Sonic Tonic Presents Greg Wilson & Russ

Sonic Tonic brings Greg Wilson back to the Golden Lion in Todmorden for an extended 3 hour set with Russ on warm up duties.

Greg began DJing in 1975 and is regarded as one of the most important figures on the UK dance scene. He enjoyed hugely popular residencies in the early eighties at Wigan Pier and Manchester’s majorly influential Legend, having originally started out in his hometown of New Brighton. He was a pioneer of mixing in the UK and in 1983 he became the first ‘dance music’ specialist hired for a regular weekly session at Manchester’s now legendary Haçienda club. Greg was instrumental in breaking the new electronic, post disco records coming out of New York, a sound he has dubbed ‘Electro-Funk’.

In 2003 he set up electrofunkroots, a website documenting this crucial era in the evolution of dance culture. After a two decade hiatus from the booth, he returned to DJing and soon welcomed bookings throughout Europe and, subsequently, worldwide.

Greg was the first DJ to mix live on British TV, putting together the first UK radio mixes of their type for Piccadilly 261 in Manchester and showing a certain Norman Cook (later Fatboy Slim) how to scratch.

Nominated by DJ magazine for outstanding contribution, and also named amongst their top twenty remixers of all-time, Greg’s recent remix credits have included Grace Jones, The XX, Groove Armada, Bryan Ferry, Steve Mason, Joan As Police Woman and Simian Mobile Disco, whilst he’s edited tracks by A Guy Called Gerald, Talking Heads, Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, Electronic, Imagination and Missy Elliot.

In January 2009 Greg’s reputation was further enhanced when his Essential Mix on BBC Radio 1 became something of an instant classic, receiving almost universal acclaim and was selected as one of 10 classics that spanned the show’s near 17 year history.

Greg’s Blog, ‘Being A DJ’, was launched in June 2010, and now carries over 250 posts and close on a million site visits to date. Greg’s observations on various aspects of club culture now an online touchstone for an everincreasing amount of dance enthusiasts and aficionados.

In August 2010 he co-curated (with Jack Hemingway) the Warehouse and Roller Disco areas at the inaugural Vintage Festival at Goodwood, which proved to be an overwhelming success, being named ‘Best New Festival’ at the UK Festival Awards (Greg also being nominated in the ‘Best Feel Good Act Of The Summer’ category).

He has produced a series of documentary podcasts, Time Capsule, Random Influences and Early 80’s Floorfillers, as well as the long-running blog series, Living To Music.

Greg has given talks on music and DJ culture at a number events at venues The Tate Gallery in Liverpool and London's Southbank and Institute Of Contemporary Arts, whilst in 2013 he was invited onto a panel alongside legendary figures Nile Rodgers and Giorgio Moroder @ ADE in Amsterdam.

In 2014 he unveiled the multi-media label Super Weird Substance, focusing on recording and live events. In 2015, the label released 8 vinyl singles, brought together in the 2 CD compilation, 'Greg Wilson Presents Super Weird Substance'. September 2015 saw a memorable Festival No.6 Happening in Portmeirion and the label has studio albums planned and more multi-media Super Weird Happenings during 2016.

2015 was rounded off with the 40th anniversary of Greg's first club date in 1975, with a weekend of events in Liverpool to mark the occasion. The following week Greg was presented with DJ Magazine's Industry Icon award - he subsequently started writing his Discotheque Archives column for the magazine, highlighting a classic DJ, label, venue and record each month.