A Guy Called Gerald
An iconic name in dance music, A Guy Called Gerald stands out for consistent innovation, excellence and refusal to compromise. A Guy Called Gerald kick started UK’s acid house movement with his ’88 classic ‘Voodoo Ray’ and 'Pacific State' and went on to lay down the blueprint for jungle / drum n bass. Eleven albums and 30 years of independence later, he continues to push the boundaries of electronic dance music touring worldwide bringing his "true school" flavour to a world overloaded with pop pap.
Growing up in Moss Side, Manchester with Jamaican parents, he was immersed in its soundsystem culture and the sounds of the underground Black soul, funk and jazz fusion club scene across the North of England. Initially starting his journey in contemporary dance, he soon found inspiration in the emerging sounds of New York electro-funk and then Chicago Acid House and Detroit Techno, and drawing on the entire tapestry began creating his own music for dancers. In the late 80s, he co-founded the influential group 808 State, making their debut on their 1988 album "Newbuild" and the iconic track "Pacific State" and achieved widespread recognition with the first UK acid house anthem "Voodoo Ray" and “Blow Your House Down” which became an underground anthem in the USA. He released the first “jungle” album of any artist in 1992 “28 Gun Bad Boy” and followed with 1995 “Black Secret Technology” solidifying his position as a key architect of the jungle and drum and bass genres.
Although his remixes are relatively enviable including the likes of David Bowie, Cabaret Voltaire, Black Uhuru, Finley Quaye, Lamb, Tricky and The Stone Roses, it is AGCG’s own productions and refusal to plough anyone’s furrow but his own which has marked him out. A Guy Called Gerald is responsible for the birth of British dance music as you know it today and continues to explore what is possible both in the studio and in the club with his "Live in Session" performances -
“..a new way to present the music live based around the idea of being in the centre of the dance floor and at eye level... I am looking to create a space which mimics the studio environment – not only that – because I would be in the centre of the dance floor so I can monitor everything around me and be at the same level – eye-level with the presumed dancer. This way it makes it easy for me to create the atmosphere and the rhythm suitable for the individual dance floor. Kind of like an open kitchen in a restaurant – it’s an open kitchen in a club bringing the food to the people instantly – as soon as it’s produced it’s already on the dance floor. What I’m looking for is sound reproduction in the clubs being taken a lot more seriously than in the past."
A Guy Called Gerald
In March 2022 “Britain’s Dirty Little Secret” a four track vinyl only EP was released on Iranian label Moozikeh Analog Room. For a number of years now, A Guy Called Gerald has largely made music only for himself. But this special EP is borne from Gerald’s unique and long-lasting friendship with Analog Room founders Mehdi Ansari, Siamak Amidi and Salar Ansari. “This release is based on a real friendship,” Gerald explains. “I feel part of the Analog Room family. Back in the early days, that’s how it was. These days, it’s like, ‘Oh, you’re famous, let’s do something.’ I’m not interested in that. I’m not interested in being a celebrity or living that life. I’m the same as I was 30 years ago, all I care about is the music.”
AGCG continues to be in demand at clubs worldwide using a vast patchwork of past, present and future experimentation effortlessly between acid house through abstract tech breaks into dreamscapes of futuristic oscillations. At Glastonbury Festival between 2016-2019 he was invited to perform on Funktion One’s Ambisonic Experimental Soundfield – a six stack full-sphere, surround sound system. In 2020 he continues to celebrate 30+ years performing Live in Session at world class festivals such as Vivid – Live at the Sydney Opera House and in small intimate, underground clubs and spaces - always True School.
"I have decided the only way to give music to the people is raw and straight from the true school. I don't have to hide behind any trend or gimmicks. ie. analogue equipment and vinyl fetishism. I'm sorry to say but I still feel like I'm blazing the way forward only because everyone seems to be stuck in "retrogression" mode. Maybe they need a stop / start to get them out of the loop? I refuse to compromise when it comes to my sound. I realised that I'm the only real deal within dance music when I found it was impossible for me to sell out. This is the True School." A Guy Called Gerald
"UK club culture has many people to thank for transforming the imported sound of America into the biggest youth movement my generation has experienced, but nobody else has redefined it so much with the character and soul of Britishness, creating music for both the feet and the head, and indelibly altering our cultural landscape." Joe Roberts, DJ Magazine