Five Things with Dr Packer

I grew up in the UK and my earliest memory of music was disco, soul, funk and reggae. My mother has a large soul and disco record collection, which she played in the house a lot. My best friend was also Jamaican and around his house his father would often play reggae and ska, which I also liked. This definitely planted the seed for my musical tastes.

2. Inspirations

I was inspired more so by DJs than bands. The earliest DJs and mixes I can remember hearing and loving were DJ Red Alert and Latin Rascals via Kiss FM tapes back in the ’80s. Others that have inspired me over the years are Chad Jackson, Norman Jay, Tim Westwood, Mike Allen (RIP), Duncan Smith (RIP), Gilles Peterson, John Morales, Joey Negro, Greg Wilson, LTJ Bukem and Dave Jackson, to name just a few.

3.Your Crew

The man responsible for getting me into DJing was a guy called Dave Jackson. I was already dabbling in the hip hop scene but he showed me there was much more was out there. In recent times I was converted to the world of disco edits by Late Nite Tuff Guy. I changed my name from Greg Packer to Dr Packer, joined an agency called Nuffsaid and so far (touch wood) it has kept me away from the dreaded day job and in the studio full-time. I also do mastering as a side project to help out with the bills.

4. The Music You Make And Play

Since 2013, I started producing disco and funk edits and reworks. Basically anything between the ’70s and ’90s is what I am about; fun music that makes you smile, uplifting vibes. I always like to surprise the crowd by throwing in something against the grain – maybe a reggae tune, hip hop, Motown, or drum and bass. It depends on how I’m feeling the crowd. Sometimes I keep it all disco; I can be a bit unpredictable at times.

5. Music, Right Here, Right Now

I think the music scene in general is healthy, especially here in Perth. If you don’t like a particular style, then don’t go to those gigs; you can pick and choose to your tastes rather than harass us DJs into playing what we don’t like or play. I think some DJs do need to look at the bigger picture, as I feel lots still play for themselves and if the crowd aren’t into it they make no effort to fix the situation.