A lot of musical influences come from friends and family. You know - raiding your parents' record or cassette collection, being forced to listen to your older sibling's 'new music' that you 'won't get', etc etc.
Of course, it can come from people you admire for not just their musical taste, but their commitment to all things aural. My collaborator in crime on Sonic Masala, Paul, is definitely in this category. Others I think of in this vein are the trailblazers whose lives and careers have revolved around discovering good music before anyone else - the late great John Peel immediately springs to mind.
Coming from my own Australian background, the only radio station that had any kind of finger on the pulse of good music is/was Triple J. The 'king'pin of this national youth station was Richard Kingsmill, a DJ who for years had coaxed all who would listen to get involved in music of all facets, from all over the globe. He was/is the Antipodean Peel. So when he strongly recommended something, you made it top priority to check things out.
