Gilles Peterson @ Eclectic.
Newcastle (1) Sunderland (2)
25 November.

Gilles Peterson, Radio One DJ, Record label boss, top A&R man, music innovator, and all round funky gadgey, was making a rare visit north for a two hour set at Newcastle (1 - Sunderland 2) Uni, and I was like a dog with two tails when I found out he was on. Anyone who knows me even slightly (and maybe even a few people who don't know me at all, too) would know that I'm a HUGE Gilles Peterson fan, so if you looking for an impartial gig review then you'd better look elsewhere. Try Maddie's 'Music' section, there's always some canny ones there…

Infamous for his club nights, which have gained legendary status, Gilles has been resident at Bar Rhumba over the last six years, running the Monday night sessions 'That's How It Is', a Mecca for London's hippest and coolest. Playing a mix of sounds that the word 'eclectic' barely struggles to describe, his reputation for being the driving force behind some of the most important music of the 90's has earned him unsurpassed respect from the international dance music community. His record label 'Talkin'Loud', which he founded 10 years ago (it's the labels anniversary this year) with Norman Jay has been responsible for artists such as Incognito, Raw Deal, Roni Size and more recently Masters At Work's Nu Yorican Soul and garage supreme-o MJ Cole. His Radio One show 'Worldwide' (every Wednesday, 12 till 2.Listen to it.) is syndicated to over 15 territories around the world, making him the most listened to British DJ in radio.

It was fairly obvious that I wasn't the only person eager to see him, as when we arrived at the venue there was an enormous Danny La Rue to get in. Undeterred (freezing, but undeterred) we eventually got in, and made our way into the basement, which was jam packed, and the queue for the bar was bigger than the one to get in. The support DJ was playing a real eclectic blend of tunes, from the Sugar Hill Gangs 'Rappers Delight' to Jimi Hendrix's 'Cross Town Traffic', with hardly any mixing, just dropping one tune after another, which went down a storm with the crowd.

It was after one before the man himself got behind the decks, dropping the fantastic, 'I am the Black Gold of the Sun' by Nu Yorican Soul, which was obviously a hugefavourite of not only the crowd, pockets of which were singing along, but also of Gilles himself, the tune appearing on several of his compilations. The mixing was absolutely outstanding, anddemonstrated how Gilles has been able to adapt his sound to stay one step ahead of the pack. It's blatantly obvious to anyone who has seen Gilles in the mix, that he's incredibly comfortable behind a set of decks, and, judging by the crowds reaction, it was even more obvious that they were enjoying his set. Excellent. Without a shadow of a doubt, one of the best DJ's in the world. If you missed it, you missed out.