Chin-stroking bar DJs feelin' in-between
Good old music can't break a scene
No point in getting uptight
Let's start off with some swamp jazz tonight
Get high to Screamin' Jay Blues
Badass boppers and gospel grooves
Then finally prepare to hit the road
And enjoy the bar DJ unload

We remember Raj sporting fine flares at our gigs back in the day, but once he got behind the decks it was the rough tunes that raised eyebrows. At 'QuickFix', the London club night that he used to promote and DJ at, Raj recalls preparations - grappling with gaffer tape, balancing dusty projectors or rushing to sort a float - being accompanied by a completely random mix of tunes.

"Essentially you get the music going loud as early as possible - to the annoyance of the management. It would come from whoever passed the decks at the time the track faded. So you'd get this working mix of different styles: a frenetic psychedelic garage instrumental followed by a chugging reggae vocal and then a sharp folk funk sound. All to the bewilderment of the bar staff expecting a house night."

Raj is no stranger to internet radio, having inadvertently landed a regular prime time slot on Interface pirate radio a few years back. "It was pretty nutty going underneath a disused petrol station in a desolate South London street to get to the studio. Nuttier still finding out it was a 24/7 drum'n'bass station and I'd brought a bag of Motown. But I'm sure some of the estate lads were crying by the end of the set - though that might have been the traces of 4 star."

Old music to new ears is what Raj is all about. If you look hard enough you can still find copies of his RnB/Blues funk compilation 'Daybreak' which introduced us (and many others I'm sure) to floorfillers like Professor Longhair's 'Big Chief'. This mix stays true to the spirit of beers and blues embodied by 'QuickFix' and 'Daybreak'. If you enjoy it then drop us a line and let us know.