“It’s your record. You discovered it…You love it for the feelings it conjures…
Thirty years ago some now-forgotten musicians cut that record. Without them this brilliant song wouldn’t exist. But without you – a DJ – that record would be in a bent cardboard box in a basement…
This is the thrill, and the compulsion, of DJing. This need to share music, and to constantly find new music to excite people with, this is the primal force of DJing.”
Bill Brewster & Frank Broughton
The Record Players (DJ Revolutionaries)
Welcome to the Cookie-Dough Guest mix where we invite some of favourite DJ / Producers to answer a few questions and dig deep into their collections and put together a mix of their favourite records.
For this episode we have invited Californian musician, artist and producer XL Middleton to spin some of the records that have influenced him over the years.
Nice one XL!
Track list:
Above The Law – Kalifornia
Ingram – Just For You
Dr. Dre feat. Snoop Doggy Dogg & George Clinton – Let Me Ride (Remix)
Ice Cube – Who’s The Mack
Shakatak – Street Walkin’
Roy Ayers – Gotta Find A Love
Don Blackman – Never Miss A Thing
Mtume – Prime Time
One Way – Can I
Krystol – When You Move You Lose
Klique – Inside Me
Patrice Rushen – Watch Out
Chaz Jankel – Tonight’s Our Night
Endgames – Desire
Thomas Dolby – Dissidents
Chuckii Booker – Touch
Rhythm & Knowledge – U Bring Da Dog Out
Suga Free feat. Snoop Dogg – So Fly
Bar-Kays – You Made A Change In My Life
Con Funk Shun – By Your Side
Eddie Kendricks – Intimate Friends
Q&A What was the first record you bought that made you realize that you wanted to be a DJ / Producer?
College Boys “Victim Of The Ghetto.” It was the record that made me really, finally realize hip hop as a thing beyond just the top 40 stuff like Hammer & Vanilla Ice. In turn, getting deep into what hip hop producers were sampling opened my mind to the point that hip hop became a secondary interest behind all the great funk, soul, etc. that they were pulling from.
What record makes you most nostaligic?
It’s hard to pick just one, but an album that comes to mind off top is Masta Ace’s “Sittin On Chrome” album. When I was 13 I played it as I went to sleep every night for an entire summer. Another one is Roy Ayers’ “Gotta Find A Lover” which I included in my mix. I discovered it in high school and I just thought it was the most incredible thing I’d ever heard. Hearing it reminds me of the days when I was mining for samples and getting educated on music without really intending to be.
What is your favourite end of night record?
Hands down, Bobby Nunn’s “Do You Look That Good In The Morning?” The humor is so subtle, the melody and chords in the song are so beautiful, it could pass right over your head that he’s talking about drunkenly taking a girl home after the club, and hoping that she’s still fly when the liquor wears off.
Do you have a guilty pleasure record?
Even though I don’t think there’s really any “guilty” pleasures when it comes to music, if I had to choose a song it’d be Nivea’s “Don’t Mess With My Man.” That track is hard and funky. I own doubles!
What is your most treasured piece of vinyl?
I can’t really name just one but I can give you a few and the reasons why. There’s my own 12″ for “Feel So West Coast,” pressed by Japanese label G-House. It’s special because it’s the first time my music was ever pressed on wax. Also Patrice Rushen’s “Watch Out.” That song has special personal memories for me. Finally, Krystol’s “Gettin’ Ready” album. It’s not a rare album or anything like that, it’s just a record that so perfectly encapsulates the whole 80’s funk thing in one statement. Every song is amazing on there. It’s what you’d hope every “boogie” album would be.
