Eddie Piller
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Eddie Piller is an English DJ and record label entrepreneur.
Starting his career in the 1980s as a part of the English mod revival, Piller launched the underground fanzine Extraordinary Sensations and operated as a DJ and concert promoter. In 1985, he started the Countdown Records label, through Stiff Records. That record label gave fresh momentum to the underground mod scene, by signing bands such as The Prisoners and Makin' Time, and by issuing the mod revival compilation album 5-4-3-2-1 Go!. Piller appeared in the Style Council's video for their single "A Solid Bond in your Heart". He signed and A and R'd bands like The Untouchables, The Prisoners and Making Time for Stiff and set up an indie label called Re Elect The President who launched the careers of the James Taylor Quartet and The Jazz Renegades (who featured the Style Council drummer Steve White)
In 1987, along with DJ Gilles Peterson, he started a new record label, Acid Jazz. This soon gave rise to Britain's newest musical movement, the acid jazz scene, which included bands such as the James Taylor Quartet, Corduroy, the Brand New Heavies and Galliano. Piller has been credited with discovering or "breaking" many of these bands. A revival of the record label in the 2000s has resulted in several releases, including a 2006 single by Lord Large, which featured guest vocals from northern soul singer Dean Parrish and appearances by guitarist Steve Craddock of Ocean Colour Scene and Richard Searle of Corduroy.
Piller has continued to be influential in the underground dance music scene due to his many live DJing appearances and his evening radio show on BBC Radio 6. he is a regular at most of the British festivals and usually appears at The Isle Of Wight, Glastonbury, Bestival and the Isle Of Wight Scooter Rally in August.
Piller is now back on the airwaves with his own show on the new Q Radio station - allied to the music magazine of the same name, the station is being launched in June 2008 and 'the eddie piller show' is a playlist free musical journey (apparently)
