Alisson Gothz: “Last weekend Sao Paulo finally got the electronic music festival the city had always deserved -   Sónar São Paulo was a huge success! The festival gathered more than 30,000 people, becoming the largest Sónar organized outside Spain by the Barcelona brand in its 19-year history.

Between 11 and 12 May, the festival turned the cold and greyish Anhembi Park into a huge and vibrant club, with a line-up featuring 50 shows in three stages, including the likes of Kraftwerk (filling in for Björk, who had to cancel her gig due to health issues), Modeselektor, Justice, Doom, James Blake, Austra, Chromeo, and national talents such as Emicida and DJ Patife & Marky.

Kraftwerk did a special 3D presentation featuring tracks they’d never played live before the cult eight-day exhibit at New York’s MoMa. The concert from the legendary German band (which was also the only one in the entire continent this year) was cheered by the mesmerized crowd from beginning to end – people in the first row (me included) could even see the four “robot-man” making a huge effort to not show any “human emotions” towards the loud crowd and ruin their reputation.

Alva Noto & Ryuichi Sakamoto probably had the best audience of their entire career. Flying Lotus and Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs were also huge hits.

Other great thing was the perfect mix of electronic sounds and hip-hop, featuring artists from both genres and a crowd which was up to anything. Of course, in such a huge event, some problems were bound to happen – most specifically on Saturday, almost all artists started their gigs several minutes (some even hours) late, in a terrible cascading effect. The long queues to get in into the venue also did some damage.

But, look. All the other electronic music festivals that take place in the city every so often are almost unworthy of being called “electronic music festivals”.

Most of them feature only extremely commercial dance music and lousy trance-pop DJs, have ridiculous mandatory dress-codes (who wears all-white in a club?) and posh atmosphere.

Sónar was deliciously avantgarde, alternative and well thought out. The general feeling after two days of clubbing was “Could we please have a Sonar Festival every month?”. The party has just begun.

Kraftwerk @ Sonar- click for Youtube footage

Alisson Gothz- Click for more

Alisson Gothz: “Vegas is dead! Long live Vegas! It’s a sad day when a club dies. Especially one which was responsible for not only many emotions and memorable moments, but also to change the complete landscape of a region.

Yes, because the (in)famous Rua Augusta in Sao Paulo can have its history marked in red ink as “before Vegas club and after Vegas club”.

The club was responsible for turning the street into a sensorial experience. Walking down Augusta, you could find the most diverse fauna of gays, straight dudes, skaters, fashionistas, whores, trannies, dealers, underground artists, trend setters, preppy girls, high fashion models, old ladies carrying grocery bags and executives sporting the most expensive cars in the market.

Nowadays, they are still there. But they look lost – which is unforeseen, since the number of clubs in that street is increasing all the time.. Nevertheless, the entire quarter is changing a lot due to gentrification and property speculation – old historic buildings are being replaced by big apartment buildings, cool bars are now expensive stores selling silly stuff marketed as “alternative”, and so on.

Vegas, by the way, will probably become a huge supermarket or a fancy restaurant. The soul of Rua Augusta is hanging on by a thread and something must be done.

Boy, how we danced at Vegas. The club was one of the first to have nights for alternative rock and electronic music all in the same week. One of the first places in Sao Paulo to have dubstep parties and to make disco the biggest hit in town. Established worldwide famous DJs and newcomers shared the booths in harmony. It was always fun.

But enough with the tears, and hooray for new adventures. Vegas said goodbye to its fans with a simple, yet touching open letter, stating the club has completed its cycle. Everything has to die one day, and Vegas is going away with a big smile of “mission accomplished” on its face.

Click on the picture to watch the video

Alisson Gothz: ”Leave it to a Brazilian drag queen to become an Internet sensation after a video of her doing a full re-enactment of Madonna’s highly acclaimed SuperBowl performance with, of course, much less technology than the former blond ambition, hit the web like a storm.  

It all happened last weekend in a gay club in Brasilia (the capital of Brazil) starring Alexia Twister, a  very famous local drag performer. The show featured not only her as Madonna, but also some other drags and dancers impersonating the likes of M.I.A., Nicki Minaj, Cee Lo Green and the band  LMFAO.

Moving props and backgrounds, elaborate costumes, and full-on choreography completed the show. Of course, some changes had to be made to the original performance, taking into account that Madonna took advantage of the latest and highest technology any artist of her status can afford.

Nevertheless, even with the lousy rear-projection screen in the background showing  images from the actual halftime show, you just can’t take your eyes off Alexia - who, by the way, seemed to know how to lipsynch better than Madge in some parts – during the 13 minute performance.

The video, posted firstly on Vimeo and then on YouTube, reached close to 50,000 views in just a few days. Even the American newspaper LA Times featured an article about her on its web portal.

