William Sebastian Jazz grew up surrounded by the sights and sounds of the Mod era.
His Father was an original Mod who played 60s RnB on his gramophone, proudly rode around on his Lambretta and had a fantastically sharp dress sense.
At the age of 16 Will embraced the 1982 Mod revival. He and his loyal school friends stood out from the crowd with their unique fashion sense and ideas.
{From L-R: Gary Wright, Mike Murray, Chris Kelly, Chris Stanton, Gary Stewart and Mike Addyman}.
Becoming a seasoned DJ with a love of Jazz and Soul, he always knew he wanted to run a night that would bring together the people who shared his love for the Mod scene, fueled by the nostalgic sounds of the 60s that he grew up with.
Will launched his online magazine ‘Modernism’ along with his 60s-inspired night ‘Gab-Up’ in November 2016.
His good friend Martin Whitehead came on board, with his extensive knowledge of music and DJing and his shared enthusiasm for getting the night up and running, this was the obvious collaboration for making Gab-Up a success.
There were a few places suitable for hosting the night but following a meeting with their mutual friend Steve Rice, who embraced the idea of hosting Gap-Up in his stylish and welcoming establishment ‘The Workshop’ in Waterloo, they instantly knew it was the perfect match. Steve has since been instrumental in promoting and helping to launch the night.
Following the success of their first night, they decided to introduce a slice of Northern Soul to the mix. There was only one person for the job, William and Martin’s good friend John Cross who holds a true love and thorough knowledge of the scene.
Having seen a flyer advertising the night, a local DJ and scooter enthusiast by the name of John Invernizzi contacted Will to ask if he could play. They invited him down and after hearing his eclectic selection of 60s Northern Soul and RnB, there was no doubt in their minds but to invite him to join Gab-Up.
After the success of their first two nights, it’s highly anticipated that the next Gab-Up on 23rd February will be even better!
Modernism has a few plans under wraps including the launch of its very own radio station. Stay tuned…
MODERNISM 