Aly Gillani
Co-founder Yam Radio, Founder & A&R for First Word Records
Aly Gillani / DJ Gilla is the founder / A&R for First Word Records, home to Tall Black Guy, Souleance, Yosi Horikawa, kidkanevil, Essa, Ariya Astrobeat Arkestra and many more. Originally starting out in club promotion he ran seminal clubnights Funky Mule and New Bohemia in his adopted city of Leeds for many years, running shows for a host of acts. Highlights include Roots Manuva, Bonobo, Nightmares On Wax, Quantic Soul Orchestra, 4Hero, Benji B, Gilles Peterson and Flying Lotus. Starting out doing warm-up slots at his own nights he gradually built a reputation for his eclectic and floor-filling sets, holding down a residency at famed Leeds venue The Hifi Club for several years. Currently a resident at Peckham’s Bussey Building as well as Ace Hotel, he is also part of the small team that created You And Music Radio, a new station for Peckham and South East London.
You And Music Radio Takes its inspiration from the vibrant musical community of Peckham and the surrounding areas of South East London. You And Music Radio is a partnership between two pillars of the Peckham music scene: Rye Lane-based record shop YAM Records and local record label, First Word Records. Our aim is simple - to provide a platform for the incredible musical talent that we are lucky to enjoy in our corner of London, add to this some high quality speech based shows from the wider community. South East London has many stories to tell, and we hope to make YAM Radio the place for them to be told.
