YOU KNOW THE DRILL: you're on a desert island and you're only allowed to take one book, one person and one record with you. Asking a DJ to reduce his collection to one crate would be hard enough, but not for me. I'd be discussing One Hundred Years of Solitude with Dennis Hopper, and the music in the background would be "All I Do" by the Cleptomaniacs, produced by John Julius Knight.

A cover of the Stevie Wonder song, "All I Do" is definitely a classic track, but John Julius Knight (or JJK) is more than just a one-trick pony. For years he's been releasing essential tracks, from "Find a Friend" on the label he's most closely associated with, Soulfuric (and the Soulfuric Trax sublabel), to last year's "Infrared/The Groove", the first release on his own Reversoulmusic imprint.

We were able to conduct an interview in late August 2007. We managed to discuss his early days in Brooklyn, his current home in Miami, his two year summer residency at Cielo (one of New York City's premiere clubs) and more - and I still think we didn't scratch the surface.

You were born in New York. What was your early life like and how did you get your start as a DJ?

I was born and raised in Brooklyn. My family life was great - I grew up listening to old Studio One Jamaican tunes right through to Club Classics that my brother turned me on to. When I was around 13 I started helping him carry those crates and big speakers around townÊand sometimes he would let me spin a couple of records. Being a part of all this spawned my passion for wanting to be a DJ, the only thing I ever really wanted to be.

On the matter of musical instruments, I was part of a choir and dibbled and dabbled with the piano for a while. I nowadays regret not having taken the piano lessons more seriously though.

What role did radio play in fostering your love for House Music?

Radio was a big part in my love for club music way before House Music was even thought of. In NYC we had this radio jock named Frankie Crocker on WBLS who would break new artists that we had not heard of before and make them household names. A prime example is Imagination ("Just An Illusion"). Around the same time we had Tony Humphries on Kiss FM and Timmy Regisford on WBLS battling it out every weekend. I would tune in and tape each show for years. So when club music was taken over by this new sound called House Music, Tony was one of the forerunners who played an influential part in spreading the word through his show every Friday and Saturday night.

House is more or less gone from the airwaves, but I notice you're carrying on the torch on Traxsource.com's radio show. Is there going to be a point in the future when Internet (and satellite) radio will be equal to or greater than FM radio?

Regular radio is still free and because of that I feel it can still dominate the masses. However, the great thing about satellite radio is that it has a wider reach - it's not tied to specific regions so listeners can tune into the same show wherever they are. The internet of course plays a big part in reaching out to House Music lovers worldwide. It's therefore great to be one of the exclusive residents on the Traxsource.com radio show as the show is syndicated via numerous FM, digital, satellite and internet stations around the globe.

Here in the US we air via XM Radio - Channel 80 and Cyberjamz.com. Airing via different channels and outlets abroad allows us to spread the House sound to faraway areas. We can reach people otherwise not be able to tune in.

Who were some of your early influences? I've seen you mention Tony Humphries and Larry Levan in previous interviews.

Both of those guys are legends. They definitely ignited the fire in me for wanting to become a professional DJ. Larry Levan in particular has been a major influence to me and many jocks out there today. He is arguably the first true superstar DJ. Seeing and hearing him work the system with that custom crafted RLA cross-over was truly an experience. His versatility in the music he played that shaped the era, and his mixing and programming skills always excited the crowd. So if you hear my sets, it's that feeling and excitement I experienced at the Garage that I am trying to create on my floors.