Drag shows are still a huge hit in Brazil and some clubs, like Sao Paulo’s long running venue “Blue Space”, are proud to invest a lot of money on them and to put together Broadway-like performances with a chorus of dancers, special effects, rich costumes and, of course, the Queens of the night, to entertain the public.

Torture Garden comes to Latin America for the first time this January; they’ll be doing two parties at the end of the month: January 27 in Sao Paulo and January 28 in Rio. And if everything goes right, this could lead into a monthly event.

In Sao Paulo the party will be hosted at Blue Space, one of the most legendaries gay clubs in town.

Sao Paulo is watching a new wave of burlesque and fetish performers attracting a young crowd looking for something cool. In several parties and even cabarets tattooed girls wearing vintage lingerie and pasties are dominating the spotlights.

Amongst the Brazilian artists performing at TG Sao Paulo you’ll find Giselle Kenj, a master in Egyptian arts and culture who uses her knowledge to perform the most amazing shows in clubs around the country.

Her fellow mate, Thot, a real albino snake, enchants the audience in every move she makes. She’s like a modern age Cleopatra. Also, Victor Piercing, who’s also been known as one of the most famous performers in Brazil.

His works are provocative, sexy, playing with androgyny and S/M imaginary, sometimes looking like a sexy cyberpunk, and others like a goth unicorn.

His electric chainsaw routine is a trademark of Sao Paulo’s effervescent nightlife.

The tickets can be bought online at http://www.torturegardenbrazil.com.

Click for more from Alisson

Gays and lesbians in Brazil have their own slang repertoire called “pajubá”. Well, actually “pajubá” is a real African dialect from olden times, but it got mixed up with Brazilian Portuguese and became the official second language of queers and gender-benders in this sunny land.

The success of gay slang is so big in Brazil that they have been adopted by straight audiences too – it’s not unusual to hear even small children saying expressions like “arrasa!’ or “aloka!”.

Here’s a quick guide to the most commons phrases and words you’ll hear in a club in Sao Paulo or Rio.

Arrasa!

That’s the most useful gay slang ever. Its literal translation is the verb “to raze”, but it used as to send someone positive vibes, like “kick some ass!”, and “go and get it!”, but also as a simple compliment, as in “awesome!”, “cool!”, “fierce!”. You gonna hear it everywhere and in all kinds of situations. Other meanings can also be “work it, girl!”, “right on!”, “sashay, shantay!” and so on.

“Fazer a egícia” – (“to give an Egyptian face”)

1) it’s like when you say hello to a queen on the dancefloor and she pretends to not see you just to keep her pose intact, so you say “Bitch just gave me an Egyptian face”, like the statue of Nefertiti, got it?

2) You’re talking to someone about something he did last night and he pretends he doesn’t have a clue about what you’re saying, even though everyone else does it, so he’s also “giving an Egyptian face”, an indifferent yet guilty look.

Boy Magia

Oh well, this is self-explanatory. A “magic boy” is that kind of man that makes jaws drop. He puts a spell on you and enchants you with his beauty. That’s why he’s magic.

Bate Cabelo – (“Whipping Hair”)

If you’ve watched a drag show in Brazil, you noticed that they almost always follow the same pattern: she comes to the stage in one outfit, lipsynch for a bit, then starts stripping, takes her head-piece off and last – but not least – starts whipping her hair like a crazy tornado. Seriously, they literally fight amongst themselves for the title of the best “hair whipper” of the clubs. It became a Brazilian trademark and this is called “bate cabelo” in proper Portuguese. Since 99% of these shows are performed under heavy tribal-house beats, this type of music also became known as “bate cabelo”.

See it to believe it:

Aloka! (also written as “a loca!” or “aloca!”)

Literally, “the crazy lady”. Used as an interjection with several meanings, mostly to express shock or astonishment about something in a funny way. It can also be used in the sentence “Não faça a aloka comigo!”, meaning “don’t go all ‘crazy lady’ on me!” (don’t pull tricks on me, girl).

Bicha Pão com Ovo – (“Bread and Eggs queer”)

It refers to a gay guy who pretends to be rich and highly cultured but in reality doesn’t have a penny in his pocket and barely knows how to write his name. It comes from an urban legend about an old gay guy who was always pretending to be the next Queen of England but in reality used to carry a sack with a bread and eggs sandwich to eat at the bus station after everyone was gone.

Boa Noite, Cinderela – (“Good Night, Cinderela”)

It’s the criminal act of doping someone to steal their belongings. A common act carried out  by trannies and prostitutes who work on the streets, with tourists as main victims!

