Jay Negron AKA J*Ski Interview Bio

Whilst I was doing some research into Disco DJ and editor/remixer Jay Negron AKA J*Ski I came upon his "bio" on his Soundcloud page. It reads like an interview and has lots of interesting information from his time as a DJ in New York between 1973-1982.

I am not sure if the Internet crawlers do a good job of reading Soundcloud bio's, and it was such a good read, I have shared it here for the love of Disco! 

Dig Deep Radio Show: Playlist 2026 Episode 2

80s boogie classics // balearic chuggers // tropical afro vibes // unshazzamable edits

Welcome to the second round of picks from the racks at Dig Deep Records. For Episode 2 of our 2026 Playlist, I’ve pulled a heavy selection of 80s boogie classics, balearic chuggers, tropical afro vibes, vinyl only 12"s, unshazzamable edits, nu-disco, deep house excursions, italo bassfunk, and UR influenced techno.

Full Tracklist And Release Information:

Dig Deep Radio Show: Playlist 2026 Episode 1

hip hop // boogie // cosmic disco // detroit techno // balearic vibes // wonky machine soul

We kick off 2026 with a new series of the Dig Deep Radio Show. Taking it back to its rawest form of music only journeys through hidden gems and secret weapons selected and curated by humans. 2026 Playlist Episode 1 features a stack of 30 records that are getting heavy rotation over at Dig Deep Records.

Full Tracklist And Release Information:

Moodymann Talks Detroit and Being Independant

Moodymann Talks Detroit and Being Independant | Red Bull Music Academy

"Kenny Dixon Jr., AKA Moodymann, is one of the most enigmatic and charismatic figures in house music. Despite his refusal to give interviews and play the press-and-promo game, Dixon Jr.’s voice has been clearly amongst the loudest when it comes to preserving the rich heritage of Afro-American music while fighting the industry powers that be. Blessed with an immaculate way of sampling, he takes stems from blues and soul, and respectfully takes them onto the next level. From his dark and dusty deep house tunes on Peacefrog, Planet E and his own KDJ label, to R&B-drenched outings on the Mahogani Music imprint, Moodymann’s fingerprint is unmistakable." Red Bull Music Academy 2010

Topics And Tracklist:

The Beat-Herder Festival 2024 - Tickets Warning

The Beat-Herder Festival have today announced that this year's festival will be more "bijou" than recent years and "on a scale reminiscent of the early days". Even though the capacity is being reduced, the organisers have said "the advertised line up will remain, and so will most of the venues". In fact they say they won't be cutting corners, they'll be adding new ones and "bringing an intimate event with a thicker later of Beat-Herder love spread right to the edges".

The smaller event means that tickets will be more limited, and considering that the festival has sold out more often than not in previous years, Beat-Herder HQ have warned that this year's tickets will sell out in advance!

"Somewhere in Detroit": Underground Resistance, Submerge, Techno and the Detroit Way

Somewhere in Detroit is a new short film about Detroit’s greatest musical collective since Motown, the cooperative and record label dubbed Submerge and UR (Underground Resistance).

This mini-documentary reveals intimate conversations, providing unique insights into the tight-knit co-op at the center of Detroit techno—the creators, pioneers, and futurists who embody the spirit of the genre.

 

Roland Articles has also published an in-depth story, “Underground Resistance, Submerge, and the Detroit Way,” featuring voices from the documentary expanding on its themes with exclusive anecdotes.

Read the story here:

https://articles.roland.com/the-detroit-way/

The Beat-Herder Festival 2024 - Phase 1 Line Up Announced

The Beat-Herder Festival Phase 1 of the line up for 2024 is here!

The initial line up features internationally acclaimed bands, legendary festival acts, world-renowned DJs, Breakthrough artists & absolute party starters from just a handful of the usual 20+ stages.

17 years in, the festival now runs from Thursday to Sunday in the beautiful North West based setting that we call Beat-Herdershire.

Herd Em Up!

Mr Scruff & Rob Luis Discuss DJing

Mr Scruff with Rob Luis discuss DJing: Maps, Advice & Stories

Mr Scruff chats with Rob Luis from Tru Thoughts about DJing in this great interview that is packed full of sound advice based on the vast experience they have gained over the last 30+ years...

Mr Scruff website // Rob Luis website // Tru Thoughts website

The Beat-Herder Festival 2023 - The Factory Line Up Announced

The Beat-Herder Festival have announced the line up for The Factory - "where you clock in and never clock out. The monotony of the machines may have gone but the beats and energy still remain."

Of the 21 stages on offer, this is the one where classic house and the early days of rave meets the current sound of nu disco and indie dance.

You can catch me playing 2 sets on the Saturday night. Expect Chicago style House and Disco heat all the way, giving a nod to the DJs and producers that laid the foundations of House music as we know it.

Set times: 21:45 – 22:30 then 23:15 – 00:00

Herd Em Up!

The Beat-Herder Festival 2023 - Trash Manor Line Up Announced

The Beat-Herder Festival have announced the line up for Trash Manor - "Home of rebels, punks and pioneers, in our very own courtyard of Chaos. So come all you Ravers and Rockers, you Misfits and Wierdos."

