DJ and record shop owner Jean-Claude Thompson has come along way since spinning house, hip-hop and techno at raves up and down the London-encircling M25 motorway during the late ’80s. As one half of genre-blending production duo the Amalgamation of Soundz he performed at Glastonbury and hosted a residency at famed nightclub Fabric. Since the duo parted ways a few years into the new millennium, he’s gone on to well-deserved recognition as one of the world’s foremost rare vinyl specialists.

Jean-Claude’s reputation among London’s music connoisseurs was cemented during his stint as manager of the Jazz Lounge; the tiny yet hugely significant top floor of iconic ’90s Soho record store and musical hub Release The Groove. Painstakingly arranging a small selection of titles and joining musical dots with scant regard for genre, Jean-Claude deliberately placed jazz alongside tech-house; folk alongside hip-hop. To the musical adventurer looking for inspiration, the Jazz Lounge became a mecca. It’s no coincidence that regulars included dance music avant-gardists such as Pete Heller, LTJ Bukem, Kenny Dope and Tom Middleton... [more]