Continuing our spotlight series called Favourite Finds, where we ask some of our favourite DJs, collectors and selectors to tell us the story behind how they came across one of their favourite records.

For the next instalment, we’ve asked First Word Records label boss and A&R Aly Gillani aka DJ Gilla, tell us the story behind he came across one of his favourite records.

20 years at the helm of one of the UK’s finest labels showcasing soul, hip hop, jazz, beats and beyond, EU label rep for Bandcamp and a long-standing club promotion background, Aly is a man who knows a thing our two about good music. A highly respected DJ in his own right, Aly’s eclectic sets have seen him DJ all across the UK, Europe and at festivals including Dimensions, We Out Here and Soundwave over the past two decades.

His latest project is a compilation curated on behalf of First Word titled, Love & Purpose, Vol. 1. An incredible celebration of British Soul music both pre and post-2000 that has just been released.

DJ Gilla took the time out to tell us the story behind his favourite find below:

"I first started collecting records 25 years ago, and I quickly learnt the value of going record shopping with people who knew more about music than me. Five years into my record buying journey I was running a weekly club night in my adopted city of Leeds called New Bohemia."

"We’d started our label First Word at the same time, and whenever we had a guest DJ from out of town we tried to be good hosts; taking them for a nice meal before the gig, and, if they had time the next day, showing them some of the prime record digging spots in the area."

"When Mr Thing came to spin for us, I took him to a shop in Morley (on the outskirts of Leeds) called Sounds n Stuff. It was an odd place; I’d often drive out to it only to find that the owner was giving someone a guitar lesson and had consequently closed the shop for a few hours."

"On this particular Saturday he was open and we spent a happy couple of hours flicking through the racks. Every so often, Mr Thing would hand me a record and give me a brief outline of why I should pick it up: ’this has a Gang Starr break’, ’that is worth £20 and it’s £1 here’… that kind of thing."

"One record that he passed me was Charles Kynard’s ‘Woga'. He pointed out the killer cover of Aretha’s ‘Rocksteady’ and the single figure price-tag. It was swiftly added to the ‘buy' pile. He was right - Rocksteady was killer, and the record was a mainstay in my record bag for years. I haven’t listened to it much lately, but whenever I see it on the shelf it reminds me of the odd little shops that I love so much, and of Mr Thing, who went on to become a very close friend. He still gives me good record tips too."

Big thanks to Aly for taking the time out to tell us his story. Be sure to check out his new compilation Love & Purpose Vol. 1 on First Word Records, dive into his recent My Analog Journal session and give him a follow on Instagram to keep up to date with his latest gigs / radio shows.