Gilles Peterson

Gilles Peterson is from London (born in France, built entirely in British radio). He’s been presenting shows since the late 1980s — the Worldwide show on Radio 1, then BBC 6 Music, then his own Worldwide FM platform. His Brownswood Recordings label has put out work by José James, Laura Mvula and a long list of others at the intersection of jazz, soul and electronic music. The Boiler Room London session on this site moves through jazz, broken beat, UK soul and house without pausing to explain itself. It’s a good introduction to what his selectorship actually sounds like — broad, opinionated, and nothing like a playlist. If the set doesn’t immediately make sense, keep listening; it usually does by the end.