Gilles Peterson

French broadcaster, DJ and record label owner born 28 September 1964 in Caen, France and based in London from a young age.

Peterson has been instrumental in shaping multiple influential record labels throughout his career, including Hardback, BGP Records, Acid Jazz (the label and scene, which he coined during an early DJ event), Talkin' Loud and its Japanese offshoot Brownswood Records, and Brownswood Recordings, which he co-founded with Emily Moxon and Simon Goffe. The latter was named after his popular Brownswood Basement radio show specials. He also established reissue label Arc Records (13).

His broadcasting career has been equally significant. The Somethin' Else production company produced his flagship show Worldwide for BBC Radio 1, which became one of the most prominent radio programs from 1998 onward, later transferring to BBC 6 Music. An internationally syndicated variation of Worldwide has established Peterson as one of the most widely broadcast DJs globally.

His radio prominence led to DJ engagements across Europe, Japan, the Far East, Australasia, and the United States. In the 1980s and early 1990s, Peterson co-hosted the influential Talkin' Loud Sayin' Something event (named after the James Brown track) at London's Dingwalls venue with DJ Patrick Forge. The night was pivotal in shaping the UK jazz dance scene, featuring fast jazz and Latin records performed to enthusiastic, full-on dancing crowds.