Incognito are a collision of acid jazz, funk and soul, and have been making records since 1979. Fronted by “Bluey”, who talks to us here, the band’s line-up has included the likes of Jocelyn Brown and Carleen Anderson.

Their latest record Transatlantic RPM (their 13th album) was released this year, but it is as a live act that Incognito are best known. The band play Concorde 2 tonight. Doors open 8pm and tickets are available on 01273 673311.

Is there a performer who made you think, “I want to do that”?

I was five years old and I saw my auntie’s boyfriend’s band at her high school leaving party in Port-Louis, Mauritius. He was a sax player, but my eye was on his younger brother playing a white Fender Telecaster (electric guitar) and not only did I think “I want to do that” – I told myself “I am going to do that”!

Do you remember the first record you bought?

I think I was about 13 years old, and I had bought a guitar from a pawn shop in West Green Road (Haringey, London) with the money I had earned from my summer holiday job.

I had a little left over, so I bought Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs by Derek And The Dominoes, and Abraxas by Santana in a record shop near Bruce Groove on Tottenham High Road that also sold lamps.

I didn’t even have a record player or an amplifier for my electric guitar. Luckily for me, I had a cousin who had both.

Tell us about any guilty pleasures lurking in your CD or film collections – something you know is a bit naff but you can’t help yourself…

There is absolutely nothing that is not valid in my record collection. Alas, the film collection does contain a naff movie entitled Runaway Dreams from 1989 about a young girl who runs away and is forced to become a prostitute. I contributed a short piece of music to the film. But fortunately they did not credit me!

Do you have a favourite film?

Pulp Fiction. Brilliant script, amazing production, top cast and an awesome soundtrack…’nuff said!

Is there a TV programme you couldn’t live without?

I don’t watch much television and I can easily go without it for long periods of time. When I do watch it, apart from documentaries, these days I prefer to watch football in the comfort of my own home. My favourite TV show is Dragons’ Den.

Do you have a favourite album? Is there a song or individual piece of music you always come back to?

This reply may change from one week to another. At this moment my favourite album is My Music by Samuel Jonathan Johnson with the standout track being Sweet Love.

The track I always want to hear, anytime, any place, is Settle For My Love by Patrice Rushen, from her 1979 album Pizzazz.

What are you reading at the moment?

I have not had much time to read lately, so I am reading Innocent When You Dream by Tom Waits. It’s a collection of interviews, so I can read one at a time, which suits my hectic schedule. Tom is a sharp-witted, enigmatic man.

Do you have a favourite book?

On The Road by Jack Kerouac.

It’s jazz in words and I love the tempo of this captivating read.

Is there a live music or theatre experience that stays in your memory?

Seeing the incredible Earth, Wind & Fire for the first time in 1975 – the band at its best. They were the opening act for a very serene Santana who was then in his very mellow transcendental meditation phase. Don’t get me wrong, I love Santana. But that, ladies and gentlemen, was either extreme bravery or total madness on his part.

Congratulations on your 31st year in the business – what’s the secret of your longevity in the fickle world of music?

The main reason for the band’s longevity is its originality and the fact that we have remained true to ourselves.

This is something that’s often overlooked by bands and artist who are too busy trying to be popular, by trying to copy the success of others.

They bypass originality in the creative process and never attain individuality.

Incognito has been making records since 1979 and you immediately know it’s us when you hear one of our tunes, even when we cover somebody else’s songs. We have our own sound.

The new record has a guest spot from the formidable Chaka Khan – do you know right away who’s right for a recording?

Yes, I do! Without meaning to sound brash, that is my strength as a record producer.

And do you always get who you want?

Most of the time I get even more. The quality of singers and musicians I work with is so high that my expectations are very often superseded.

Incognito have long had a reputation as a top live act – for the uninitiated, what can people expect?

A giving band with no posturing or insincerity.

We play every song as if it was our last and it’s soulful funky jazz.

How has the internet changed the way Incognito operate?

It has given us an opportunity to inform and advertise where radio has either failed us or disappeared altogether.

MySpace has introduced me to a lot of creative people whose work I admire and opened the door to collaborations without the hurdles of the middle man.