international news _ JONTY SKRUFFF _ 16th Decemober, 2005

Gilles Peterson Boards the Punk Rock Bandwagon

Jazz funk soul pioneer Gilles Peterson revealed a previously unsuspected passion for punk this week in an illuminating feature in DJ Magazine.

"You're discovering, you're pushing, you're breaking through and you're an ambassador for Britain and for British music. And for an attitude in club culture, which is a British thing," the Acid Jazz/ world music supremo said, on his role as a globe-trotting DJ, "And I'm proud of it, that punk attitude."

His surprising purloining of the punk ethos came over two years after he proudly described himself as a former South London soul boy telling Skrufff he had "a real problem with this British 'we've got to keep it underground bullshit', I can't stand that attitude". The Radio 1 star went on to praise American bling style attitudes to money, suggesting British notions of 'cool' were both 'spoilt and immature'.

"It's not just about wanting to make money, it's about wanting to be successful and I don't think there's anything wrong with that personally. I believe in that," he explained, "There's too much embarrassment here about being seen to be cool."

British techno icon Dave Clarke also recently spoke proudly of his punk credentials telling Skrufff "I still vibe intensely off the music and the ethos".

"Punk means two fingers to authority, kicking against the pricks, being a spanner in the works, not towing the music mafia whips' line," said Dave, "Being independent." (Jonty Skrufff)

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Interview: Dave Clarke Interview with Jonty Skrufff (2005/05/27)