Gilles Peterson will oversee his seventh Worldwide Festival in the usually tranquil surrounds of Sète in less than a fortnight, and the idyllic port, coated in Mediterranean sunshine, is the perfect spot to showcase the current cream of the music scene.

The 48-year-old trailblazer started the party in 2006, almost on a whim, and only a few hundred dedicated disciples danced to Bugz in the Attic, DJ Vadim, Chilly Gonzales and Jazzanova in the town square. And now Worldwide Festival has now mushroomed - an estimated 15,000 will dance, with sand between their toes, over the seven days and nights starting from July 2.

Worldwide is spread over a handful of magical venues, including the nonpareil Théatre de la Mer - an open-air amphitheatre which Peterson calls the "best venue in the world, bar none" - and Mole St Louis, where ravers revel under the swirling beam of the lighthouse.

Did you ever imagine when you kicked off the party in Sète that Worldwide Festival would prove so successful and continue to evolve?
I can hardly believe it - it's amazing that it's the seventh one this year, and to celebrate we are making it a bit longer: a whole week. The success was never planned. I've always thought more about the scene than a business plan - I've always seen myself as one of the leaders of a movement who have a certain attitude to music. It was something that pleased me and brought by friends together.

There are a couple of other things we have changed, too, like moving the beach location much closer to the old town, making it less of a walk. We are trying to improve the transport this year, too, by laying on more buses, so it is easier for people to travel between the venues. We are constantly learning, though, and I think it is going to be even better this year.

Is Sète the perfect place for your festival?
We were lucky in that we fell upon a wonderful town that proved to be a gem of a discovery. Firstly it was not too commercial, like the other parts of the south of France. It had a sense of earthiness, and of course there was a great musical history - here was where the legendary George Brassens lived and played. And then there were three phenomenal venues, so we were really, really lucky that we had a socialist mayor who was up for hosting the festival!

 

 

How do you cultivate the audience, with more and more people flying over every year?
As long as we kept the scene open enough there was always going to interest from the non-French. Most straight-up British people looking for fun at a foreign festival head to Croatia on an EasyJet flight, where they get drugs on arrival and you don't even need to hustle for a hotel. It's a bit of a Club 18-30 type of philosophy. This festival was always going to be one for the slightly more adventurous festival-goer, one who is prepared to take on a little newness. We have now managed to find a brilliant audience who are that much more cool.

Which acts are you looking forward to hosting this year?
Line-up-wise I think it is stronger than last year. David Rodigan is back, Mala is back and Moodymann is spinning with me, back to back. Eska is another one to watch - she is really good. Then there is Tinariwen, an African desert rock band, on the Saturday at the Théatre de la Mer - which is the best venue in the world, bar none.

 

Last year DJing in the Théatre was just the ultimate for me. There is no better venue. Then we have Matthew Halsall playing on the same night as Portico Quartet. Also Robert Glasper's favourite Little Dragon track is Twice, so my main challenge when they are both playing on Thursday is to get Yukimi to sing with Robert. That will be a little moment, I think.

Then there is Carl Cox, who is an amazing person and such an incredible ambassador for music. He is a purist and comes from exactly the same history as me. He is a jazz funk boy and is a phenomenal dj in that genre, which few people know. He has promised me he will do a disco funk set which will be as tight as a techno set but in a disco sense with all the right heritage. I can't wait to hear that.

I can't wait to get down there. With your rose in your hand, oysters on your knee and that sun still soaking in to your skin... girls everywhere. What more can you ask for?

Words: Oliver Pickup

Related Links:

• Review: Gilles Peterson Worldwide Festival
• Breakin' Convention Returns
• Glade Festival 2011
• Breakin' Convention UK Tour
• Hip Hop Kemp Festival

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