045:JOLYON GREEN
“When it comes to DJing I am the master of the slow start and can go from dub reggae to banging disco if you give me enough time and space. One of the things I do actually miss about DJing is starting with an empty dance floor and ending with a full one. ”
In a world that is increasingly dominated by digital music and streaming services, Jolyon Green stands out as a testament to the power of vinyl and the importance of preserving musical history. Jolyon's passion for music has been a driving force in his life since he started playing and collecting records over 35 years ago. His love of music has taken him on a journey that has seen him become a respected collector, DJ, and curator of eclectic sounds.
Jolyon's dedication to his craft can be seen easily with a quick scan over his Instagram page. From acid jazz to obscure balearica, Jolyon’s collection is deep, and his explanation of each record on socials is tied to a story or his own experience of the record. A true digger, he has spent countless hours scouring record stores, flea markets, and garage sales in search of the perfect beat. Through his 35 year journey, Jolyon has amassed an impressive collection of thousands of records that span genres and eras, from soul and funk to disco and house, from rock and pop to jazz and world music.
Jolyon's expertise as a DJ earned him a reputation as a knowledgeable and versatile selector. As expected, his sets are a reflection of his vast musical knowledge, blending obscure gems with timeless classics and new jams to create an experience that is both educational and entertaining. In 2009, he co-compiled the CD “Originals 4” for Paul Murphy’s respected label Claremont 56. He also produced several memorable mixes for London’s esteemed dance music magazine Test Pressing. Over the years, Jolyon earned DJ spots at some legendary parties and venues in the UK and beyond. He was a resident at Bill Brewster’s famed Low Life for 15 years, and has graced the decks at venues like Spiritland in London, Aficionado in Manchester, and the Rotation Soundsystem, amongst others.
Jolyon has always remained humble and grounded. He is passionate about sharing his love of music with others and is always willing to lend his expertise to those who are eager to learn. Although he has mostly retired from spinning in public, Jolyon continues to keep his hand in with the occasional mixtape for friends, such as the one he delivered this past year for Loose FM in Hoxton. Stepping away from parties hasn’t curbed his love of music; in fact, Jolyon remains as dedicated as ever to sharing his passion with others, making him a rare find in today’s dance music climate.
We are grateful Jolyon is lending his skills as a collector, DJ, and curator of eclectic sounds to our series and are honored to share his mix with you today.
Bad Lieutenant Interview with Jolyon Green
Jolyon, thank you so much for joining our mix series! We’re stoked to share it with the world and to learn more about you and your process.
Where are you from? What was your first exposure to music?
I spent my teenage years in Leeds during the 80s, then the early 90s I lived in Manchester for four years while at university, and I’ve lived in London and the South East since the mid 90s.
My Mum is very musical - she owned and taught the piano and I learnt it too when I was younger. We didn’t have a record player at home until I was around 14, only the radio and a small cassette deck, but my Grandad had a great 60s hifi system and my first exposure to records came when we used to visit them during the holidays. He used to play Revolver by The Beatles, which is the first album I got to know and love from a really young age.
When did you first start collecting records, and what inspired you to do so?
As a kid I loved to listen to the chart rundown on the radio on a Sunday night and used to tape songs I liked. The first cassettes I bought were by The Beatles. I first 7” single I bought would have been something in the charts, possibly “You Spin Me Right Round Baby” by Dead or Alive or “The Word Girl” by Scritti Politti. I loved Frankie Goes To Hollywood and had their singles. Basically I was into pop music until I was around 15 when I discovered House music and everything changed from that point onwards.
I was definitely already quite into dance music records like Farley Jackmaster Funk’s “Love Can’t Turn Around”, “I Can’t Wait” by Nu Shooz, and “Let’s Go All The Way” by Sly Fox but when “Jack Your Body” got to No1 in the pop charts and then London records did a big promotional push of the first House Sound of Chicago comp LP in the record stores in Leeds, it opened a new world up to me. I was totally obsessed with these strange records by very cool looking Black Chicagoans wearing fancy paisley coats and riding boots. It was completely mind blowing for a suburban White teenager from England.
From then on I used to spend all my pocket money on records, often House imports from a record store in Leeds called Jumbo. This is pre-Acid House. I just kept buying things I liked. It’s amazing how many of those records I still have 35 years on.
You've been collecting and playing music for over 35 years. How have you seen the music industry change over this time, and what are your thoughts on the impact of digital music and streaming services?
A huge amount has changed, but the biggest change is availability. When I was first buying records, a lot of LPs and 12”s were obscure. You had to find out about them in magazines that not a lot of people read or by word of mouth or maybe through a tape someone did or a DJ playing it at a club or pirate radio. Or you went to a record store and took a punt on something. It was thrilling to discover things nobody else really knew about or perhaps even cared about. Now I see my teenage daughter doing Spotify playlists including the kind of music it would have taken so much hard work to find back in the pre-digital era. Though digital doesn’t take away the thrill of hearing a great song or album for the first time, it has made music much more disposable and transient in some ways.
