Tribe Called Quest – Dis Generation
It coulda been almost any Tribe or Q-Tip track, but thought I’d pick their last ever single release, seeing as it’s such a timeless corker.
Prince – Wonderful Ass
Again, hard to pick from the hundreds of great tunes, but was feeling this particular ass the most!
Negativland – Time Zones
One of my favourite “bands”, so many different vibes across all their albums, but somehow this one just makes me laugh the hardest
Magazine – Definitive Gaze
An important band for my personal development, this hit me hard aged 16… did
Rhythim is Rhythim – Emanon
Where do you start with Derrick?! Beautiful
YMO – Firecracker
The perennially underrated Yellow Magic Orchestra…amazing music + grooves… hopefully one day they’ll be appreciated for their music + influence more, a la Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk – Musique Non Stop
Speaking of which…not their best track, admittedly, but somehow it pumps me up more than the others! Possibly from the MTV connection… this seemed pretty damn futuristic in the mid 80s
Steely Dan – Black Cow
Another fave “band’…so many great tracks… this one just funks and jazzes it’s way along more than most
Beastie Boys – Paul Revere
Railway Raver – Drop Acid Not Bombs
Such a great album, every track a winner. My fave Rephlex album, which is saying a lot! Wish Jordan had kept on makin stuff…what a ledge…
Luke Vibert / Robin Ball – X to C (Memory Box)
Robin Ball’s Memory Box builds on the success of early releases with a big new outing that features two of his own tracks and one from the legendary Luke Vibert. Memory Box is a party that has hosted Derrick Carer, Trevino and A Guy Called Gerald among others, and is a place to hear proper acid house. Ball himself is a master of the genre and most often released on his own Groovepressure label, having been making music since his teens. Now his latest labour of love is once again reaffirming his status as a vital voice in the UK scene. Luke Vibert has a rich history that makes him a key part of the UK’s dance counterculture over the last 30 years. His always animated music is wild and inventive and comes on greats like Mo Wax, Warp and Planet Mu. Here he offers ‘X to C’, a wild melange of warped synth tones, grizzled basslines & acid flashes. It will twist and turn the dance floor inside out. Robin Ball’s excellent ‘Gripper’ is a corrugated bit of electric house music that never sits still. Pensive pads in the background are offset by a busy lead synth line and old school stabs that make it a perfectly timeless, energetic fusion of moods and grooves. Lastly, Ball serves up ‘The Edge,’ a brilliantly brash cut with stepping acid sequences, raw drum work and warped bass that distils decades of UK music into one essential track.
