Marvin Gaye – After The Dance (Instrumental)
Often the melody speaks better than the lyrics, and Marvin was a genius here in making the synthesizer speak rather than the words, and you understand everything very well. Obviously she went with him after the dance :). I listen to this song every time I’m struggling to say something with the melody and try to imagine how he would do it.
Kuniyuki – Earth Beats (Henrik Schwarz Remix)
Carl Craig – Future Love Theme
My two heroes of electronic dance music are Carl Craig and Henrik Schwarz, the ones who above all others have had an indefinable sound – just their sound! I think of them every time I go into the studio.
Milton Wright – Keep It Up
This is one of my favorite Soul songs and this music has been the inspiration for the greatest American Techno and House producers, as it should be for every electronic dance music maker today. It certainly is for me!
Tania Maria – Super Happy
Whenever I need to cheer up I listen to this song. Brazilian music and jazz, happy and deep at the same time, an extraordinary song by Tania Maria. Never was a title more appropriate than this.
Roy Hargrove (feat. Q-Tip & Erykah Badu) – Poetry
Apart from being an extraordinary song … Jazz, Hip Hop, Neo Soul, Roy Hargrove, Q-tip, Erika Badu – the fact is that it relaxes my mind, makes me think; “Who knows the way to go? Please show me the way to go” – understand!
Lonnie Liston Smith – Sais (Egypt)
Here are a few words: It’s the most beautiful song I have ever heard.
Kraftwerk – The Hall of Mirrors
I deal with electronic music and I can’t not mention Kraftwerk when speaking of what has influenced me. I have one random choice among my favo u rites, but there are very many.
Outlines – Just A Little Lovin’
This track reminds me a lot of the Broken Beat period. I was very taken by this music – I listened to if often, and still do today. Gilles Peterson, he was definitely the man who most influenced my music, and in particular my DJ sets. How I wish I had half his knowledge! 🙂
Keni Okulolo – Call Me A Fool Today
Afro music, what can I say? Everything started from here, even subconsciously, but we’re all affected by this sound. Even in a simple 4/4 beat there is the influence of Afro. This is my favo u rite track from a Keni Okulolo album that has been recently reissued.
Italian Dodi Palese is a helpless vinyl addict: if it sounds good, he buys it. Collecting for most of his life, he soaks up anything he can then uses these records to speak to his audience in whatever way suits. Growing up with a father who ran a radio station is what installed this eclectic ethic in him, and it set him in good stead from the off. For many years Dodi was core resident at Casablanca (RIP) in Southern Italy, where he would often spread his musical wings through funk, jazz, soul, afro, disco, house and techno for up to eight hours a night. It was an important learning curve that means he is now able to take a dance floor’s hand and lead it on an unpredictable and rewarding journey through sound that defies the usual categorisations. In the studio, Dodi focusses on following his instincts and getting lost in the moment: he makes music designed for dancing, and music that veers from afrofunky house to deep and supple minimal techno for the late night hours. It is slick, original stuff with real feeling imbued in the compelling grooves. Dodi also curates his own two labels What Ever Not, together with Dan Mela, and Engrave LTD, with Musumeci. They naturally have a broad outlook that takes in raw four-four, afro, electro and techno, and call upon a mix of artists who are well established as well as hot rising stars.
