'Music They Love'... we ask DJ's and producers to delve into their collection and put together a selection of records that have meant a lot to them in the past, as well as the present. All things inspirational and influential - the records which have shaped their sound as a producer or selection as a DJ.
Scotland's Disco connoisseur Al Kent is locked in for the latest instalment. He kindly provided a brief explanation of the selection he put together for us:
"The majority of the tracks on this mix were never really aimed at club DJs, so this isn’t a “mix” in the traditional sense of the word. (Let’s call it a “set”).
The guys at CC//HW asked for a selection of records that have meant a lot to me and have helped to shape my sound, which means going beyond disco: my coming of age music was Northern Soul. A record had to be recorded in Detroit in the 1960s and cost more than my rent for me to be interested.
So the first three tracks on this set were gateway records for me - they were recorded in the 1970s, but still had the raw energy I looked for in Northern records. There were obviously a lot more I could choose but these three really remind me of that time.
Once I’d let my guard down and accepted that good music didn’t stop in 1969 it was easier to notice some beautiful music that had once driven me to the record bar when it was played at an all-nighter. Like tracks 4 and 5 - The Moments and Prince Philip Mitchell - still the tempo and feel I was used to, but definitely starting to veer more towards a traditional disco style.
And once disco got me, it really got me! The second half of this set is all about my heroes - the people who really influence me now: a couple of Walter Gibbons tracks of course, Tom Moulton at the absolute top of his game and a track each from Patrick Adams and Gamble & Huff. These guys had a massive influence on how the music I love was produced and I’ll be forever thankful to them for the joy they continue to bring to my life."
