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A Guy Called Gerald – In Session for John Peel – Recorded October 30, 1988 – Broadcast November 7 – BBC Radio 1 –
Starting off the week with the first session from A Guy Called Gerald, recorded on October 30, 1988 and broadcast on John Peel’s program on November 7th. Gerald Simpson, better known as A Guy Called Gerald, is a British DJ, record producer and musician. He was an early member of 808 State, and later achieved success as a solo artist. He is best known for his early work in the Manchester acid house scene in the late 1980s[1] and the track “Voodoo Ray”. His style developed during the early 1990s, and his 1995 album Black Secret Technology would become a “much-touted candidate for ‘best jungle album ever.’
A few words from his website sums it all up:
An iconic name in dance music, A Guy Called Gerald stands out for consistent innovation, excellence and refusal to compromise. A Guy Called Gerald kick started Europe’s acid house frenzy releasing the first UK acid house record, the ’88 classic ‘Voodoo Ray’ and ‘Pacific State’ and went on to lay down the blueprint for jungle / drum n bass.
Nine albums and 25 years of independence later, he continues to push the boundaries of electronic dance music touring worldwide bringing his “true school” flavour to a world overloaded with pop pap.
Although his remixes are relatively enviable including the likes of David Bowie, Cabaret Voltaire, Black Uhuru, Finley Quaye, Lamb, Tricky and The Stone Roses, it is Gerald’s own productions and refusal to plough anyone’s furrow but his own which has marked him out. A Guy Called Gerald is responsible for the birth of British dance music as you know it today and continues to explore what is possible both in the studio and in the club with his “Live in Session” performances.
Since 2012 he has been working on a side project with Graham Massey (808 State) called REBUILD performing live jams on the Roland machines. “How Long Is Now” was released on Bosconi Records in 2012. A live album Silent Sound Spread Spectrum followed from the Society of Sound Series – a collaboration between Bowers & Wilkins and Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios in 2013.
In 2017 he continues to be in demand worldwide with his Live In Session shows using a vast patchwork of past, present and future experimenting effortlessly between early acid house through abstract tech breaks into dreamscapes of futuristic oscillations.
And from the Rough Guide To Drums n’ Bass:
“No other British artist involved in dance music since the Acid House explosion has produced as many important records as A Guy Called Gerald. From Voodoo Ray (1988) the song that put British House on the map, to Black Secret Technology (1995), the album that definitively showed that Jungle was capable of full-length album statements, Gerald Simpson has consistently explored virgin territory, paving the way for lesser musicians to take the credit.”
The Rough Guide to Drum n Bass
‘Nuff said- crank it up and dive in.
