Earl Gateshead – This Is Trojan Spotify Playlist Take Over

Following the visit of long standing Trojan supporter and major DJ talent, Earl Gateshead a couple of months ago, the popular enigmatic DJ takes over the This Is Trojan spotify playlist throughout May.

Earl took time out of his busy schedule to relate his affinity with Jamaican sounds and Trojan Records and why they hold a special place in his heart…

“If you’re not actually born into the Caribbean community, reggae is quite difficult to get to hear… and the very best reggae even more so… it’s a secret world.

Its beauty lies unknown and unheard by most people… even if you do get to hear it, the rhythms aren’t easily absorbed by the untutored. Plus, it has a third world perspective on life which is alien to many first world people. For many years it was entirely unavailable to a western audience, you wouldn’t find it in the high street record shops or hear it on the legal radio. When you feel and understand the music, this otherness, is part of it’s charm… as Bob Marley said, “those who feel it know it.”

What Trojan Records have done magnificently over the years is provide a bridge into the culture for the western world to cross… most of the young British kids who were swept away in the first ska explosion in the sixties weren’t able to visit the ethnic record shops where the singles were sold. But they could get their hands on the Trojan ‘Tighten Up’ compilation series which were integral to the burst of popularity, which the music experienced at that time.

The sight of the Trojan logo on a single or album became a guarantee of quality. Later on, but just as important as the ‘Tighten Up’ series and the Trojan 7″s in my opinion, were the Trojan CD box sets. They appeared in the late nineties and early noughties.

These compilations made the best, most hidden, most secret ska, rock seatdy and reggae music available to everyone… they got everywhere. They were cheap and easily available all over the world. They had a fantastic standard of quality, sold by the bucketload and contributed enormously to the spread of ‘real’ reggae throughout the whole world.

I’m really pleased with the collection I’ve put together here, which comes from the enormous Trojan back catalogue. The list feels really personal.

Every single tune on this selection, is a tune I have played regularly in my long DJ career. These tunes are close to my own heart. Together they express my world view. Reggae music has always been message music, the reggae you select or listen to, reveals the secrets of your soul…”

Earl’s take-over commences Friday 5th May when the first of the tracks from his personal selection will be added to the This Is Trojan spotify playlist.