Equipped with a cheeky grin and a bag full of vinyl, Winston Graham (aka Winnie, DJ Win, and Mr Blender) has been spinning certified Motown, soul, dub and reggae bangers on the Nottingham circuit since 1974. A born and bred Radford lad, and now back on the scene, we had a natter about all things Notts, as well as the iPod and laptop plague.
What was life like growing up in Radford, and how did it shape your musical outlook?
There was music all over. Everything I got for me collection had to be vinyl. Yeah man, the selection of music was crazy and vinyl was always being bought.
With your pocket money?
Yeah, or the money from me paper round. I loved doing me paper round, and just loved collecting me vinyl. Back in the day, I used to go to Sound City and Danny’s record shop to get me 7”s. In later years, it was Virgin on Market Street where I got acquainted with all the peoples that got me playing all me favourite venues.
What’s a typical day for you?
Only good days. Playing music and being happy. [He smiles the widest smile you’ve ever seen] That’s a good day to me - you go out, select the music you wanna play for a set, and play it.
Did you ever have other jobs besides playing music?
When I left school, I picked up any work going. I started a three-year apprenticeship in car engineering at Beeston but it wasn’t for me, so I started another apprenticeship as a tailor, for a man named Mr E Buksmann on Alfreton Road. While learning my trade of trimmings and cuttings, I would take them down to Paul Smith’s shop on Byard Lane. I started doing some work for him, showing him how I would do things. We became quite good friends.
Is buying records a different experience nowadays?
Today’s scene has completely changed - the differences between digital and analogue are vast. Analogue is more chilled out, open and comfortable. With the digital effect, it’s just all over the place – you don't know if it’s coming from here, there or where. It doesn’t feel real to me. Nowadays, you’ve got yer iPods and laptops. I bloody hate them. When you go out to DJ, you’ve got to DJ with your vinyl, man. That’s what it’s all about.
Where was your first set?
I had a residency up at Junktion 7, near Canning Circus, through just turning up one Thursday with my vinyl. It was pretty off-the-cuff back then, so I was allowed to play anything I liked, from reggae to garage, to house and funky house. They wanted soulful house music for Saturdays, and then they asked if I could do a reggae night on a Thursday, so I thought, “Yeah, we can do that.” After that, I started getting good recommendations, which helped my name spread around Notts.
A lot of Nottingham venues have come and gone over the past twenty years. How has the scene changed?
As soon as you lose the vinyl section and the digital come out, you hardly see anybody out. That’s what killed it – playing naff CDs! There’s no work involved and you can actually hear the difference between analogue and digital - playing CDs is too clinical. It has to be vinyl. It just has to be.
What’s the best set you ever played?
It would have to be Ministry of Sound. I played a techno set at Media, which eventually turned into Gatecrasher, back in 2000. It was fantastic: just vinyl, people involved in Ministry of Sound, and lots of nice girls. I got a residency spot playing their upstairs bar every Thursday. I came to know a lot of faces like Carl Cox, Judge Jules and Ms Dynamite, who were so lovely, and they’ve always remained close.
Do you miss those days?
I really miss those days. Back in Snug Lounge, they were fantastic days, I played alongside Gary from Funky Monkey [former Hockley record shop], which is where I got all me old vinyl from, all me top tunes to go out and entertain.
Sounds like there was a real community vibe back then...
Definitely. If you were in Funky Monkey, you’d always bump into friends or people you haven’t seen in a while and ask, “What music you buying?” They’d all be after that one, rare vinyl which you would have to go to the back of the store to get to boost your selection.
With vinyl sales hitting the 1m mark for the first time since 1996, and places like Rough Trade opening up, do you think there could be a resurgence in that community?
Things are gonna take time, but I think it’s returning. A lot of people dismissed the format, and that’s hard to return from.
Just before this interview, we got in the car and you got a shout-out from a local. Do you get that a lot?
Yeah - it makes me feel good. It makes me feel honoured that I'm recognised as a DJ and as Winston, cos Winston’s been here for a long time. Since 1956, and man that is a long time. You know, to this day, I’ve had ups and downs, but life here has always been on a positive level, y’know?
Have you ever played anywhere besides Notts?
I went to Austria for a little bit. I had some friends come over from there who’d been friends for about two or three years, and I was offered to play a set for Steel Pulse. I thought “Yes please! Here I come!” So I done bought a car, took it across the ferry for about nineteen hours to Linz, where we was playing in a club called Schlachthof – no bigger than Marcus Garvey in Radford. It was a fantastic place. I hung out with Steel Pulse and David Hinds and they told me they “just loved a man from the Midlands coming out there to play a set!” [Chuckles] I stayed there for a month, near a place called Wels, sleeping in log cabins and playing in bars and clubs. To be honest, it was one of the best times of my life…
So, Mr Blender, where’s that come from?
My friends who owned Junktion 7 – Eddie and Diane – used to call me Da Blenda cos of my mixing, and it just stuck. It eventually got changed to Mr Blender. Because I is Da Blender. [Reminiscently smiling and giggling].
Do you think you will still be doing this in the future with the same passion you did way back then?
I’ll always have the passion. I’ve been playing sound systems since it started when I was only thirteen. My uncle came from Jamaica and brought across a crate of 7” vinyl – he took ‘em to a blues night once, where I played my first ever set. Everyone loved what I done. From that day, I have never looked back.
You've played sets up and down the country – what makes Nottingham home for you as a DJ?
I love Nottingham - I was born here. If you love Nottingham, Nottingham will love you back. I’ve seen a lot of people come and go cos Nottingham didn’t love them! Nottingham is my place. It’s Wins-Town.
Mr Blender will be DJing twice monthly at Wax Bar from Friday 27 February
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