Desert Island Disco

When I was growing up, my dad used to listen to a show called Desert Island Discs on the radio. Its premise was simple: invite a well-known person into the studio and ask them to share with listeners the records that they would like to have with them if they were to find themselves stranded on a desert island. I was thinking about the show the other day because one of the replies to my weekly listening list said that 'Techno City' was the best 12" of all time. It's a reasonable enough assertion to make, but it made me consider what five records I would like to have with me if I was going to spend an indefinite amount of time on a small island. For the purposes of this blog, I have limited myself to purely electronic music - there are a few bands whose work I'd love to have with me - so pretty much of the top of my head, here's my choice (subject to change, of course):
Suburban Knight: 'The Groove' (Transmat); More than any Detroit artist, James Pennington captured an intangible, mysterious vibe without feeling the need to wear a ski mask, and this is his finest moment. You could tell from the chugging breaks that this record had a huge influence on jungle - it was a Grooverider favourite - but the dark, inescapable bass is the most accurate musical representation of a dystopia that I've ever heard.
Various Artists: 'Biorhythms 2' (Network); For whatever reason, I never really got into the first 'Biorhythms', but when I heard this album back in 1991, it was like someone had lifted a mask from my eyes - and pushed me into a new world. Carl Craig's 'From Beyond' as Psyche is probably my favourite track he's ever done - here in all its otherwordly glory - and the album also includes the brilliant bleep electro of Energize's 'Report To The Dancefloor' (recorded by Joey Negro!); Altern 8's more freaked out Nexus 21 alter ego with the slow hardcore of 'The Calling' and the glorious deep house of C&M Connection's 'Flutes'. Some people loved 'Virtual Sex', for me this album was and still is a benchmark - and had a huge, life-changing impact on me.
Underground Resistance: 'Galaxy 2 Galaxy' (Underground Resistance); This was a hard one: 'World 2 World' features 'Amazon', one of my favourite UR tracks, but 'Galaxy' just about trumps it with 'Hi Tech Jazz' and 'Journey of the Dragon'. If anyone ever tells you that techno music has no soul, point them in the direction of the soaring sax on 'Jazz' or the tear-inducing introspection of 'Journey'...
Basic Channel: 'Phylyps Trak' (Basic Channel); It could have been any Basic Channel track, but 'Phylyps' and the Basic Channel compilation provided me with another road to Damascus moment. When I first heard their music, the first thing that came into my mind was 'they are dong so much with so little'. In particular, the scuffled, cavernous groove of 'Trak 2' and that repetitive chord riff, looped to infinity, proves conclusively that more is possible with less. It's all down to the ingredients and how you use them. All of the BC catalogue is available on Beatport now, which is a good thing - I really hope more people discover this music.
Laurent X: 'Machines' (House Nation Records) I think if someone were to put a big gun to my head, I would have to admit that my favourite style of music is Chicago house. There's something about the way that it combines rawness and a machine finish that makes it such an irresistible anomaly. There is an inherent unpredictability at play too, that makes it kind of dangerous, kind of like wandering down a dark alley in a city at night. 'Machines' combines all of these elements and does so brilliantly - the squelching, squeaking 303, the shuffling drums doubling up to climax, the nasal robo whine in the background - this is the ideal (for me at least) of man and machine interaction.
So there's five off the top of my head: like I said, this is subject to change on a daily basis. Where for example is Rob Hood - and what about all the great more recent stuff? I think this topic deserves another post - which I will get around to soon. In the meantime, feel free to reply with your own desert island discs...

Comments

[gmos]

verrry difficult, would probably be a different 5 tomorrow as you say. well, off the top of my head today

Virgo - Virgo LP

Drexciya - Aquatic Invasion

Manuel Gottsching - E2-E4

Mr Fingers - Washing Machine

Rhythim Is Rhythim - Icon/Kao-Tic Harmony

[kenny]

For today anyways...

