Former Lionrocker Justin Robertson shows us his vinyl
Featuring King Creosote, Factory Floor, Lisa O Piu, Mac Sims and more
It’s always hard for me to pick my favourite tunes as I change my mind all the time, so here’s a selection I’m currently digging. King Creosote & Jon Hopkins ‘Bubble’ (Domino) is a remarkably delicate song, it’s so fragile but it has a drama that only King Creosote can muster. I’ve been a long time Creosote acolyte and would love to do a track with him, he’s one of the UK’s greatest songwriters and a very splendid fellow.
Factory Floor ‘Real Love’ (Optimo Music) is a stripped down sonic adventure that drags you in with its whirling simplicity. They’re the 21st century Chris and Cosey, I love the incessant approach they have: it seems to fit these troubled times. There’s a tremendous Optimo mix of this too (listen below), they’re also big heroes of mine so the combination is perfect.
My next choice transports me to some cosmic wooded glade – not usually somewhere I like to go, but Lisa O Piu ‘Was It the Moon’ (Subliminal Sounds) convinced me. It’s Swedish nouveau psychedelia, I love the breathy vocals and her accent seems to complement the otherworldly feeling. It’s wistful, possibly recorded in a forest cabin.
I love the visceral thrill that primitive rock‘n’roll provides and Mac Sims ‘Drivin’ Wheel’ (Twistin Rumble) gets me twisting, it makes me feel like I’m at a drag meet, combing my slicked-back hair. If I wasn’t bald.
Choosing The Deadstock 33s & Stopmakingme ‘Gravity’ (Tiger Sushi) is a bit of trumpet blowing on my part, because The Deadstock 33s is my new project (included below as part of a Stopmakingme extended mix). Stopmakingme is without question my favourite new producer, we’re making lots of exciting music together.
Finally, Terry Riley ‘A Rainbow in Curved Air’ (Sony). I just love this piece, a breathtaking and compelling 18 mins 39 from electronic pioneer and composer Riley. It keeps you locked in until the last note, and it’s a template for dance music in terms of the pulsing power of the synths, the intricate arpeggiated patterns and the way he keeps it stripped down.
Justin Robertson plays Let’s Go Back … Way Back! with 808 State, Slam and Bosco at the O2 Academy, Glasgow, Sat 14 May.