Pocket dictionary of unusual terms:

Portuguese / English

1. adoro! – “I love it!” (the amount of “o” letters you put in the word are equivalent to your excitement, as in “adoooooooooro!” (meaning, “looooooooove it!”)
2. alibã – a cop (plural: “alibãs”)
3. aqüé – money
4. abalar – to do something really great, as in “Abala!” (“You rock!”)
5. amapoa – woman/girl (mostly positive slang)
6. atendimento – to have sex with someone, a hook up.
7. armário – gay closet (as in “out of the closet”)
8. bafo – something worth talking about
9. banheirão – to cruise in bathrooms
10. barbie – extremely muscled guy who always takes his shirt off inside the clubs
11. bofe – a masculine, hot guy
12. carão – to give face
13. colocón – dope, drugs, booze
14. colocada – someone on drugs/drunk
15. drama – well, “Drama!”
16. dragão – literally “dragon”. Someone really ugly.
17. elza – to steal. Used as “dar a elza” (meaning “to steal something”) or “me deram a elza” (meaning “someone stole something from me”)
18. E ai? – “Hello!”, a very common greeting
19. equê – a lie or something fake
20. ferver – to party hard
21. larica – hunger, specially after smoking pot and heavy drinking
22. mona – a gay man, mostly effeminate.
23. montada – someone who’s dressed-up
24. neca – dick
25. neca odara – hard dick
26. neca mati – short dick
27. otim – drinks
28. padê – cocaine
29. passivona – a strictly-bottom guy (mostly used in a derogatory way)
30. pegação – sexual acts, going from simple flirtation to hard sex
31. picumã – hair (fake or real)
32. pintosa – someone very flamboyant
33. racha – woman (mostly pejorative)
34. sapa/sapatona – dyke (literally, “woman with big man shoes”)
35. taba – weed, marijuana
36. traveco – tranny (extremely pejorative!!)
37. Tô bege! – expression meaning “I’m shocked!”. Also used as “Tô passada!”

Skrufff contributor Alisson teamed up with the Panduro DJs in Spain last year to make this brilliant mash-up and has just created her own video…

D-edge's Main dance floor

“While our generation took ten years to be able to distinguish house from techno, the next generation that is starting to go out at night has a completely pop background. And today’s pop music is just like mainstream electronic music”. Facundo Guerra (Vegas, Volt, Lions).

Speaking to leading Sao Paulo media figure Claudia Assef recently, nightlife entrepreneur Facundo Guerra, 37, sparked a firestorm of debate when he suggested underground club culture- and international DJs – were no longer viable in the city. Rival club promoter Renato Ratier, who months earlier doubled the size of his landmark club D-Edge, disagreed, though Facundo, a partner in seminal underground nightspot Vegas and new pop centred nightspot Lions was firm.

“Today, if you do not play pop on the dance floor people leave,” he insisted.

“At Lions recently I saw a scene that shocked me: Mau Mau, a DJ we all love, started spinning after Roque Castro, who had just played an extremely pop orientated set. Guess what happened? Mau Mau cleared the floor, something I had never seen in my life!”

Mau Mau (one of Brazil’s most popular and critically acclaimed DJs, overseas as well as at home) was understandably furious and denied Facundo’s claim categorically though given that I’ve just arrived in Sao Paulo for what will be my seventh mini-DJ tour, the tale provokes a touch of concern for me. Not least because both my first and last gigs from five take place at Facundo’s newest club: Lions . . .

Bar de Netao revellers (DJ Jeronimo & friend)

Lions:

Saturday nights at Lions are hosted by leading tech/house DJ agency 3 Plus so I’m optimistic I’ll find a typically receptive crowd though when the dance floor thins noticeably soon after I’ve started I’m a little alarmed. Four tracks later just a small group remain but they’re enthusiastic, flamboyant and totally up for it, with the street style and attitude of international clubbers.

Approaching me with his thumbs up, one promises to drag more people into the room and moments later he’s back with a healthy sized bunch of friends in tow, who in turn attract more clubbers from the disco/ pop floor outside.

One hour later, the same guy approaches and says ‘I’m the promoter, I LOVE what you’re playing, do you want to finish in the (larger) bar room?’ so I finish up the night satisfied: but only just.  With four more gigs to go (D-Edge, A Loca, BAR DO NETÃO then Lions again) this trip looks like it’s going to be trickier than previous tours . . .

D-Edge (click for more)

D Edge:

“I’m not completely against pop, I genuinely like some pop and I have no problem with playing famous tracks sometimes in my sets. But it’s one thing surprising your crowd with an unexpected Prince classic and quite another dropping that Lady Gaga track that is heard everywhere else.” Benjamin Ferreira. http://soundcloud.com/benjaminferreira

JT & Benjamin @ Bar De Netao (click for Benjamin's soundcloud)

Disco-house DJ (and Skrufff man) Benjamin Ferreira was selected as one of DJ Magazine’s Breakthrough DJs last year and regularly headlines parties and clubs throughout the city.  He’s also a first choice opener DJ for internationals such as Derrick Carter, Horse Meat Disco’s Luke Howard and Made To Play boss Jesse Rose, opening for him the Friday before me, on the main dance floor of D-Edge.

