1. Blue Ridge Mountains – Fleet Foxes
Bella Union If you havent got their album, it is a must but… incredibly fresh, complex melodies, a slightly odd blend of folk and indy, being an original indy kid in the 90s it’s right up my street, this song is mesmerizing.
2. Little Fluffy Clouds – The Orb – Island
This track changed my life back in the early nineties, an essential listening companion to an acid trip… no longer messing about with those, but the track is still as amazing as it was back then. The dubby tripped out Orb were a modern equivalent of the Jean Michelle Jarre and Tomita influences of my youth.
3. The Forest – The Cure – Fiction
These guys were one of the first British indy bands, along with people like Happy Mondays to mix the emerging acid house influences into indy rock music, and probably laid the foundation for many kids to open their ears to the more hardcore sounds of acid and later jungle and house, one of my all time favourites.
4. Lovejuice (Danger TV remix) – Symbal one – Archibell Recs
This guy is a siiiick producer, merging the sounds of electro and fidget house with 80s melodies and crazy bitcrunched edits, sure to get any party jumping.
5. The Raw Road – Layo & Bushwacka – Olmetto Records
Massive driving percussive house, with the fattest beat ive heard in a while.
6. Innercity Life – Goldie – London Records
Got to pay homage to this classic, i downloaded it recently and it sounds as fresh now as it did back in the early nineties; changed the sound of drum and bass for ever.
7. Check my Brain – Alice in Chains – Virgin
Quite new this, heard it on Zane Lowe, has the sickest sliding guitar line ever… have been seriously tempted to drop this at the end of a set, may have to bootleg : P)
8. Anything off the new album – Brookes Brothers – Breakbeat Kaos
The album’s due next year, and trust me it’s going to be a masterpiece. Some of the most interesting drum and bass i’ve heard for a while; all my mates that don’t dig dnb always ask me to draw these unfinished tracks out… going to be monster.
9. Poppiholla – Chicane – Enzo Recordings
I’ll probably get dissed by the dnb crew for this as it’s essentially a trance record! such a clever track, really clever melodic structuring makes it sound almost like its in 6/4, incredibly uplifting .. definetely going to have this on my ipod when i hit the beaches of Thailand in January.
10. Pon de Floor – Major Lazer – Downtown Records
Massive massive tune, loving Diplo’s New Orleans and Jamaican influences, fresh and pumping music, definetely in the running for one of the top producers of the ‘noughties’.
Currently making waves with his new single ‘Hypercaine’ out now on Breakbeat Kaos. Taken from his forthcoming album ‘Kryptonite’ due Spring 2010
