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    Last Night a DJ Saved My Life: The History of the Disc Jockey

    When someone says, 'You have to know your history...' this is it. A pop culture classic for over two decades, now fully refreshed and updated as part of White Rabbit's Deep Cuts series, Last Night a DJ ... is the whole unruly story of dance music in one volume. It recreates the dancefloors that made history, conjuring their atmosphere with loving detail and bringing you the voices of the DJs and clubbers at their heart - from grime, garage, house, hip hop and disco, to techno, soul, reggae, rock'n'roll, and EDM. Whether musical outlaw, obsessive crate-digger or overpaid superstar, the DJ has been at the spinning centre of nightlife for a century, making parties wilder, pushing clubbers harder, and driving music into completely new shapes and styles.

    Other Releases by

    Defected presents House Masters: Frankie Knuckles Volume OneDefected
    It's been a long time coming, but finally Defected's producer and remixer-focused House Masters series has turned its attention to the undisputed Godfather...
      Defected presents House Masters: Frankie Knuckles Volume TwoDefected
      Defected's House Masters series tribute to Frankie Knuckles is being released as two double LPs, but it could have easily been four or five, such is the...
        Dub ConfrontationStudio 16
        Originally released in 1980 on Third World subsidiary label Live & Love, featuring awesome dub mixes by the then Prince Jammy at King Tubby's. 10 heavyweight...
        • – Ranking Dub
        • – Jahoviah Dub
        • – Aggro Dub
        • – Bitter Dub
        • – Revenge Dub
        • – Repatriation Dub
        • – Chapter Two
        • – Dreader Dub
        • – College Dub
        • – Afrika Dub
        Ambush (feat. Tito Puente, The Bronx Horns & Mitch Frohman)In The Woods
        The Woods All Stars return with an essential Latin jazz session, uniting the great Tito Puente (with his Orchestra and Top Percussion Ensemble), saxophonist/flautist...
        • – Mitch Frohman’s Latin Jazz Quartet - Accents Con Ritmo
        • – Tito Puente and his Orchestra - Oye Como Va
        • – The Bronx Horns - Catch the Feeling
        • – Tito Puente’s Top Percussion Ensemble - Rhumba Abierta 1
        • – Mitch Frohman’s Latin Jazz Quartet - Cha Cha with the Bronx Horn
        • – Tito Puente and his Orchestra - Generation del 80
        • – The Bronx Horns - Mitch’s Mambo
        • – Tito Puente’s Top Percussion Ensemble - Rhumba Abierta 2
        • 1. – Mitch Frohman’s Latin Jazz Quartet - Accents Con Ritmo
        • 2. – Tito Puente and his Orchestra - Oye Como Va
        • 3. – The Bronx Horns - Catch the Feeling
        • View full info and tracklisting
        • New LP (Coloured Vinyl)£22.00
          Limited clear vinyl edition
          Expected 05 DecPreorder
        Jazz Dispensary: Green BulletsConcord
        Gas, grass, or jazz, nobody rides for free. Jazz Dispensary presents Green Bullets, a new compilation of high-octane funk and fusion-soaked heaters, soundtracking...
          • New LP (Coloured Vinyl) 7270831£31.99
            RSD Black Friday 2025
            'Green Thunder' coloured vinyl.
            In stockAdd to Bag
          From The Basement With Love (feat. Suburban Knight)Detroit Techno Records
          Curated straight out of the Detroit Basement, this compilation captures the true spirit of a city that never stopped creating, never stopped fighting,...
            • 2×12" DTRV010£32.99
              Expected 05 DecPreorder
            Daphne Oram: Vari/ations: Ode To OramNonclassical
            The pioneering electronic sounds of Daphne Oram reimagined by TAAHLIAH, Cosey Fanni Tutti, Marta Salogni, Arushi Jain and others using tapes from Oram's...
              Japanese Jazz Spectacle Vol II: Deep Heavy & Beautiful Jazz From Japan 1962-1985180g
              After an acclaimed first volume, Japanese jazz expert Yusuke Ogawa continues to explore the phenomenon of Wajazz by diving into the archives of King Records....
                Sassy J presents: A SanctuaryPatchwork
                Sassy J’s acclaimed A Sanctuary tape mix arrives as a double vinyl release, featuring 18 of the 22 original tracks. All exclusive and previously unreleased...
                  Techno Kayo Vol 1: Japanese Techno Pop 1981-1989Rush Hour
                  A dancefloor-friendly selection focusing on Japanese proto-techno, electro-pop, and synthpop from the 1980s. Pressed on 45 RPM. Comes with OBI and insert...
                    Nicola Conte Presents ViaggioFar Out
                    Following his acclaimed five-part Viagem compilation series celebrating Brazil's forgotten bossa nova and samba jazz, Far Out, Blue Note and Schema recording...
