
Benji B has long been recognised as one of the county's most discerning selectors on the deeper and soulful floors so he's a perfect candidate for the good ship 6x6
SIX
SEDUCTION RECORDS
Minnie Riperton - Inside
My Love (Epic)
"When
people talk about seduction records and slow jams it's always male
vocalists they think of first; Barry White Marvin etc. But for me
it's all about the ladies. And if there's one lady who can make me
fall in love with her by just listening to her voice it's Minnie.
Arguably one of the sexiest voices of all time and this tune is
undoubtedly her seduction classic."
Erykah Badu - Didn't
Cha Know
(Motown)
"I
couldn't decide which track to go for - it was a battle between Kiss
Me On My Neck
for obvious reasons and I
Want You
from the Worldwide
Underground
LP. But in terms of seduction power I had to choose this one from the
Mama's
Gun LP
using the classic Tarika Blue cut Dreamflower
as the main sample which is one of the most irresistible grooves in
itself. Add the seduction power of goddess Erykah and it's over."
Me'Shell Ndegeocello - May
This Be Love
(Maverick)
"I
know Me'Shell is not into boys but that doesn't s me recognising her
seduction power - she makes some of the planet's sexiest music! This
is a cover version of the Jimi Hendrix song, it's on her album Bitter
and it works in any late-night moment. Come
Smoke My Herb
from the LP Comfort
Woman
is a close second."
Floetry - Say
Yes
(Dreamworks)
"Basically
one of the most erotic records I have ever heard a woman sing. Pure
sex."
D'Angelo - Lady
(EMI)
"An
honourable mention for the undisputed champion of seduction records.
I know I tried to list the ladies in this section but no one can
front on the master's power when it comes to the art of seduction. If
this record doesn't work you're trying to seduce the wrong person!"
Foxy - Mademoiselle
(Dash)
"All
of the above have been bedroom songs we need one seduction record for
when the lights are about to come on in the club and this is it.
"Mademoiselle lovely senorita, I wanna get to know you"... aLondon rare groove two-step classic."
SIX
AFTERHOURS RECORDS
D'Angelo - Voodoo
(Virgin)
"I
know D'Angelo got a mention in the Seduction section with a cut from
the Brown Sugar LP but he makes it to number one in my afterhours
section with this damn LP! All the songs - I can't possibly
pick one. Voodoo
is one of the most underrated masterpieces of the last 10 years and
one of my favourite albums of all time."
Heatwave - The
Star Of A Story
(Epic)
"Taken
from the Central
Heating
LP, Star
Of A Story
is one of the most sampled and covered cuts of all time. It's written
by British legend Rod Temperton (Off
The Wall
etc) and is an untouchable afterhours jam. If you haven't got this
record go get it - you need it in your life!"
Jimmy Abney - Come
Go With Me
(YorubaNeed2Soul)
"I've
been playing this tune as my end-of-night afterhours cut for at least
five years now. I get asked about it every time. It's not Marvin,
although it sounds similar. This is on my new Need
2 Soul
compilation as I felt it was time to share it with the world! It will
also be getting an official release via Yoruba records too. Whatever
style of music you like, you will love this simple late-night jam."
Gary Bartz NTU Troop Celestial
Blues
(Milestone)
"Written
by and featuring the amazing Andy Bey, this record is beyond deep.
"We must get closer to the essence of life/but be aware that it
takes courage and strife/expand your mind don't let it whither and
die/you'll find it lifts your spirits high to the sky. Now meditate."
Put this on at 7am when you get home and remind yourself why you love
music."
Shuggie Otis - Inspiration
Information
(CBS)
"It's
hard to pick a cut from this LP as it's one of my iPod late-night,
afterhours and travel essentials but I really like Pling
and Not
Available.
A classic album."
The Flamingos - I
Only Have Eyes For You
( Rank)
"I'd
been looking for this 7-inch for years before I eventually found a
copy some time ago... and paid too much money for it! It's always in
the bag for those unexpected late-night sessions; an alternative
out-of-the-hat afterhours classic, doowop style!"