While Benjamin used his local knowledge to pack out D-Edge’s main space, the nowadays LA based Panorama Bar favourite uncharacteristically struggled, finishing early as the clubbers chopped and changed between the club’s three floors. So tonight I’m taking programming advice from Benjamin, which he sums up with one word- disco.

Like big name Brazilian DJs Renato Cohen and Camilo Rocha, Benjamin spent most of the 90s spinning exclusively techno though like both Renato and Camilo in recent years he’s embraced disco more and more and tonight’s party is an all disco DJ line-up: plus me.

Kicking off with a lower bpm than I’ve EVER played, I mix in house with disco classics from Yazoo (Situation), Lindstrom (I Feel Space) and even Madonna (the dub version of Everybody) gradually splicing in killer tech-house cuts from the likes of Perfect Stranger and (ironically) Made To Play. D-Edge has long rightly been recognised as Brazil’s best underground electronic music venue, due to its sound system, lights and most importantly crowd and tonight it (thankfully) turns out the same.

2 hours in and I’m playing peak time hands-in-the air techno with everybody screaming and dancing and as the club shut the newest floors leaving just mine open I end up spinning for an extra hour again, to a packed house. AMAZING. One of my best ever gigs in Brazil.

A loca

A Loca

“I think the problem isn’t exactly with pop music, the DJs also have their share of guilt – it’s totally possible to be creative and innovative playing pop, you have four decades full of great hits to choose from. So you don’t have to play the entire Lady Gaga album in one night.”

This is what makes some of these parties so awful. Sometimes they play “I Gotta Feeling” (Black Eyed Peas) four times in just one night. Of course everybody will dance but are you a DJ or a jukebox?” Alisson Gothz

Alisson Gothz

As a former party hostess at pop club Gloria and one of Sao Paulo’s best known performance artists, Alisson Gothz says many on the gay scene currently want only ‘tribal house or radio hits’.

“There’s nothing wrong with pop music parties but I guess this ‘scene’ has become over-saturated,” says Alisson, “There are tons of parties that look alike – and play the exact same tracks over and over again. It’s as if the entire city was playing “Bad Romance” in every corner”.

One such club is once notorious transvestite institution A Loca (where for many years Alisson worked the door) where I’ve been invited to spin tonight by lovely DJ blogger/ man-about town Eduardo Corelli. Like D-Edge, I’ve played here five times previously though tonight I’ve been warned that it’s music policy has changed.

A Loca back in the day (click for more)

To pop, it appears when I arrive, as Lady GaGa and Beyonce are blasted out to a young, markedly different crowd from the freaks, hookers and misfits who once defined the basement institution.

Eduardo spins just before me and thankfully replaces Gaga with classic house from the likes of Frankie Knuckles and Inner City though tonight’s crowd for me is simply too pop orientated to reach and apart from 4 minutes of euphoria (when I give in and drop Beyonce’s Crazy in Love) it’s a grim overall experience.

Speaking afterwards Eduardo remains confident about overall club culture, though admits he loathes the auto-tune robo-voices dominating so many hits.

“These tunes featuring those false voices are killing pop music,” he complains. “Remember when you’d hear Chic or Soul 2 Soul,’ he sighs, “ I hope pop productions change in that direction again in the not too distant future.”

“Why do I think pop has become so popular in the clubs here? Well it’s always been so,” he points out.

“So for example we had Abba disco at the same time as Larry Levan, the Smiths and U2, or you had Frankie Knuckles on the one hand and Erick Morillo on the other. The best pop is actually timeless,”

Bar de Netao (Renato Cohen, 2nd from left)

POSH! @ BAR DO NETÃO

“I think it’s pretty obvious to say that in short term, things will get more and more commercial but in the longer term, there will be always a small group growing up looking for quality music, it’s cyclical. In the last fifteen years, I’ve seen that happen about three times and I always end up being pleasantly surprised.” Renato Cohen (Renato on soundcloud; http://soundcloud.com/renato-cohen )

Opening his first club Vegas in a former strip club some eight years ago, Lions owner Facundo not only helped to gentrify Sao Paulo’s seedy sometimes dangerous transvestite prostitute strip on Rua Augusta but created a landmark club for underground house and techno in the city.

Eight years on, though still trading, Vegas is seen as over by most of the clubbing cognoscenti, though Rua Augusta continues to thrive attracting thousands of clubbers nightly to bars and venues dotted in between the sex clubs and strippers that remain on its lower downtown stretches.