With Flamin' horses, pole dancing robots, and an eclectic music policy of live Jazz meets Techno via Punk, Dub, Disco, Funk, Soul, Reggae, House, Boogie, Breaks, Basslines, Dubstep, UK Garage - the list goes on...

Trash Manor is pulled together by the most stylish of crews you'll find in yonder fields.  Grab your flat cap and bike chain necklace and get ready to storm the manor!

The Beat-Herder Festival 2023 - Thursday Line Up Announced

The Beat-Herder Festival have announced the full line-up for the Thursday.

The opening night is always a super special time with excitement and energy levels at max as people bounce into the fields for their first evening of love.

Taking us back to the early days of the petite and unique festival, just 7 of the 21 stages will be open and capacity is limited to keep things nice and intimate.

TOIL TREES

LF SYSTEM, Eats Everything, Hannah Laing, K-Klass [djset] & Aroop Roy

TRASH MANOR

BCUC LIVE, Paul Dig Deep, Chris Holt, Pilani, Kenneth Kaos, The Trash Manor Family

SMOKY TENTACLES

Dr Syntax LIVE, James Lyons, Four to One - 421 Collective, Head Tentacle

PLUS all the venues on The Street in the woods - 

The Church

The Garage

Hotel California

The Barn

There are a limited number of the 4 Day Tier 3 Tickets remaining so get yourself sorted sharpish if you want to party for the full weekend and save some money.

Herd Em Up!

Vintage By The Sea Festival 2023

In September this year the Vintage By The Sea Festival celebrates the 10 year anniversary of creating outstanding programmes of art and culture in Morecambe. 

Founded in 2013 by Deco Publique and Wayne & Gerardine Hemingway MBE, the 2 day long festival provides Morecambe seafront with a stunning backdrop inspired by the decades from the 20s to the 90s.

For their 10th anniversary the organisers have promised to deliver an exceptional line up of  performance, music, dance, classic cars, vintage and design marketplaces, DJ sets, Best in Show fashion parades, workshops and street food, and no doubt much much more.

"We'll be bringing back some of the best and most loved programme from the last 10 years as well as welcoming some new editions as this anniversary edition sets out to be one of our finest!"

Described by The Guardian as one of the ‘Top Five Retro Events in the World’ - last year the award winning event attracted 45,000 visitors over the weekend, generating an economic impact of over £1.5 million for the local economy.

With the tagline of 'Celebrating 20th Century Culture', the free family festival brings together music, fashion, film, art, design and dance from the 1920s to the 1990s, with the emphasis throughout on glamour and head-turning style.

It's a great day out for people of all ages with so much to see and do. There is also an After Party on the Saturday Night in The Little Big Top marquee featuring local DJs playing alongside a yet to announced headline DJ.

There are a variety of live DJ sets from previous Vintage By The Sea events covering everything from Rock N Roll and Rockabilly, to Soul, Funk, Jazz, Disco, Latin, Boogie, Rhythm N Blues, and Classic House on the festivals Mixcloud.

Vintage By The Sea takes place in Morecambe on 2nd & 3rd September 2023

The Vintage Festival // About The Festival // Deco Publique // Gallery

The Beat-Herder Festival 2023 - Phase 1 Line Up Announced

The Beat-Herder Festival have announced Phase 1 of the line up.

This initial line up features world-renowned DJs and internationally acclaimed live artists alongside up and coming acts from the underground, all spread over the 21 stages.

16 years in, the festival now runs from Thursday to Sunday and word from the camp is that the 4-day tickets are already running low.

Herd Em Up!

Escape To Freight Island 2nd October 2022

This coming Sunday afternoon I'll be playing some of my favourite music down at Escape To Freight Island in The Platform.

The Dig Deep Records Pop-Up shop will also be on site so people can peruse our vinyl picks and have a listen to the records we have for sale on the day.

We kick off proceedings at 12 noon and run through till 4pm before the esteemed Abigail Ward takes over on the decks till 8pm. (Live recordings now up on Mixcloud)

 

 

The event is part of the Better Days Festival which features great DJs providing the soundtrack to everything from Sunday roasts and good food from the many restaurants, lots of things for the family to do, pop up record shops, rare finds flea market, weekend papers, a roller skating rink, and live music. Read on to see what is happening between now and the closing party on 27th November...

The Vintage Festival: Vintage By The Sea 2022

Not long to go before we're off to the seaside for The Vintage Festival: Vintage by the Sea 2022 in Morecambe. 

Described by The Guardian as one of the ‘Top Five Retro Events in the World’ the award winning weekend event attracts 40,000+ visitors per year.

Every September Morecambe seafront provides a stunning backdrop for a programme of cultural content inspired by the 1920s to the 1990s ‑ including a Vintage Marketplace, Routemaster Bus Bar with DJs, Family Workshops, Street Theatre, Best in Show Catwalk, Torch Club Ball, Pop Up Dance, Art Exhibitions, Street Food, Melodrome Music Stage, The Midland Rotunda Bar with DJs, Classic Car Show, Afternoon Teas, Vintage Mobile Cinema, Vintage by the Sea After Party, plus much much more. 

