Brewing with DJ Bill Brewster

How do you think the world of DJing has evolved since you started out?
When I first started going out, DJs were held in about the same esteem as the toilet cleaner. All of that has changed enormously. Now, they are venerated and idolised (often, far too much). Now, we get to travel the world (I like that bit). I never knew there was Turkish funk or Indonesian disco until the Internet arrived. A lot of the DJ superstar thing leaves me cold, to be honest. I don't think it has much to do with proper DJing. It's marketing not music.

What do you know of India and its music?
I'm very familiar with certain Indian artistes, such as Asha Puthli, Ananda and Ravi Shankar, Usha Uthup, RD Burman, Bappi Lahiri, as well as artistes in the UK of Asian origin such as Talvin Singh, Monsoon, Asian Dub Foundation (I went to college with Pandit G from ADF). I also work in the studio with Raj Gupta (aka Ray Mang). But, I confess I know nothing of current Indian DJs, so I'm looking forward to being in India and meeting and finding out about the current scene there.

What kind of set are you going to play in India?
I will play what I always play, which is funky music from all eras, but especially disco, some good house and funk, R&B and a bit of hip hop. I've also got a few Indian things that I'm bringing with me.