norman jay walks his own path as a dj, a regrettably rare trait these days. his good times sound system is a festival mainstay, and an institution at notting hill carnival, where jay was instrumental in introducing a range of gritty, soulful styles to complement the predominantly reggae-based sound systems. jay helped spread an appreciation for deep crates and eclectic selections during the rise of acid jazz, and was a force behind shake -n- fingerpop, high on hope and the seminal talkin- loud label alongside gilles peterson, all of which built his reputation for open-minded soulful selections spanning soul, funk, disco, early house, reggae and hip hop. he is also the first dj to be presented with the mbe honor. for you non-brits, thats member of the order of the british empire. other honorees include, say, the beatles.now, the maestro returns with a special 30th anniversary collection for strut, another bumper set of genre-hopping classics and rare good times favourites. tracks include boogie rarity -dreamin- by short-lived band zalmac and fries & bridges- -forever this, a 4x4 belter featuring an early vocal by chart superstar cee-lo green. jay touches on independent hip hop with basement chemist, jazz grooves courtesy of kira neris and attic tree, skanking reggae from jacob miller and doo-wop soul courtesy of little anthony & the imperials. the album is an incredible collection of music from a man whose one-of-a-kind selections have pleased crowds the world over. look for it in july on cd, lp + digital download, featuring a new interview between jay and journalist lloyd bradley, as well as career-spanning photos.