When former electricity board worker Russ Dewsbury moved to Brighton from sleepy Bedford in 1987, a career in music was a pipedream at best.

His DJ experience up to that point consisted of four or five shows spinning a few records at friends’ nights.

“My sister was at university down here,” he says, “and I came down on a whim. I’d only lived in Brighton a month, but I decided to put on a night playing black music records.

“It was a massive leap of faith.”

A friend designed the poster while Dewsbury worked out the coolest shops to put the flyers. His sister ran the door.

“We opened the doors and it was full.”

Twenty-two years later, when Dewsbury’s Brighton Jazz Rooms night closed its doors at The Jazz Place in Ship Street in 2008, it was again full – and one of the longest running club nights in the world.

The sounds – funk, jazz, soul, afro, latin, samba, boogie – played at five different venues including beneath the Churchill Palace Hotel, Nash’s and Asylum, which all fitted the remit for “dingy basements”.

The idea came to Dewsbury after he saw hipsters turning it loose in Soho clubs which were playing jazz when everyone else was obsessed with house and baggy.

“I came though mod scene so that got me into American soul and jazz.

“I saw these places in London and I loved this idea of playing jazz and funk – it was at the time Rare Groove was becoming known – so I got this urge to start DJing these sounds you could really dance to: jazz, funk, latin and soul.”

The club nights grew and he branched out. There was the New Jazz Spectrum Radio show and from 1986 to 2006 he ran the Brighton Jazz Bop, a twice-yearly event which featured music by Jamiroquai, The Roots and Gil Scott-Heron.

Dewsbury was invited to DJ all over the world. Touring Australia late in the Noughties he spotted a niche in the market.

“They had not really had that club culture, so I took another leap of faith and applied for a distinguished talent visa to go.

“I became the first ever international DJ to be awarded that, which meant permanent residency.”

He finished in Brighton to take up the offer and took the Jazz Rooms branding with him. The franchise now has regular events in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth.

“It’s become a huge thing and I’ve done some big DJ gigs at festivals.

“I played in front of 100,000 at Sydney International Festival supporting Al Green.”

Despite the success he’s missed the Brighton audiences. nd because the city is his spiritual home, the Jazz Rooms is now back.

“The July 1 show reflects our history. We have jazz dancers, a samba group and visuals from Grasshopper, who has been with us from the start.

“Our favourite guest DJs were always Ian and Rob who do the Caister Soul Weekenders. They’ll be there as well.”

* Starts 11pm, £6. Call 01273 647100.