GEORGE Bowie has given a Gerry Cinnamon tune a new lease of life – but the DJ admits his dance remix was something he did for a laugh.
Belter has been on the request list of the GBX anthems every weekend – and it seems radio listeners can’t get enough.
Gerry Cinnamon
“Me and Mark Anderson – ‘Sparkos’ – did the remix of it to play at gigs for a laugh. I dropped it on the show one night, and people have asked for it ever since” George said. “It has been crazy.”
He added: “Belter is a Glasgow anthem and the thing about Gerry Cinnamon is that he is from these parts and he sings about these parts. That is why it goes down so well.
“It is maybe like a grime artist who comes from a certain area of London will be massive down there because you can appreciate what he is singing about.
“Gerry is the Glasgow equivalent of that. People can really relate to him and that is part of Gerry’s magic.”
George has pretty much been a fixture of Glasgow music fans’ weekend nights for more than two decades.
Next year marks 25 years of his popular GBX show which has grown in popularity in recent years.
George, who has been at Radio Clyde since 1988, said: “It is almost like radio the way it used to be years ago – the whole family will gather round to listen to GBX.
“When we started, the show was for people who felt they were too old to go to clubs. It was just an old-school show, but then some of the younger stuff started to filter through.
“People will be having wee parties in their house and we will be supplying the soundtrack. I need to be aware of that with the music I play. I just don’t pick old stuff, I have three decades to choose from – 90s onwards.”
George will perform his GBX soundtrack at dance music festival Coloursfest this Saturday at the Braehead Arena. Now in its 17th year, the event will welcome some of the world’s biggest deejays including Showtek, Ben Nicky, Timmy Trumpet, Will Sparks and Brennan Heart.
And George will add local flavour to that international mix when he takes to the decks.
He said: “It is massive for Coloursfest to still be happening because all the clubs are falling apart now. There is no Arches, Tunnel or Victoria’s – all these legendary clubs that existed when I was going out clubbing are all gone now.
“There are less and less big names coming to the city because of that. We used to have a couple of acts on every week at The Arches, you don’t have that now. You need something like Coloursfest to keep Glasgow on the map.”
He added: “I talk to DJs from all over the world and any DJ will tell you that Glasgow is their favourite crowd to play to. We were so lucky back in the day with the Arches and Tunnel, I think we took that for granted.”
Something that George also took for granted back in the day was his ability to get over a hangover. The DJ admitted he was still a bit tender having just returned from Ibiza when he spoke to the Evening Times.
He said: “We were partying hard but, I’m telling you, I’m feeling it now. It is not as easy as it used to be.
“I very rarely drink now so Ibiza is the first time I’ve been drinking since my birthday at the start of June. It really hits me hard now.”
George and Cassi
George, however, always has a helping hand if he needs time to recuperate in the form of his Clyde One sidekick, Cassi Gillespie, who will also perform at Colourfest.
George said: “Cassi is doing a great job. She has always been into dance music.
“I’ve known Cassi for years, from when she worked in the street team, she has always shown an interest in it. She got into deejaying, we got her a couple of gigs and she is doing Coloursfest. She has done really well – we are proud of her.”
George’s passion for music is one of the reasons why he remains one of Scotland’s favourite DJs – and is also why he won’t be hanging up his earphones anytime soon.
He said: “I just want to keep going, and getting it bigger and bigger across Scotland is great – that’s what I always wanted. We want to keep making the tunes and having fun.”
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