DJ Dad
DJ Dad started living in 1956 and djing in 1972 - playing mainly dub reggae and announcing southern soul to confused and mostly small audiences in Leeds and then London. In the early 80s he was a founder member of Red Specs – an entertainment /arts collective which (bizarrely) produced evenings of underground film showings or political community theatre coupled with dances featuring local bands and dj’s. In 1986 they joined forces with New Variety and hosted weekly ‘alternative’ cabaret nights in Shepherds Bush.
In the last few years he has helped form and run rePUBLICof – a Bristol-based multimedia arts group producing events which combine music with video & performance art of many forms.
As a dj he now works either solo or with a variety of musicians, singers and mc’s at parties, festivals, in pubs and clubs around the Bristol area and takes a lead on promoting these events. Dad mostly mixes hip-hop, jazz and reggae. Voice samples and acapellas cross temporal and geographic borders with bass-heavy beats in an attempt to produce new narratives and encourage profane movements from different generations occupying the same spaces. Sometimes this works.
Participating artists