Earl Gateshead
Earl Gateshead began DJing in 1979 when he played Reggae records between punk bands in Brixton......... Today Earl tours the world, always playing original, first press, vinyl, which he maintains has the best sound. He spreads the original positive message of love, from Jamaica’s golden era of Reggae music. Earl has a unique voice on the microphone, his 'Yeah Yeah" Catchphrase has spread right through Reggae music.
Earl's career began in the late 70s, when he built his own Sound System, one of the first built by a European, and installed it at the world famous Dive Bar, in Soho, London, where he established a respected reputation throughout the U.K. Earl had a 23 year residency at The Dive Bar, sadly brought to an end in 2002 when the venue was closed, after the lease ran out. Throughout the later part of his Dive Bar years Earl became the Saturday night resident at clubs such as the internationally acclaimed Blue Note and later Fabric, where he became their resident Roots Reggae specialist.
In 2000 Earl began to organise and perform at a series of events called “Reggae Nights” at seminal London club "Plastic People." This legendary series of concerts received world wide attention, with performances from international legends such as; Alton Ellis, Dennis Alcapone, Sugar Minott, Cutty Ranks, Adrian Sherwood and Saxon Sound System. This run of great success gave Earl a huge boost in profile, leading him to be one of the most sought after DJs in the world. In high demand from international Reggae artists. He went on to tour Europe and Australasia with Big Youth, Dr Alimantado and Cutty Ranks amongst others.
Earl was the first Reggae DJ to play at Fabric, The Ministry Of Sound and Space in Ibiza. Probably the world's three greatest nightclubs.
World renowned graffiti artist Banksy asked Earl to D.J at the first three exhibitions of his work. Earl is still the only D.J that Banksy has ever worked with.
With such a distinguished career and fantastic attitude, Earl has become a figurehead in UK Reggae. He was invited to lecture at the prestigious Red Bull Music Academy in Sao Paulo. Earl gave a comprehensive lecture on Reggae DJing and recorded a radio show for Red Bull....... In April this year Red Bull invited Earl to play with Red Bull Culture Clash winners Rebel Sound on the London leg of their U.K tour.