Influences: Lorca

Radiohead blow me away with everything they do but this has to be my favourite track of theirs. Melodically, like the rest of their songs – it’s amazing, Thom Yorke’s top line and harmony parts over Johnny Greenwood’s intricate guitar chords just fit so perfectly. The arrangement seems to just march on and mind melding guitar fx seep in and out of the mix to make sure you don’t get bored. It’s just top notch song writing. Radiohead are a big influence for me.

I was listening to and making a lot of dubstep around the time this came out. Hearing this made me totally change my approach to production. There’s just so much movement in the sounds, everything is automated from the drums to the lead line to the bass yet there is so much space. It really gave me inspiration to step up my production game.

I’ve picked this track because it’s probably the tune that has stayed in my DJ bag for the longest time. It just nails the house sound for me. The beat like most of Wbeeza’s tracks the drums just nail it, it’s repetitive but just off kilter enough for it not to get boring. It’s also a builder, new elements weave in and out the whole way through and that lead line is infections.

From the age of twelve I was obsessed with the blues. I played guitar non stop up until I was about 18. This is an example of a legend at the top of his game. So much emotion, so much feel and that voice is silky smooth. He gives it 100% of his soul, if I can can get any of that vibe in my music I’m happy.

I don’t really know what to say about J Dilla that hasn’t already been said. I guess I’ve included him for a few reasons. Firstly his sampling, he has a knack for finding absolute gems, secondly the groove. His drums have a certain swing no one else can quite master and thirdly in this tune in particular the melancholic, nostalgic quality his music has. It’s hard to nail down exactly what it is…I was searching for a word that means feeling both happy and sad at the same time…There isn’t one in English but there is in Portuguese. Saudade (a word used to describe music or poetry) is described as: a combination of longing and desire mixed with melancholy. A pleasure you suffer.

Theo Parrish’s music taught me a few things but mainly that dance music doesn’t need to be so robotic. This track is 10 minutes+ long and the structure is totally all over the place but it works. Elements drop in an out seemingly randomly and there’s no copy and pasting going on here. Theo does it his own way and that’s how it should be.

When I first heard James Blake’s music it was big wow moment. Around 2009 Dubstep was splitting off in a few distinct directions, there was the screechy, wobbly stuff, the darker stuff people like Youngsta were playing and then the hybrid genre mangling stuff. I was most interested in the latter. I t was a really interesting time for dance music that only really lasted a couple of years. I think this track epitomizes that time. It mashes up dubstep troupes with hip hop, blues and gospel creating something totally unique. Miles ahead of the rest – I have no idea how he did it…