                    • – Amedeo Tommasi - Brasilia (The Sound)
                    • – Desert - Leaving (Desert)
                    • – Latrudi - Feeling (Teleobiettivo)
                    Pure Garage 25th Anniversary Special Edition Part 1Pure Garage Records
                    The Legacy Continues… Pure Garage is back with an exclusive 25th Anniversary Special Edition, created for the true heads, collectors, and DJs who...
                      Meditation DubHornin' Sounds
                      Originally released in 1977 on Winston Riley's Techniques label featuring killer dubs to classic Sensations, Johnny Osbourne, Techniques, Cornell Campbell...
                      • – Born To Love Dub
                      • – Purify Dub
                      • – Gambling Dub
                      • – In The Mood Dub
                      • – I'll Be Waiting Dub
                      • – Man Of My Word Dub
                      • – Find A Fool Dub
                      • – Fish Mouth Dub
                      • – Marry Me Dub
                      • – Stalag Dub
                      Wild Style (Special Edition)Mr. Bongo
                      Blurring the lines between fiction and documentary, the seminal film Wild Style, directed by Charlie Ahearn and developed alongside Fred Braithwaite aka...
                        • New 2×LP (Coloured Vinyl) MRBLP332£35.99
                          'Transparent Blue & Orange' coloured vinyl.
                          In stockAdd to Bag
                        Ghana Special: HighlifeSoundway
                        Seminal sounds from the golden age of Ghanaian music. Highlife, rock, and soul collide and merge with tradition and culture. New styles meet old styles....
                          50 Reggae HitsDoctor Bird
                          At last, Doctor Bird collection presents a second hit-packed collection of feel-good reggae hits from the 1970s! Picking up where the popular 2021 compilation...
                          • – Ken Boothe - Everything I Own
                          • – John Holt - Help Me Make It Through The Night
                          • – Susan Cadogan - Hurt So Good
                          • – Paul Davidson - Midnight Rider
                          • – Laurel Aitken - Fattie Bum Bum
                          • – Bruce Ruffin - Candida
                          • – The Pioneers - A Little Bit Of Soap
                          • – Boris Gardiner - You Make Me Feel Brand New
                          • – Nicky Thomas - Lonely For Your Love
                          • – Jackie Edwards - Julie On My Mind
                          The World Is But a Place of Survival: Begena Songs from EthiopiaDeath Is Not The End
                          The begena is a large ten-stringed lyre which is part of the traditional Amharic heritage of Ethiopia. The Amharas, who have long formed the politically...
                            IF Music presents: You Need This - World Jazz Grooves Volume 2 (Compiled by Jean-Claude & Victor Kiswell)BBE
                            The collaboration between BBE Music and If Music continues with another excellent compilation in the ongoing If Music Presents series with this 2nd volume...
                              Safe In My Garden - American Pop In The Shadows 1967-1972Ace
                              Peace and love in late 60s America did not come without parallel feelings of fear and confusion about the social situation – specifically about Vietnam....
                                The Other Side : A Journey into Women, Art and the Spirit World
                                In an illuminating blend of memoir and art history, The Other Side explores the lives and work of a group of extraordinary women artists. From the twelfth-century...
                                  Jon Savage's 1986-1990 Rollin' Under The MelodyAce
                                  As we’ve come to expect from Ace’s much-admired series of Jon Savage-curated two CD collections, this new – and sadly final – volume is a multi-genre...
                                    Revolutionary Letters
                                    By turns a handbook of countercultural living, a manual for street protest, and a feminist broadside against the repressive state apparatus, Revolutionary...
                                      Joropop: Psych-Pop & Folk In Venezuela 1968-1976Munster
                                      Welcome to a kaleidoscopic picnic where you can feast on a music scene that was rich, sparkling, multi-colored, ground-breaking and it'll blow your mind....
                                        Colleen ‘Cosmo’ Murphy presents 'Balearic Breakfast' Volume 4
                                        “There are curators, and then there's Colleen ‘Cosmo’ Murphy.” - Resident Advisor The sun has finally come out. It’s the first time something...
                                          The Down Town Albums CollectionDoctor Bird
                                          Now, at long last, all four of these historically important albums have been gathered onto this superb two-disc set, with all but “Blow Your Horn”...
                                            King Street Sounds Sampler Vol. 4 (feat. Mike Delgado, 95 North & more)King Street Sounds
                                            King Street Sounds are back again with their fourth installment in the King Street Sounds Sampler Series. This release unearths four classics from house...
                                              CoversJazz Room Records
                                              Jazz Room Head Honcho Paul Murphy kept hearing all these fab versions of some of his favourite tunes.He couldn't release them all, a year is just not long...
