1. The First Record I Bought
My first album I bought was a lucky accident. I was six and in a cassette store. I thought I was buying ‘Hey Jude’ but when I got the tape home it was full of these wild psychedelic guitar noises that was nothing like I’d ever heard before. Turns out I’d grabbed Jimi Hendrix, Live At Winterland, having seen the song ‘Hey Joe’ on the back and figuring that’d be the same basic song. I ended up buying every Jimi Hendrix album and listening to him obsessively.
2. The Last Record I Bought
Can I do two? I just picked up the vinyl of Private Dancer (Tina Turner) – I just love that mix of heartbroken vocals with mid-’80s soul. Such a good record. But I also grabbed Playmates by Jack Ladder. Such a terrific, weird record. There is nothing else like it.
3. The First Thing I Recorded
I started making recordings when I was 12, recording into the mic of my cassette player. The first track I remember was a cover of ‘Rape Me’ (Nirvana). I would put the record on in the background and sing over it. I don’t think I got the message of the song at the time but I loved the way he sang. Also, early Dappled [Cities Fly] home recordings from 1997 still make me smile. We really had no idea what we were doing, and the results are hilarious.
4. The Last Thing I Recorded
My latest EP, Low Summer, was recorded over the last year and a bit. As with the last one, it starts with me making messy beats and clunky dance songs at home, with some crooning over the top. I enlisted Ned Cooke and Luke Bertoz to flesh out the songs in mixing and production. Initially I was going to release a whole album but I didn’t quite feel the ten songs told the story I wanted, so I split it in two, with the second five-tracker (High Summer) coming out early next year.
5. The Record That Changed My Life
I always go back to Since I Left You by The Avalanches. Until that point, I was sold on indie guitar rock, but the first time I saw them live, I knew I needed to be doing electronic dance music as well.
Low Summeris out now independently.