The Beat-Herder Festival 2022

It's safe to say Beat-Herder 2022 absolutely smashed it yet again. The outpouring of love across social media from those in attendance in the 2 days following the festival has really demonstrated how much of a good time was had, with many saying the now common post Beat-Herder mantra "best one yet!".

The success of The Beat-Herder Festival really is a credit to everyone involved, from the festival organisers that create a unique environment and unite us as one, the teams that put their heart and soul into running each of the stages, the DJs, artists, and musicians who deliver amazing performances, to the ever loveable crowd that brought their best party vibes for the 15th anniversary. Everywhere I looked people were having the time of their lives. Festivalling as festivalling should be done.

In world that is mired with corruption, capitalism, greed, and general badness we need safe spaces like Beat-Herder to be free, connect with like minded people, express ourselves and show love and respect for one and another. That sentiment has always been at the heart of Beat-Herder and is the reason why it continues to be the best festival in the land. Herd Em Up!

The Beat-Herder Festival - 14th-17th July 2022

The Beat-Herder Festival // Buy Tickets // Line Up // Stages // News

Trash Manor At The Beat-Herder Festival - Full tage Line Up Announced

Trash Manor - The home of rebels, punks and pioneers.

The Trash stage is my home from home when I'm in Beat-Herdershire. The area is run by a tight family of Northern misfits and artisans and they always make me feel welcome and one of the gang,

If someone had told my 17 year old self that one day I'd be on the same flyer as that top line I'd have thought they were winding me up.

In 1992 Justin Robertson released his first Lionrock 12" and this was quickly added to my growing collection. I went on to buy all of his releases and remixes for years. We went to see Justin DJing on many occasions in places like Cream and Voodoo in Liverpool, possibly The Orbit, and Sankey's plus another club I can't remember the name of in Manchester He was always great.

Ralph Lawson came a bit later. It's a bit hazy now but I know in 1996 I was listening to his Back To Basics: Cut The Crap mix incessantly and had just started buying his releases on his prolific 20:20 Vision label.

This all came together at the now legendary Back To Basics club night in Leeds. Justin Robertson would be tearing the roof off the the basement with some heavy weight Techno alongside the likes of Andy Weatherall and Slam's Stuart McMillan and Orde Meikle. Meanwhile Ralph Lawson would be DJing upstairs alongside Terry Farley playing the deeper more soulful side of House music. That time was truly inspirational for me and helped me develop the foundation of the electronic side of my music collection. 

I'll not go into the time that I (allegedly) drove straight over a roundabout one night on our way to Leeds. Or the time that I was faced with a herd of escaped sheep that were jamming up the country lanes in the early hours on our way back home. Or the time that I forgot to turn the kill switch back off after a fun night in Cream. I still feel bad about making my mates push the car halfway through Liverpool as I tried to bump start it - which obviously was never going to happen. We had to get a taxi to tow us home in the end and I only realised what had gone wrong the next day.

Greg Wilson has been DJing for the longest of the 3 of this year's Trash Manor headliners. Interestingly it's the sound that he was championing in the early 1980's that I have spent the last 10+ years learning about, collecting and playing. It was that proto-house vibe where disco and funk and modern soul became that bit more electronic as the (then) new boogie sound took hold with labels like Prelude and Leroy Burgess' output going onto be classics that still sound fresh today.

Toil Trees At The Beat-Herder Festival - Full tage Line Up Announced

For those that don't already know, the Toil Trees area is organised by the crew that created the festival back in 2006.

In July we celebrate the 15th Birthday of the 10,000+ capacity award winning festival.

It's been a pleasure to have watched Beat-Herder grow over the years. The festival is pulled together by a small bunch of people that do it for the love and you can tell. 

The vibe is 2nd to none and this year's line up is super strong. I'll be warming up Toil Trees early on the Sunday before Mikey D.O.N, Mr Scruff, and Dan Shake take us through the afternoon to the evening and DJ Paulette, Or:la, and HAAI cover the night shift.

Herd Em Up!

The Beat-Herder Festival takes place 14th-17th July 2022

The Beat-Herder Festival // Buy Tickets // Line Up // Stages // News

Paul Thornton Live at Eastern Bloc X Rotation presents Fourth City Vol 3

Recorded live at Eastern Bloc X Rotation presents Fourth City Vol 3

 Celebrating all things musical from Detroit, Chicago, New York & Manchester. Strictly vinyl running through Rotation's MasterSounds Linear 4V mixer. 

These heavy weight jams sounded so good projected onto the dance floor via Eastern Bloc's sublime sound system.

 

www.instagram.com/rotation.mcr/
www.facebook.com/rotationmcr
www.instagram.com/easternbloc_/
www.facebook.com/EasternBlocRecords

The Beat-Herder Festival 2022 - Phase 1 Line Up Announced

The Beat-Herder Festival have announced Phase 1 of the line up for their 15th birthday and it has some mint acts to look forward to. 

In their usual style we have world-renowned DJs and internationally acclaimed bands rubbing shoulders with up and coming names and people that are well established on the underground side of things.

Herd Em Up!