                                                Talking to Women
                                                In 1964, Nell Dunn spoke to nine of her friends over a bottle of wine about men, sex, work, money, babies, freedom and love. The Pop Artist Pauline Boty...
                                                  2015 – 2025 Les Disques Bongo Joe: 10 Years of Sonic ExplorationsBongo Joe
                                                  Since 2015, Les Disques Bongo Joe have been exploring musical margins with passion and precision — from rare reissues to bold local projects and...
                                                    • New 2×LP (Coloured Vinyl) BJR10YLP£31.99
                                                      'Splatter' vinyl.
                                                      In stockAdd to Bag
                                                    • CD BJR10YCD£16.99
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                                                    Unlock Your Mind With Morning Glory – Compiled by James EndeacottTwo-Piers
                                                    Crate digger and music enthusiast James Endeacott compiles ‘Unlock Your Mind With Morning Glory’ for Two-Piers Records – A glorious heady mix of...
                                                      • New 2×LP (Coloured Vinyl) BN15LPX£41.99
                                                        'Sunbeam Orange' coloured vinyl.
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                                                      • CD BN15CD£12.99
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                                                      Nova Scotia House : A Novel
                                                      Nova Scotia House takes us to the heart of a relationship, a community and an era. It is both a love story and a lament; bearing witness to the enduring...
                                                        Party Time - The Sunshot Singles 1974Doctor Bird
                                                        • Most tracks new to CD. • Includes numerous major Jamaican hits. • Features some of reggae’s biggest stars. During the first half of the 1970s,...
                                                          Maniacs On Wheels!!! A Collection Of Manic Biker Movie ThemesGo Fuzz! Records
                                                          Vinyl LP pressing. Manic fuzzed out instrumentals, mind blowing high-energy rock´n’roll, mysterious exotica, and more in this wild compilation of ass-kicking...
                                                            Night City Life IISpacetalk Records
                                                            Much has changed for Ilan Pdahtzur since the release of his Night City Life compilation six years ago. Back then, he was a little-known record collector...
                                                              Too Slow To Disco Neo: The Sunset Manifesto Volume 2How Do You Are?
                                                              We are back with another chapter in our ongoing series of unearthing smooth vibes from all over the world, this time we go back to the FUTURE for you with:THE...
                                                                • New 2×LP (Coloured Vinyl) HDYANEO11LP£38.99
                                                                  Yellow & Oxblood vinyl
                                                                  In stockAdd to Bag

                                                                Other Releases on

                                                                Rebel SoundsMusic as Resistance
                                                                'Empathy is the currency of all music and Joe Mulhall does a great job of explaining how that quality has been used to generate solidarity for the struggle...
                                                                  • Book (350g) 9781804442241£10.99
                                                                    In stockAdd to Bag
                                                                  Nikki GiovanniPoems: 1968-2020
                                                                  Nikki Giovanni's poetry has dazzled and inspired readers for more than sixty years. When she first emerged from the Black Arts Movement in the late 1960s,...
                                                                    Jamie Lidell & Luke SchneiderA Companion For The Spaces Between Dreams
                                                                    Jamie Lidell and Luke Schneider have created a kind of sonic tool to navigate a liminal state of mind. Their new collaborative LP, A Companion For The...
                                                                      • New LP (Coloured Vinyl) 0309272740004£26.00
                                                                        In stockAdd to Bag
                                                                      Punk: The Last WordBy Chris Sullivan and Stephen Colegrave
                                                                      'A thoroughly enjoyable compendium of appalling behaviour.' Nick Logan, Editor NME (1973-1978), founder of The Face 'From the shabby stowaways of the...
                                                                        Freedom Rhythm and Sound Chapter 2 EVENTThu 18 Dec 2025
                                                                        Gilles Peterson + Stuart Baker (Soul Jazz Records) + Special GuestsAn evening of conversation, music and visuals 7.30-10pm Thu 18 Dec 2025 at The American...
                                                                          Don CherryEternal Now
                                                                            • New LP (Coloured Vinyl) 0889397842314£17.00
                                                                              In stockAdd to Bag
                                                                            Don CherryHear & Now
                                                                              • New LP (Coloured Vinyl) 0889397842512£17.00
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                                                                              Ellis ReginaO Bem Do Amor
                                                                                • New LP (Coloured Vinyl) 7427255403500£18.99
                                                                                  In stockAdd to Bag
                                                                                Up the Youth Club : Illuminating a Hidden Historyby Emma Warren
                                                                                'A timely reminder of what we all truly crave as human beings - connection.' Doc Brown'Warren hows why youth spaces matter - not just for young people,...
                                                                                  • Book (650g) 9780571389216£18.99
                                                                                    In stockAdd to Bag
                                                                                  Rock Against Racism 1976-1981By Syd Shelton
                                                                                  Rock Against Racism is a body of photographs that Syd Shelton produced for and about the British Rock Against Racism movement (RAR) of 1976–1981. For...