SIX
RECORDS THAT NEVER LET YOU DOWN
Pepe Braddock - Deep
Burnt
(Kif )
"It's
funny when records that seem contemporary and current actually
graduate into the category of undisputed classic. This is a perfect
case in point. It's possibly my favourite deep house record of the
last decade and I can't think of a time when if played at the moment it hasn't worked for me. Essential."
Underground Resistance - Timeline
(UR)
"This
came on the Millennium
To Millennium
EP and it's one of the most reliable dancefloor destroyers UR ever
made. Big enough to drop at festivals and huge raves, but not too
rinsed to play on a Saturday night or in a small club. This is always
in my box. Like all classics, use sparingly and it will never let you
down."
New York S.O.H.O - Hot
Music
[Jazz Mix] (Outer Rhythm)
"Produced
by Pal Joey in 1990, this was one of those records that blew my mind.
Definitely one of the songs that got me into dance music. Hearing
this on a big system and on pirate radio was unforgettable. And
unlike many records from that era, this one still sounds sick today.
A pioneering tune way ahead of its time that still sounds relevant
and reliable."
Dinosaur L - Go
Bang
(Sleeping Bag)
"One
of the finest dance music records of all time. I only wish I'd been
old enough when this came out in 1982. Produced by the
incredible Arthur Russell and mixed by the legendary Francois
Kevorkian, this has all the ingredients to make it the stone cold
classic 12" that it's become. The sound is so incredible."
SERIOUS
INTENTION You
Don't Know
(Easy Street)
"It
always amazes me how many people come up and ask me what this record
is - I thought it was much more well-known than it seems to be, and
it's one of the reasons it's on my Need
2 Soul
compilation. It never fails in the club, whether as a well-known
protohouse classic or heard for the first time. An amazing tune."
The Joubert Singers - Stand
On The Word
[Larry Levan mix] (Next Plateau)
"The
most feel-good gospel tune you will ever hear on a dancefloor. I
couldn't resist putting it on the new compilation as it gets
requested so much. Reserved only for New Years Eve, birthdays,
massive festivals and special occasions, this is one anthemic
record."
SIX
DANCEFLOOR FILLERS
Baron Zen - Burn
Rubber [Dam-Funk
Remix] (Stones Throw)
"Whenever
I throw this on in my club in London, the crowd goes wild. It's only
105bpm but it makes it into the peaktime list as I can drop it at 1am or 2am as a peak-time banger. Three minutes of modern funk and
absolutely nasty."
Deetron - I
Cling
[Benji B edit] (CD-R)
"No
matter where I go in the world, this tune from last year still bangs
on every system and still makes crowds go wild. It's like a joker
that needs to be played at just the right time and I sometimes plan
sets around it. Somehow it's simultaneously big and deep."
Detroit Experiment - Think
Twice
(Planet E)
"It's
funny, if the dancefloor is a bit scarce and you need some
anticipation and excitement this Carl Craig production warms it up
nicely and always creates a buzz. Don't play it too early, don't play
it too late - time it just right and your floor will be jumping."
Billy Ocean - Nights
[Geo Edit] (CD-R)
"This
is the kind of tune that you'd usually only play once in a while, but
this past year I've been playing it everywhere as it's so useful.
It's the record that's most true to this section, in that I use it to
fill an empty dancefloor; watch the ladies come on first and the
fellas will soon follow. Borderline cheesy but undeniably effective."
Skream - Pass
The Red E
(Soul Jazz)
"Big
Chill, Sonar, V Festival, Bestival, Notting Hill Carnival and more...
they all lost it to this tune. With an instant reload factor and a
ridiculous B-line, this should be only used on the crowd when you
want to cause maximum damage."
Phlash & Friends ft Benji B & Ommas Keith - Do
It Up
(Archive)
"When
we made this tune I had the late-night, 5am vibe in mind but I've
found in the last few months that it actually works pretty well as a
warm-up floorfiller too. Useful early peaktime and late-night as
well.""
NON-DANCE
RECORDS
"I'm
going to go all contemporary here to represent some of the electronic
music being made now that can't easily be categorised..."
Flying Lotus - Interference
(Warp)
"He
really has created his own lane in the music industry. Loved by
hip-hop, electronic, techno, dubstep and Warp fans alike, he's the
one and only Flying Lotus. I was the first person to play his music
on UK radio and am so happy to see that he's blown up in the way he
has. This tune is a contender for my favourite Flying Lotus record.
