next up is Ivan
you can listen to most of his choices on spotify here
Ivan's Desert Island Discs
This has been massively difficult and this list, although it includes my most favourite track ever, it omits tracks that would be in my top five favourite tracks. The reason being that I wanted to include some music that had been influential at various times either personally or inspirationally or musically.
John Coltrane: Blue Train
This song is very inspirational on a personal level, as it is a great reminder to any musician in fact, to really play with as much commitment as you can muster. Coltrane comes screaming out of the introduction like a thoroughbred racehorse just waiting for the track to start. The introduction is really just a gentle warm up. The energy doesn’t diminish until the final note. The sheer power of this performance is humbling.
Denis Jones: Third Song
I was lucky enough to see Denis Jones live about a year ago, and I might have well been watching a demonstration of antigravity. It was like hearing a sound I might have fleetingly dreamt about. His music is a combination of so many things that I adore about music made since artists messing with loop sampling, bit crunching, no input mixers and a host of other things that make awesome sounds. Yet underneath is a beautiful soulful delicate aesthetic and some great songwriting.
Ozomatli: Vocal Artillery
Two of the best gigs I’ve ever been to have been by these guys. I like that despite a few line up changes this band can never be big enough or it’s influences diverse enough. Firmly rooted in latin, hip-hop and rock, they are also strongly active politically and are a reminder that music can and in many cases should attempt to change people, challenge injustices and bring people together. This group has also included both my favourite turntablist and rapper, Cut Chemist and Chali 2na respectively. I would have happily also included other work by Chali 2na including much of the Jurassic 5 back catalogue or his tracks with DJ format.
Talvin Singh: Traveller
This the opening track of Talvin Singh’s album ‘OK’. I adore music that can take you on a journey, mentally, emotionally and physiologically. Much of this album does that and no matter how many times I return to this track I find it a deeply emotional experience.
Tunng: Bullets
Seeing Tunng for the first time on a festival stage came at a time when I was lacking in a certain amount of energy for live music. I’d stopped writing music reviews as very little felt truly new and exciting or really spoke to me very much and was not having any involvement in creating anything original. Songs like this one really gave me a huge amount of inspiration and help lift me out of a bit of a rut. They’ve been a major influence on my use of found sounds and loops.
Ryan Adams: Amy
I adore pretty much every track from Adams’ album ‘Heartbreaker’ but I include this one as a nod to a long running point of contention in the band. I am outnumbered in not liking the music of the Beatles, at all. Can’t listen to it. Ridiculous, I know. Inclusion of this track is by way of acknowledging that they have clearly been influential on musicians that I do listen too a lot. More favourite tracks from this album might be ‘Winding Wheel’ or ‘Come Pick Me Up’
Royksopp: Sparks
Despite being one of the few tracks in my library that still sounds good on phone speakers this track both appeals to my head and my heart. It’s beautifully put together and engineered. At the time it came out it was a really defining sound and there’s not been much of a similar impact at the time that’s aged as well as this track. On a personal level I first heard it during a period of being close to the top of the rollercoaster so it’s associated with some very positive and affirming experiences.
Deacon Blue: Hang Your Head
A guilty pleasure? Well maybe, but there’s few bands from these shores that have consistently spun such gold. I can associated so many experiences from early teenage years through to now. I could have chosen any song from any of their albums particularly those from ‘Fellow Hoodlams’ which I think slightly outranks ‘Raintown’ in my pecking order. I have chosen ‘Hang Your Head' from the 1993 album ‘Whatever you say, say nothing.’ This track gave me goosebumps when I first heard it. Perhaps it was the switch to using Paul Oakenfold as producer that created a grittier sound that makes this a clear departure from earlier work. Anyway, it’s the ultimate driving tune - go on listen and see what I mean. (Equally awesome from this album is ‘Only Tender Love’ also produced by Oakenfold)
Book
Compilation of my fathers poetry. My Dad has been writing verse on and off since before I existed. I haven’t yet managed to get through all the work he’s chosen to share so I can’t think of any better reading material.
Luxury
Longboard and leash. A desert island should surely have some decent surf once in a while. My favourite exercise that I don’t get to do enough.
