Roger Williams

Panacea Radio Presenter

DJ and acknowledged soul music ‘connoisseur’ collector and tastemaker Roger ‘Soulsorts’ Williams discovered his passion for all things black music and soulful during his mid 70s teenage years, a passion and thirst for quality new and fresh music which remains in him to the present day.

Roger’s early days of discovering new soul music really took shape when working on the south coast of the UK in Bournemouth, buying weekly from the legendary Bournemouth Soul Centre and attending weekly clubs such as the Maison Royale and the Outlook. Subsequently Roger moved to London to live and work in the early 80s, a true golden and influential time for new releases, buying weekly from shops such as Groove Records, Record Shack, City Sounds, Bluebirds and being exposed to soul music radio stations, both legal and pirate, with huge influences being the great such as Robbie Vincent, Jeff Young and Greg Edwards and a host of other name still well known to this day. Also a live concert goer, being lucky to in the audience at the classic Maze and Luther Vandross early 80s gigs.

Having returned to his native north west, Roger’s initial ‘soul scene’ experience was in the late 80s, purchasing new music from Dean Johnson and his Expansion Records shop in Manchester; listening to Richard Searling’s radio shows and reading his columns in Blues & Soul and in turn being a regular at the immense Parkers gig in Manchester. The first Southport weekenders followed witnessing live in concert soul music legends such as Regina Belle, Rockie Robbins, Sam Dees, Garland Green, Dramatics, Prince Gideon, Glenn Jones and so many others soul superstars.

Roger first started club DJ’ing in 1990 for Eddy Edmondson in Kendal and then with the KRL (Kev Roberts) / RS (Richard Searling) / Togetherness connection he got on board their line ups as a modern soul DJ and was a resident in the modern room the Togetherness all nighters, Cala Gran Weekenders and then the amazing Luxury Soul Weekenders at Blackpool and Birmingham of which he is one of a small handful of DJ’s to have played every one to this day and of course still producing all the design graphics and programmes. Since the late 90s he has been resident and guest at most quality modern soul or northern/modern two room events up and down the UK, Soul Underground, Bass Museum, Hardinge Arms, Prestwich, Lowton, Lightwater, Vybe, Freestylin’ and many more, mainly playing new/upfront soul but also the quality side of classic 70s and 80s vinyl in more recent times at venues and weekenders in the north west UK where he still lives.

Roger also is well known for his soul music graphic and design work, having work with Expansion Records since 2001 and along the way Funkytowngrooves, Dome Records, Soulmusic Records, Cherry Red Records, Reel People Music and a not insignificant amount of personal design work for soul music events (including this weekender!). In 2004, his brand ‘Soulsorts’ started as a website in 2004, producing reviews of the massive amount of new music he was buying from CD Baby and just about everywhere else. One year later in 2005 Roger entered soul music radio on Starpoint Radio, subsequently moving to Solar Radio for a number years, and then having shows on Stomp Radio, Brian Hurst’s SoulAndJazz, Hot FM, Mike Shaft’s reactivated Sunset Radio in 2015 and then onto MiSoul Connoisseurs which became Global Soul. In 2018 he returned to Starpoint Radio with his weekly Soulsorts Sunday Soul Collection and a monthly Wednesday Wind Down Zone and as always championing and supporting new artists he believes in, he is very proud of his connection in particular with James Day and Jarrod Lawson amongst others. Roger is now looking forward to joining Panacea Soul Radio for the next chapter of his soul music radio passion.

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