It might not be easy to dance to but it's certainly what Vangelis
would be writing for Bladerunner
if the film was made tomorrow. Sick."
Bullion - Get
Familiar
(One ed Music)
"I
caned this tune on dubplate for a while, then Alex from the label got
me a mastered version which explodes through most speakers and makes
everyone run up to the DJ booth to ask what kind of music this is,
what label it's on, what the tune's called and why they haven't got
it yet! Well it's this: it's on One ed Music, it's amazing and it's
available now!"
Dorian Concept - The
Fucking Formula
(CD-R)
"Another
tune you could test a soundsystem with. I have put this in the
non-dance section but believe me I've seen people lose their minds to
this one, including 5,000 people outdoors at a festival in New
Zealand earlier this year. Hopefully this simple but effective beat
will get a release soon."
00
Genesis - No
Shoes Trampoline
(CD-R)
"I
don't know much about 00 Genesis apart from that he sends me tunes
and most of them are pretty dangerous. This has to be the best by
far: a dark and deadly piece of electronic mayhem that leaves you
confused and enlightened all at once."
Hudson Mohawke - Speed
Stick
(CD-R)
"This
tune lasts less than two minutes but is the best clue yet as to why
we need to keep a close watch on the work of Mr Hudson Mohawke in the
future."
Osborne - 5th
Stage
(Ghostly International)
"This
is an amazing piece of almost ambient electronic music from
Michigan's maverick producer Todd Osborne. It's available on the
consistently innovative Ghostly International label."
SIX
DRIVING RECORDS
Slum Village - Fantastic
Volume Two
(Wordplay)
"One
of my favourite albums of all time and one of my best friends when
driving. This could go in Afterhours or Records That Never Let You
Down, but it's here as I always reach for it on the road. It's Dilla
in his finest hour (actually all his hours were his finest) with
Baatin and T-3 on an album featuring classic joints like Fall-NLuv,
Untitled
and
2U4U.
Ahead of its time in terms of production, it influenced a
generation."
Theo Parrish - Lost
Keys
(Music Is...)
"Either
this tune, Dan
Ryan
or Falling
Up...
it's ultimate driving music from one of the deepest soulful music
producers around one of the best DJs on the planet."
Photek - Rings
Around Saturn
(Photek)
"Drum
& bass from this era makes perfect night driving music in
general. However the music Photek produced when releasing Photek
1-6 on
his own label - including The
Water Margin,
Seven
Samurai and
this - was one of the most exciting periods in British music for me.
I recently recorded all of those original 12"s onto the computer
and made a CD for the car. Photek is a don!"
Adam F - Metropolis
(Metalheadz)
"Another
D&B tune, this time a well-known classic from the golden era of
Metalheadz at the Blue Note and Speed at the Mars Bar. I guess you
had to grow up on the music and go to the clubs to love this, but I
defy you to listen to this at night on the motorway and not feel it.
I'm still not sick of this innovative pioneering UK music - I got a
speeding ticket because of it once!"
David Bowie - Abdulmajid
(EMI)
"A
lesser-known instrumental cut that David Bowie did with Brian Eno.
I'm not the biggest Bowie expert but this tune is bonkers and sounds
like the soundtrack to a space movie! It's great for those late-night
drives with the volume turned up. Check it out."
Nas - Illmatic (Columbia)
"I
have to include a classic for some end-of-the-afternoon sing-along
action. I listened to this album back to front and front to back when
it came out, and every now and then it's a perfect trip down memory
lane. I forbid you to listen to this on a weak system - play it loud,
preferably with the windows down."
Tags: Benji B, 1Xtra, Nas, David Bowie, Photek, Adam F, D'Angelo, Heatwave, Larry Levan, Flying Lotus, Hudson Mohawke, Minnie Ripperton, Slum Village, Phlash & Friends, Skream, Billy Ocean, Detroit Experiment, Deetron, Baron Zen, Joubert Singers, Serious intention, Dinosaur L, Underground Resistance, Pepe Braddock, Jimmy Abney, Foxy, Floetry, Me'shell Ndegeocello, Erykah Badu