50 metres up the street from Vegas is BAR DO NETÃO, a tiny basement sweatbox bar with a dancefloor the size of Berlin’s Club de Visionaire that’s nevertheless one of the coolest nightspots for underground clubbers. And leading its program is POSH! a predominantly gay affair that attracts a wild and stylish crowd of bears and allsorts.

Shell-shocked from A Loca’s toxic pop, I’m grateful POSH! is just around the corner and even happier when I arrive to hear the DJ (Jeronimo) spinning deep, groovy, pulsating techno. And everyone inside is TOTALLY up for it, screaming, sweating and snogging (Brazilians in every club are VERY big on kissing). POSH is celebrating its 2^nd birthday and Benjamin Ferreira and I do a 30 minute tic-tac set dropping proper Berlin style darker than dark techno which goes down a storm.

Saturday’s been saved, and judging from BAR DO NETÃO, at least, underground dance music is thriving.

Lions

Lions

“The pop nightlife scene has always existed here, like everywhere else. The only difference now is that the pop clubs are having a greater impact because we have so many clubs here generally. But I don’t believe this will finish our underground scene.” DJ Magal. Magal on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/magalsp )

Magal @ D-edge

As one of Sao Paulo’s most experienced and popular DJs, Magal has seen many trends come and go and he’s impressively insouciant about the impact- or otherwise, of Black Eyed Peas style pop. Though he’s invited me to play an all disco set with him tonight, the techno pioneer points out ‘Sao Paulo has 20 million people, there’s no reason all styles can’t thrive’ and promptly illustrates the point with a well received set of immaculately selected underground disco.

Lions isn’t particularly busy but it’s a Tuesday night and it’s been raining non stop all evening but another factor that’s definitely relevant is cost. Tickets tonight cost 50 REAIS, equivalent to over 20 EURs, a door tax that’s matched at most of the other clubs (except Bar de Netau, which is free).

Camilo Rocha

Camilo Rocha, one of Brazil’s top journalists as well as DJs agrees it’s a problem.

“A lot of clubs in SP now have become too expensive. This is leaving a lot of people out,” he says.

“I reckon the main battle is really not against this or that kind of music but against elitism and overpricing. If you want to gather a solid audience for underground music you have to be open to all walks of life. If you just cater for the upper middle classes upwards you are seriously limiting what you can achieve. Also, it makes for a much poorer and boring vibe in the club,” he points out.

He’s also optimistic about the wider picture for nightlife.

“Although there are many reasons for complaint, with a lot of pop-oriented nights and what seems like a very eager audience for these parties, there are solid underground currents going on,” says Camilo.

“Last weekend, for example, I played at guerilla party Voodoo Hop, after UK DJ Floating Points, and the party was outstanding. There was a perfect vibe, people smiling and going for it until early morning and the most well-known tune I played was probably “Sun”, by Caribou!””

I know, it’s probably the exception that proves the rule but then you also have  events like the Virada Cultural, SP city’s massive street festival, which had people packing and appreciating shows by non-mainstream acts like Skatalites, Fred Wesley & JBs, Deodato, The Misfits, tons of underground DJs.

“It was for free and once the money issue is out of the way you realize how many people can come and get into different kinds of stuff. It definitely lifted my hopes.”

Benjamin Ferreira is equally hopeful.

“Music-wise I feel people are more and more open for different sounds – new and classic, organic and synthetic. São Paulo has embraced me and it feels like home,” the Amazon raised DJ explains.

“You see established clubs such as D-Edge with wonderful line-ups every week, parties such as Ursound and venues such as Bar do Netão and Trackers (a biweekly Sunday afternoon warehouse party in an abandoned downtown tower block) delivering good music for different people.

“The underground is also thriving with the clubs and parties aforementioned and these places, among others, make the São Paulo nightlife the busiest and more exciting in Brazil,” he says.

For me personally, I’ve ended up having another fantastic trip to Sao Paulo where I’ve enjoyed playing at- and attending parties that have been as good as any from previous years, not least because of Brazilian people’s all round friendliness and love of partying. Sao Paulo rocks!”

Jonty Skrufff

Click on the logo to see the top 50

Individual DJ Top 10s

: Ade Fenton

: Alisson Gothz

: Ascii Disco

: Camilo Rocha

: Chris Finke

: Chris Fortier

: Christian Smith

: Christopher Lawrence

: Danny Howells

: Dave Clarke

Ade Fenton (click on the picture to see the top 50)

Ade Fenton

1. Joey Beltram – Energy Flash

2. Kraftwerk – Numbers

3. Dave Clarke – Red 1, 2 and 3

4. Jeff Mills – Waveform Transmission Volume 1

5. Underground Resistance – Sea Wolf

6. Aphex Twin – I Care Because You Do

7. Red Planet – Star Dancer

8. Surgeon – Badger Bite

9. Outlander – Vamp

10. Jeff Mills – Purpose Maker EP

Skrufff: Why did you select your number 1 choice?