                                                                                    The Other Side : A Journey into Women, Art and the Spirit World
                                                                                    In an illuminating blend of memoir and art history, The Other Side explores the lives and work of a group of extraordinary women artists. From the twelfth-century...
                                                                                      Soul Jazz Records hoodie (navy)
                                                                                      Brand new Soul Jazz Records Functional Outer Wear Product #1 Exclusive to Sounds of the Universe Limited edition navy hoodie (large) with design.
                                                                                        Susan SontagNotes on 'Camp'
                                                                                        These two classic essays were the first works of criticism to break down the boundaries between 'high' and 'low' culture, and made Susan Sontag a literary...
                                                                                          The Second Sex (Vintage Feminism Short Edition)by Simone de Beauvoir
                                                                                          Vintage Feminism: classic feminist texts in short formWITH AN INTRODUCTION BY NATALIE HAYNESWhen this book was first published in 1949 it was to outrage...
                                                                                            Beneath the UnderdogBy Chalrles Mingus
                                                                                            Bass player extraordinaire Charles Mingus, who died in 1979, is one of the essential composers in the history of jazz, and Beneath the Underdog, his celebrated,...
                                                                                              The Art of DancehallPosters and Flyers of Soundsystem Culture
                                                                                              Wicked book! Combining the energy and vibrancy of vernacular Jamaican art with the cultural insight that only original ephemera can bring, the flyers...
                                                                                                Revolutionary Letters
                                                                                                By turns a handbook of countercultural living, a manual for street protest, and a feminist broadside against the repressive state apparatus, Revolutionary...
                                                                                                  Colleen ‘Cosmo’ Murphy presents 'Balearic Breakfast' Volume 4
                                                                                                  “There are curators, and then there's Colleen ‘Cosmo’ Murphy.” - Resident Advisor The sun has finally come out. It’s the first time something...
                                                                                                    Talking to Women
                                                                                                    In 1964, Nell Dunn spoke to nine of her friends over a bottle of wine about men, sex, work, money, babies, freedom and love. The Pop Artist Pauline Boty...
                                                                                                      Sabroso Guaganco Vol. 11Sabroso Guaganco Vol. 11
                                                                                                      Latin compilation
                                                                                                        • Original CD£9.99
                                                                                                          CD disc condition: VG+Case & booklet condition: VG+Original Pre-Owned CD in great condition
                                                                                                          In stockAdd to Bag
                                                                                                        Sabroso Guaganco Vol. 12Sabroso Guaganco Vol. 12
                                                                                                        Latin compilation
                                                                                                          • Original CD£9.99
                                                                                                            CD disc condition: VG+Case & booklet condition: VG+Original Pre-Owned CD in great condition
                                                                                                            In stockAdd to Bag
                                                                                                          The Blood of OthersSimone de Beauvoir
                                                                                                          Potent and vividly emotional, Simone de Beauvoir’s captivating novel questions freedom and individual responsibility in the face of brutality‘These...
                                                                                                            • Book (350g) 9780241696453£9.99
                                                                                                              In stockAdd to Bag
                                                                                                            Salsa Y Ache
                                                                                                              • Original CD£4.99
                                                                                                                CD disc condition: VG+Case & booklet condition: VG+Original Pre-Owned CD in great condition
                                                                                                                In stockAdd to Bag
                                                                                                              Alice Coltrane - Monument Eternal (DELUXE HARDBACK)By Ann Philbin, Franya J. Berkman
                                                                                                              Rashid Johnson, Cauleen Smith and others pay tribute to a truly extraordinary figure in 20th-century American jazz. This volume unpacks the cultural legacy...
                                                                                                                My Grandmother's Hands : Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodiesby Resmaa Menakem
                                                                                                                THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER 'Insightful, thought-provoking and profound. I can't recommend highly enough' Sunny Singh'A revolutionary work of beauty,...
                                                                                                                  • Book (350g) 9780141996479£10.99
                                                                                                                    In stockAdd to Bag
                                                                                                                  Nova Scotia House : A Novel
                                                                                                                  Nova Scotia House takes us to the heart of a relationship, a community and an era. It is both a love story and a lament; bearing witness to the enduring...
                                                                                                                    This Woman's Work : Essays on Music
                                                                                                                    This Woman's Work: Essays on Music is edited by Kim Gordon and Sinead Gleeson and features contributors Anne Enright, Fatima Bhutto, Jenn Pelly, Rachel...
                                                                                                                      • Book (600g) 9781474621472£20.00
                                                                                                                        In stockAdd to Bag

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                                                                                                                                        **Crazy limited, one-off pressing of 150 units!** AVAILABLE HERE - NOW! Never a group to wait around Trees Speak drop a brand new track 'Wave Healer'...
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