Drexciya - Hydro Doorways
UR - World 2 World
Mr Flagio - Take a Chance
Kraftwerk - Computer World
DMX Krew - Showroom Dummies

[barry]

always a bit of a wank-fest this, but hey, it's fun!

ur 'galaxy 2 galaxy'
sabres of paradise 'smokebelch II'
xeper 'caraces ex novum'
sterac 'asphyx'
carl craig 'a wonderful life'

the first two never change, the other three are 'today's choices'...

yer thoughts on the 'biorhythms' compilation are interesting. i had a similar moment with the 'retro techno/emotions electric' compilation on network. apart from the fact that it had a q+a with atkins, may and saunderson on one of the sleeves - very handy for a novice nerd - and a breathless explainer from neil rushton on the other, (read it here: www.discogs.com/release/44984), the music - some obvious, and some lesser known - was, and still is, absolutely amazing.

[barry]

always a bit of a wank-fest this, but hey, it's fun!

ur 'galaxy 2 galaxy'
sabres of paradise 'smokebelch II'
xeper 'caraces ex novum'
sterac 'asphyx'
carl craig 'a wonderful life'

the first two never change, the other three are 'today's choices'...

yer thoughts on the 'biorhythms' compilation are interesting. i had a similar moment with the 'retro techno/emotions electric' compilation on network. apart from the fact that it had a q+a with atkins, may and saunderson on one of the sleeves - very handy for a novice nerd - and a breathless explainer from neil rushton on the other, (read it here: www.discogs.com/release/44984), the music - some obvious, and some lesser known - was, and still is, absolutely amazing.

[smn]

Rhythm & Sound's eponymous album. Only a complilation in the sense that it's a compilation of some of the best fucking music ever made. It's depth still floors me every time.

Vladislav Delay's Entain. His best work. A beautiful, meditative album which would be good if alone on a desert island I think. Also opened the door to a lot of new music for me at the time of its release, so very fond memories.

Paperclip People's Throw. Best bassline of all time, even if he did steal it (did he?). First track I'd play in the club I'd open on the island.

Richie Hawtins' Mixmag Live! Volume 20. Ok so Richie's gone to shit now, but back in the mid 90s he was untouchable; deep, experimental and funky at a time when others weren't. This (and the last half in particular) is my favourite mix of all time.

Aril Brikha's Deeparture In Time. Got in to this through hearing Aqua. Still my favourite but the whole thing is fantastic, start to finish.

PS: Great call on Sterac's Asphyx above. Man I need to did that out later...

[Brophy]

Barry, I have that comp too! It was a great introduction, but biorhythms 2 was the one for me...

smn - hawtin was great in those days - how the mighty have fallen. good call on deeparture, a more recent (well, 2000) classic

[EC]

Here's my Top 5:

Whatever Paddy Gallager ordered in that week:)

Happy days auld buddy.....happy days.

[Brophy]

ha ha Giles - Biorhythms 2 was before paddy's time - but thanks for the memories:)

[barry]

funny that you mention paddy gallagher giles, he sold me the 'emotions electric' comp. happy days indeed.

[tom/pipecock]

the bassline of "throw" was jacked, from salsoul orchestra and lolleatta holloway "hit and run" on salsoul records.

Rhythm and Sound's compilation is one of the best albums, it really doesnt feel like a comp. deeparture in time is another one of my all time favorites.

good to see so many people giving it up for G2G, that shit is so ridiculous.

also, i love the choice of "a wonderful life". when i got married 2 two summers ago, my wife and i made a CD with lots of tracks that we like on it as the favor for everyone. that track was the opener, EVERYONE loved it. we got so many people saying things like "that song is so amazing" etc etc and these were people who wouldnt even know that there is a kind of music called techno. what a beautiful song.

[seamus]

Scion Arrange & Process Basic Channel
Moodymann - Silentintroduction
Los Hermanos - Birth of 3000
G-Man - Quo Vadis
e.r.p - alsoran

and as a nice non-electronic bonus:

Getz/Gilberto/Jobim - O grande amor

[chrisdisco]

these are tracks rather than albums, and of course, have not been thought about extensively (i feel 'altered states' should be there, but right now, it isn't). my basic thinking was it had to be a track i could listen to indefinitely.