Ade Fenton: “Energy Flash is, quite simply, the single most important record of all time. It not only changed my musical tastes, it changed my life and eventually led to my career in the music industry. When I first heard it, it was like someone had flicked a switch in my brain. I remember being in a club and thinking “what the FUCK is this??!!?” From that moment, techno became an obsession and I owe everything to that one track.”

Skrufff: Which tracks had the greatest influence without crossing over to the mainstream?

Ade Fenton: “I don’t think any of my top ten crossed over to the mainstream, with the possible exception of Kraftwerk. Thankfully, that meant techno lasted a long time.”

http://www.adefenton.com

Jonty Skrufff: http://listn.to/JontySkrufff

——-=——

Alisson Gothz: Click on the picture for the top 50

Alisson Gothz (Brazil)

1: Kraftwerk- Trans Europe Express

2: New Order- Blue Monday

3: Bomb The Bass: Beat Dis

4: Orbital- Halcyon + On & On,

5: Chemical Brothers- Block Rocking Beats

6: Madonna- Vogue

7: Daft Punk- Around The World,

8: Kraftwerk- Pocket Calculator

9: Prodigy- Firestarter

10: Underworld- Born Slippy

Skrufff: Why did you select your number 1 choice?

Alisson Gothz: “I think “Trans Europe Express” is a major classic, you cannot think of techno, electro and even hip hop without going back to this track.”

Skrufff: Which track turned you personally onto clubbing/dance music the most?

Alisson Gothz “Beat Dis” by Bomb the Bass! At that time I was really deep into goth rock and the only kind of electronic music I was listening to (aka early Industrial/EBM/New Beat tracks) was somehow linked to this “dark” scene. I only got into dance music after discovering the colourful world of Acid House. Another one I love is “Theme From S-Express”, by S-Express.”

http://www.facebook.com/alissongothz

Jonty Skrufff: http://listn.to/JontySkrufff

——-=——

Ascii Disco (Click on the picture for the top 50)

Ascii Disco:

1: Donna Summer – I Feel Love

2: Vitalic – Pony E.P.

3: Orbital – Are we here

4: Dave Clarke – Red 1 / Red 2

5: Underworld – Born Slippy

6: Aphex Twin – Selected Ambient works…the whole 2CDS

7: Sonic Youth – the burning spear (yes it is disco!)

8: Chemical Brothers – Star Guitar

9: Trans X – Living on Video

10:  Ascii.Disko – Einfach

Skrufff: Why did you select your number 1 choice?

Ascii Disco: “This track is timeless. I still play it a lot. It is techno, electro and house and most of all sexy.”

Skrufff: Which track turned you personally onto clubbing/ dance music the most?

Ascii Disco: “My own track “Einfach”. I was totally into rock and did some Electro music for fun. “Einfach” was a success and I then was asked to play DJ sets in clubs. So I started buying techno records like crazy and became a DJ all because of this track. “Einfach” opened a complete new world to me. It was the beginning of my life as ascii.disko.”

http://www.asciidisko.com

Jonty Skrufff: http://listn.to/JontySkrufff

——-=——

Camilo Rocha (Click on the picture for the top 50)

Camilo Rocha (Brazil)

1: James Brown – Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag

2: Issac Hayes – Shaft

3: The Winstons – Amen, Brother

4: Donna Summer/Giorgio Moroder – I Feel Love

5: Augustus Pablo – King Tubby Meets the Rockers Uptown

6: Alexander Robotnick – Problemes D’Amour

7: Marshall Jefferson – Move Your Body

8: New Order – Blue Monday

9: Rhythm Is Rhythm – Strings Of Life

10: MARRS – Pump Up the Volume

Skrufff: Why did you select your number 1 choice?

Camilo Rocha: “James Brown’s track represents a major shift in the story of rhythm. It launched the funk rhythm, with the accent on the first beat of the bar, as opposed to the dominant pattern of soul and rock which emphasized the second beat. Everything that came after, disco, house, techno, electro derives from the rhythm structure pioneered on this 1965 single.”

Skrufff: Which track turned you personally onto clubbing/ dance music the most?

Camilo Rocha: “I wouldn’t say there was a single piece of music that converted me, it was more like a process. But tracks like Blue Monday and Move your Body were pretty important in pointing me to a future based on repetitive electronic beats.”

Skrufff: Which tracks had the greatest influence without crossing over to the mainstream?

Camilo Rocha: “Marshall’s Move Your body for sure, allegedly the first house track to use pianos! Nuff said!”

