Desert Island Disco - September

29th September

Today's Castaway is BBC 6 Music's very own Gilles Peterson and legendary record collector, DJ and pioneer of Worldwide music. Gilles is celebrating 80s Pirate Radio in today's Desert Island Disco and picks some of his favourite tunes from that era. Gilles reflects on his own history as a pirate radio DJ in the 80s with a selection of his favourite 80s jazz and funk tracks for you to enjoy! Gilles Peterson is back on BBC 6 Music this Saturday, from 3pm where he’ll be taking a closer look at label Luaka Bop and singer Zara McFarlane is in session. His Desert Island Disco tracklist features:

1. Atmosfear - Dancing in Outer Space

2. Gwen McCrae - All this Love That I’m Giving

3. Eighties Ladies - Turned On To You

4. Breakwater - Say You Love Me Girl

5. Universal Robot Band - Barley Breaking Even

Gilles wanted to share his love of 80s pirate radio as BBC Four celebrates this era with the documentary "The Last Pirates: Britain's Rebel DJs." Rapper Rodney P presents the story of the 1980s pirate radio broadcasters. In the 1980s, a new generation of pirate radio stations exploded onto Britain’s FM airwaves. Unlike their seafaring 60s forerunners, these pirates broadcast from London’s estates and tower blocks, creating a platform for black music, in an era when it was largely ignored by mainstream radio. In the ensuing game of cat and mouse which played out on the rooftops of inner city London, these rebel DJs used legal loopholes and technical trickery to stay one step ahead of the DTI enforcers, who were tasked with bringing them down.

"The Last Pirates: Britain's Rebel DJs" is on tonight on BBC Four at 9pm, or you can catch up on the BBC iPlayer for a month.

Here is a list of tunes from that era:

Light Of The World - London Town

Atmosfear - Dancing in Outer Space

Reuben Wilson - Got To Get Your Own

Sylvia Striplin - Give Me Your Love

Foster Sylvers - Misdemeanour

Leo’s Sunship - Give Me The Sunshine

Gwen McCrae - All this Love That I’m Giving

Archie Bell & The Drells - Dont Let Love Get You Down

Yasuko Agawa - LA Nights

The McCrary’s - Love On A Summers Night

Starvue - Body Fusion

Milton Wright - Keep It Up

Eighties Ladies - Turned On To You

Breakwater - Say You Love Me Girl

Universal Robot Band - Barley Breaking Even

Roberta Gilliam - All I Want Is My Baby

Dexter Wansel - The Sweetest Pain

Bernard Wright - Who Do You Love

Sahara - Love So Fine

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