DJ Derek

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZY628fTWtg&NR=1

DJ Derek (born Derek Morris 1942) is a Bristol-based DJ whose blend of 60s rocksteady, reggae, ska, dancehall and soul music has made him an icon for many in the industry, including a host of Jamaican producers and Massive Attack^[1]. DJ Derek spent 10–18 years working as an accountant at Cadburys, yet gave it up to play reggae in the St Pauls area of Bristol ^[2]

Derek kindled his love for music as a washboard player in the 1950s and has played popular sets at many major festivals, including Glastonbury and The Big Chill. He MCs in Jamaican Patois while DJing^[2], despite never having visited Jamaica. He picked up the accent from a Bristol based Jamaican barber, and it has since helped him be accepted in the black music industry ^[3].

In 2006, He released the album DJ Derek Presents… Sweet Memory Sounds, a compilation of some of his favourite tunes.

In addition to having an encyclopaedic appreciation of the above music, DJ Derek is a notable fan of real ale and is also renowned for having visited every single Wetherspoons pub in the UK.^[4]