Camilo’s blog: http://bateestaca.virgula.uol.com.br

Twitter :  http://twitter.com/camilorocha

Jonty Skrufff: http://listn.to/JontySkrufff

——-=——

Chris Finke: (Click on the picture for the top 50)

Chris Finke:

(In Alphabetical Order!)

3 Phase Featuring Dr. Motte  ”Der Klang Der Familie” – Transmat (1992)

B-Sides (Frank De Wulf) “The Tape (Remix)” – Music Man (1991)

Flock Of Seagulls “I Ran” – Jive (1982)

Jermaine Stewart “We Don’t Have To Take Our Clothes Off” – Arista (1985)

Joey Beltram “Energy Fash” – Transmat / R&S(1990)

Lenny De Ice _We Are ie” – Reel 2 Reel (1991)

Mescalinum United “We Have Arrived” (The Mover Remix) – PCP / R&S (1992)

Acid Junkies “Sector 9″ – Djax-Up-Beats – 1992

Nico “Darkstar (Positive Outlook)” – ESP Records (1992)

World To World  ”Amazon” – Underground Resistance (1992)

Skrufff: Why did you select your number 1 choice?

Chris Finke: “This was a near impossible task, but I included some of the dance tracks in that have really influenced me and would be relevant. I’m past caring about putting cool tracks into lists, all of these kick ass on the dancefloor one way or another and each one has had some sort of influence on me, whether its the energy of  Flock Of Seagull’s I Ran’ and The Tape, or the mind-melting effect of tracks like Klang Der Familie and and We Have Arrived. Or just the sheer musical genius of Jermaine Stewart’s We Don’t Have to…, Amazon or  Darkstar (Positive Outlook).”

Skrufff: Which track turned you personally onto clubbing/ dance music the most?

Chris Finke: “Again this is hard to pinpoint, but the one track in the list where I really had to stop and think ‘this is next level’ was Lenny De Ice’s We Are ie”. Hearing that thunderous Amen break and killer B-line at a big outdoor rave for the first time (Weekend World, Brafield Stadium, Northants!) was a jaw dropper for so many people there, it really stuck out.”

Skrufff: Which tracks had the greatest influence without crossing over to the mainstream?

Chris Finke: “Of all the ones on there that didn’t cross over, I would say that Amazon could have actually crossed over if it had been released a few years later (in the same way that “Knights of the Jaguar” did). It’s got everything and the kitchen sink but its put together so well, it’s an absolute classic.”

http://www.facebook.com/chrisfinkedj

http://www.soundcloud.com/chrisfinke

http://www.twitter.com/chrisfinke

Jonty Skrufff: http://listn.to/JontySkrufff

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Chris Fortier: (Click on the picture for the top 50)

Chris Fortier:

1.    The KLF – What Time Is Love (Pure Trance Mix) (KLF Communications)

2.    Cybotron – Alleys Of The Mind (Deep Space Recordings)

3.    Ce Ce Rogers – Someday (Atlantic)

4.    LFO – LFO (Warp)

5.    Leftfield – Not Forgotten (Hard Hand Mix) (Outer Rhythm)

6.    The Chemical Brothers – Chemical Beats (Junior Boys Own)

7.    Joey Beltram – Energy Flash (R&S)

8.    Vernon – Wonderer (Instrumental Mix) (Eye Q)

9.    Hardfloor – Experience (Harthouse)

10. 2 Bad Mice – Bombscare (Moving Shadow)

11. DBX – Losing Control (Accelerate)

12. Candi Staton – You’ve Got The Love

13. Mr Fingers – Can You Feel It (Trax)

14. Danny Tenaglia – Bottom Heavy (Tribal America)

15. Royal House – Can You Party (Warlock)

16. Jeff Mills – Purpose Maker

17. Prodigy – Charly / Your Love (XL Recordings)

18. Plastikman – Spastik (Novamute)

19. BT – Embracing The Sunshine (Musicnow)

20. Jaydee – Plastic Dreams (R&S)

21. Eric B & Rakim – Paid In Full (Coldcut Remix)

22. The Choice – Acid Eifel (Transmat)

23. Orbital – The Chime (FFRR)

24. Primal Scream – Loaded (Creation)

25. Delerium – Silence (Fade Sanctuary Remix

Skrufff: Why did you select your number 1 choice?

Chris Fortier:  “My list could really be in any order. There isn’t a necessary priority to any of them.  I selected tracks I felt were heavily influential and pivotal in music that when these tracks came out, there was a notable shift or new wave movement with the overall electronic music scene.  And these essentially sparked new trends or threads of the music.  The KLF one is somewhat even more personal to me since it was around the time I started to really DJ and figure out the kinds of tracks I wanted to buy and play.”

Skrufff: Which track turned you personally onto clubbing/ dance music the most?

