budget for Galliano and Young Disciples. But working in the music industry at that time was equally frustrating because I never really had people within Universal who understood the potential of Talkin' Loud. They didn't want to get rid of it because there was a media buzz, but they never understood it because it was pre-dance and they didn't realise the importance of bands such as Zero 7 or Basement Jaxx, or Gotan Project. These were all bands we wanted, but weren't aloud to sign for stupid reasons.

Record-industry-wise, I messed up big time. I never had a big album seller to get me sorted.

"In the end I couldn't work in such tight restrictions. I'd become a glorified A&R man who came into it slightly too early to be making demands. I was in a position to renegotiate my contract, but I didn't really want to because I didn't want to let the bands down. I didn't want to be one of these guys who signs bands and gives them loads of promises, and then leaves them for a bigger salary and a bigger cut somewhere else. It was always about developing a movement which I was very much part of."

These days Peterson divides his time between a gruelling DJ schedule and his various radio commitments. "Moving to Radio 1 was a very important step for me, and it had an incredible impact, especially in terms of being able to DJ around the country."

Peterson considers DJing to be his "bread and butter", and bearing in mind he was one of the first English DJs to have a residency in Cologne, Vienna, and Paris in the late eighties, it can safely be said that he's made a lot of money from it. Surprisingly the same can't be said for his years at Talkin'Loud.

"Record-industry-wise, I messed up big time. I never had a big album seller to get me sorted. You only make money when you start selling millions. If you hit 500, 000 then you're only breaking even. I never made serious money out of the music industry... that's why I'm still DJing. Radio's never been a payer either, though obviously it's great PR. But I have no regrets. I've got a good family, I'm really enjoying DJing, and I'm still healthy … as long as I stop smoking."

Links:
In April, Gilles puts out a compilation, Gilles in Africa on Ether Records
Find out the winners of 2004's Worldwide Awards
Or find out what his old mentor Paul Murphy is up to these days...
www.djgillespeterson.com/ - good biog of his early days