- vladislav delay: 'anima'
- donnacha costello: 'dry wretch'
- plastikman: 'consumed'
- son.sine: 'upekah'
- speedy j: 'pepper'

[lerosa]

let's see, these definitely opened my eyes when i first heard them and started my second coming around to electronic music atfer I had more or less stopped listening to it around 91 or 92 due the how it all had gotten boring and shite...then these chaps came along...in no particualr order, lp and eps.

the orb - u.f.orb
poligon window - surfing on sinewaves
goldie - timeless
UR - the final frontier
Carl Craig: More Songs About Food And Revolutionary Art

[Jacobw]

Gotta be purist here: all singles, all dance.

Genaside II - 'Narra Mine'
This tune is good value on a desert island because it's at times melancholy, at times rough, and at times celebratory so you get to indulge several emotions for the price of one record. Plus it's an enormously genius piece of music.

Delia Gonzalez and Gavin Russom - 'Rise' (carl craig mix)
I wanted something long, complex and involving and despite this being recent and therefore not covered with the inimitable patina of detroit nostalgia I still think it's hard to beat against those criteria.

KMA - 'Cape fear'
(this one assuming that the stereo on the desert island has decent bass, otherwise forget it).

Vicki Martin - 'Not gonna do it'
Just supposing you're on the island and you manage to ferment some fruit and use it to get inebriated. At that point this song would be really good.

Orbital - 'Lush 3,2'
Because it sounds like the heavens opening and the angels flying down and you'd need a bit of that out there. Incidentally, why does nobody ever talk about Orbital any more?

[Chymera]

mmm.. changes a lot, but these generally always pop up for me -

Querida - 3-5-3
Secret Cinema - For My Love
Digital Justice - Theme From its all Gone Pearshaped
Sterac - Secret Life of Machines
Ignacio - Organa

[deano]

If were talkin techno/house only then:

Derrick May - Icon/Kaotic Harmony
Carl Craig - Just Another Day
Andres - Andres LP
Omar S - Just Ask the lonely
Rod - All My Love

Outside of specifically electronic stuff i would have to consider:

Marvin Gaye - Whats Going on
Jay Dilla - Donuts
Burial - Untrue
Gil Scott Heron - Reflections
John Coltrane - Coltrane's Sound
The Congos - Heart of the Congos
Anything by Charlie Parker

I love the idea of thinking about this kind of thing, records you couldnt live without.. shit i would happily spend the rest of my life alone on an island listening to records... I would definately need more than 5 though!!

[ralph]

Thought long and hard then had a play
1. Metro area, Metro Area
2. Raiders of the Lost, Raiders of the Lost
3. The Detroit Escalator Co. Soundtrack (313)

and probably Ken Booth: Everything I Own (Trojan)
The Cure 17 seconds

and a lot of vaseline!!!!

[ralph]

That was Raiders of the lost Arp...by no means one sided, in fact a double record...love it...whoever above placed some italo in his top 5, well god have mercy...stuck on an island with mr flagio...funny !!!!

[ralph]

And to Barry re:emotions electric?
What if you bought the record in 1990?(like me)
And then re read the sleeves years later...amazing thing is that italo house is mentioned in those sleeves...now that's amazing...but lets not kid that we all knew for f's sake...

[dave anderson]

it could be different on a different day, but:

bc - phyllypstrakII
for standing music as I knew it on it's head. M4 would have been worthy as well if I'd heard it first.

slam - positive education
for the memories. and because even though it's a clear rework, it's a good and worthwhile rework. and it's monsterous.

carl craig - at les
because it's so deep and emotional.

kosmic messenger - 8th wonder
because it treads the line between hope and melancholy and funk that all the deepest and greatest dance tracks manage to find.

ur - electronic warfare
because of the message, and because it's so heavy and raw, and sounds so unbelievably powerful over a big system.