Can you tell us about some of the most memorable finds in your record collection?
Many of the records I love the most are ones I bought in my teenage years. I was listening to a track called “Music Sweet Muzic” off the “Hot Lemonade” LP by A Guy Called Gerald just last night and it took me back to being 16 years old, discovering this amazing tune for the first time. The best records are triggers for good memories.
In terms of good finds, they still turn up now and again “in the wild” but it gets less frequent, so when I do find something incredible it means a bit more than it used to. It’s hard to say what my most memorable find is but it’s probably a mint copy of Labi Siffre’s “Remember My Song” LP at a car boot sale. The seller had been a buyer for HMV in the 70s and 80s and was clearing out old stock from his garage at £2 a record. I got some great LPs that day and all of them were unplayed. It’s moments like that which makes getting up at 6am on a weekend morning worth the effort!
How has your taste in music evolved over the years, and what genres or artists are you particularly interested in at the moment?
I was a House and Hip Hop obsessive in my late teens and early 20s, but also loved soul, funk, jazz and disco too. I got really bored of the House scene around 1994ish, it felt commercial and dull and I spent more time and money on non-House music records from then onwards.
When I was in Manchester there was the lively “Balearic” scene and I used to buy records from the “Balearic, offbeat and silly” section in Vinyl Exchange. The rest of the 90s and 2000s I was much more interested in downbeat/trip hop/chill out type music for home listening and disco and weird alternative dance music from the 80s, and I pretty much stopped buying House music, apart from the occasional record I really liked.
These days I like all sorts of music, it changes week to week. Some weeks I listen to a lot of jazz, others to classical or modern classical, sometimes soundtracks or ambient records or soul or even House again.
You've played at some legendary parties and venues in the UK and beyond. Can you tell us about your residency at Low Life or share some of your most memorable experiences as a DJ?
I feel incredibly lucky and privileged to have played so many Low Life parties. It had been going a few years before I started playing alongside my friend Matthew Burgess in the upstairs room. I think I was asked to play after I emailed Bill saying I loved his book and sent him some names of obscure disco records, or something like that.
We played disco and mad dance records all night while Bill and Frank played House in the main room, and they just kept asking us back until we became part of the furniture. At the time very few people were playing disco/cosmic/Balearic records so Low Life built up a good reputation for playing something a bit different to the mainstream.
Now the whole world is playing disco records they downloaded from juno, and good luck to them, but I think Low Life was really important in opening up minds and ears beyond the four to the floor thing and I’m hugely grateful to have been a tiny part of that.
When and why did you “retire” from DJ’ing in public? After a few year hiatus, you’ve now dropped a mix for Loose and us in the last year… Is there any chance you’d make a comeback?
Apart from a two year period 20 years ago I never made any kind of living from DJing, it was always just a fun thing to do as a hobby and a chance to play music I liked to people who might like it too. There was a good opportunity to really push into doing it more seriously in the mid 2000s but when I became a parent I lost the inclination and opportunity to spend time in nightclubs having very late nights.
I would say first and foremost though that I’m a record collector and music lover and not a DJ. I like sharing music and discoveries and I think I have good taste in tunes. Instagram is a nice venue for doing that.
I was still playing bars and parties every few weeks or months up until Covid but I guess I’ve never really pushed to get back into it since then. I had a lot of fun playing for a couple of hours at Rotation Soundsystem last summer but I can’t do the late nights any more and really just don’t feel motivated to go out to parties now I’m in my 50s. Lots of people still do it but it’s not for me these days.
I would always do something good if I felt it was somewhere I could play what I liked on a really nice sound system but those opportunities seem to diminish as time goes on.
What is your process for putting together a DJ set or mixtape? Do you have a particular approach or philosophy?
There has to be a flow. It has to kind of link together, so it feels like you’re going somewhere and there is an emotional purpose in spending two hours listening to this music. I don’t like disposable music, so every song needs to be something you could have listened to when it came out and since and which you will still listen to in another 20 years’ time.
When it comes to DJing I am the master of the slow start and can go from dub reggae to banging disco if you give me enough time and space. One of the things I do actually miss about DJing is starting with an empty dance floor and ending with a full one.
What can you tell us about this mix?
Soundtracks, classical Indian music, library records and torch songs, all mixed together with love.
What advice would you give to someone who is just starting out as a collector or DJ?
Don’t waste your time or money on disposable or faddish music. Open your ears. Quality endures and beats quantity every time.
Shout outs?
Looking back over 35 years, shout out to some of the people who have changed my perceptions of music or switched me on to new and exciting musical journeys: Jason Hicks, Emma Warren, Moonboots, Phil Mison, Bill Brewster, Matthew Burgess; and the inspirational DJs Boy Wonder and EASE (Nightmares on Wax), Simon Mu and the upstairs DJ crew at Back to Basics 1992 to 1995, David Mancuso, Jose Padilla, Frankie Knuckles, Danielle Baldelli. There are loads of others.
