Norman Jay

Norman Jay MBE (born Norman Bernard Joseph) is an innovative and pioneering British DJ. He first came to prominence playing unlicensed or 'warehouse' parties in the early 1980s, such as Shake 'n' Fingerpop. His diverse and deep musical knowledge and his refusal to be restricted to playing from any single genre distinguishes him from his peers. He is commonly attributed to coining the phrase 'rare groove'.

Born in Notting Hill, London, Jay established himself through the London pirate radio station Kiss FM, on which he presented shows alongside founders Gordon Mac and George Power. Kiss 100 was launched legally in September 1990 and Norman hosted the first of what became his legendary 'Musiquarium' shows. Shortly after he joined Gilles Peterson at his newly created and highly influential label Talkin' Loud.

After a long involvement with Kiss, Norman joined BBC London in April 1997, where his 'Giant 45' show gained a loyal following across the globe up until February 2008.

His Good Times Sound System, which he started with his brother Joey, is a major attraction to many music fans who attend the two day August bank holiday Notting Hill Carnival. Good Times now attracts an estimated 15,000 revellers a day during the carnival. Good Times has also extended into a series of compilation CDs.

Jay describes himself as a primarily house music DJ, but the Good Times sound includes classic 70s and 80s funk, soul and jazz-funk, previous carnival tracks have typically included Estelle's 1980; and tracks featured in recent radio shows have included Billy Griffin's Hold Me Tighter In The Rain and more contemporary tracks in the form of Heavy's track Wonderlove.

On BBC Radio 2, he presents the Funk Factory which goes out every 6 weeks of the year. In addition to this, Norman was one of 20 DJs who played one track each at the 2005 BBC Worldwide Awards which produced three specials for BBC Radio 1 over Christmas and New Year, hosted by Gilles Peterson.

He is an established regular at the Big Chill festival, where his Sunday afternoon slot on the main stage is widely regarded as one of the highlights of the weekend.

Norman Jay is also a dedicated Tottenham Hotspur football supporter and was awarded the MBE for services to music in 2002.