Chris Fortier: “Cybotron, Ce Ce Rogers and also Mr Fingers. These were some of the first records I remember hearing as I was discovering house music as a teenager.  Cybotron (circa 1981/82) would really be a blueprint for some real experimenting in the new techno.”

http://soundcloud.com/chris-fortier

Jonty Skrufff: http://listn.to/JontySkrufff

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Christian Smith: (Click on the picture for the top 50)

Christian Smith:

1. Manuel Goettsching – e2-e4

2. Kraftwerk – Numbers

3. Cerrone – Supernature

4. Man Parish – Hip Hop, Be Bop

5. Adonis – No Way Back

6. Marshall Jefferson – Move Your Body

7. Visage – Fade To Grey

8. Ministry – Work For Love

9. Severed Heads – Dead Eyes Opened

10.Section 25 – Looking from a Hilltop

Skrufff: Why did you select your number 1 choice?

Christian Smith: “This tune was written in 1981 and was well ahead of its time. It’s a one hour ambient/minimal journey that is simply timeless and never gets boring. This tune has been sampled many times in house and techno records decades after and is a cornerstone of modern electronic music.”

Skrufff: Which track turned you personally onto clubbing/ dance music the most?

Christian Smith: “It’s impossible to narrow this down to one song, but if I would have to choose one track it would be Kraftwerk’s Numbers. I was 9 yeas old when this was released and I still remember hearing it for the first time: total future! Even today it sounds like nothing else out there.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQb2Y8wmMTk

http://www.facebook.com/officialchristiansmith

http://twitter.com/#!/CSmithLIVE

http://www.djchristiansmith.com

Jonty Skrufff: http://listn.to/JontySkrufff

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Christopher Lawrence (Click on the picture for the top 50)

Christopher Lawrence:

Bobby Konders’ House Rhythms – Nervous Acid – Nu Groove 1990

X-Cabs – Neuro – Hook Recordings 1995  -  This track defined my sound!

Hardfloor  - Acperience – Harthouse 1992

N-Joi – Malfunction – Deconstruction 1991

DJ Misjah & DJ Tim – Access – X-Traxx 1996

808 State – Cubik – ZZT 1990

Gat Decor – Passion – Effective 1992

New Order – Temptation – Factory 1982

Dave Clarke Presents Red 2 – Wisdom to the Wise - Bush 1994

Speedy J -  Pepper (The Hot Mix) – Warp 1993

Skrufff: Why did you select your number 1 choice?

Christopher Lawrence: “Nervous Acid was the first real acid house track I ever heard. This track changed my life. It was 4am, E was being passed around in a water bottle. I was hooked and never looked back.”

Skrufff: Which track turned you personally onto clubbing/ dance music the most?

Christopher Lawrence: “No particular track. I had been clubbing since I was sixteen but was more into new wave and post industrial. It was acid house that really converted me.”

Skrufff: Which tracks had the greatest influence without crossing over to the mainstream?

Christopher Lawrence: “Hardfloor ‘sAcperience and DJ Misjah & DJ Tim’s Access.”

http://facebook.com/djchristopherlawrence

http://twitter.com/djclawrence

Jonty Skrufff: http://listn.to/JontySkrufff

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Danny Howells ((Click on the picture for the full top 50)

Danny Howells

1: James Brown – Let Yourself Go/There Was A Time/I Feel All Right (Live at the Apollo Vol 2)

2: Primal Scream – Higher Than The Sun

3: Donna Summer – I Feel Love

4: Slam – Eterna

5: Kraftwerk – The Robots

6: Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five – The Message

7: Massive Attack – Unfinished Sympathy

8: Beastie Boys – Paul’s Boutique

9: Prince – Mountains (12″ Mix)

10: Jam & Spoon – Stella

11: Propaganda – P-Machinery (beta) 12″

12: Marvin Gaye – What’s Going On

13: Human League – Love & Dancing

14: The KLF – Chill Out

15: Simple Minds – Theme For Great Cities

16: Al Downing – I’ll Be Holding On

17: Hardfloor – Hardtrance Acperience

18: Future Sound of London – Papua New Guinea

19: Soul II Soul – Keep On Moving

20: Last Rhythm – Last Rhythm

Skrufff: Why did you select your number 1 choice?

Danny Howells: “Because my mum used to play this non-stop when I was four of five years old, and I suppose it was my first introduction to sheer hypnosis in music. It’s a medley that runs to about 20 minutes or so, and it just sinks deeper and deeper into a trance, with James Brown engaging the crowd in a call and response chant of “hey hey, I feel alright..” and so on. And he’s controlling his band, getting them to create drum and brass stabs with callouts of “two times”, “three times” etc. This is where you can hear where Prince got so many of his live ideas from. “

Skrufff: Which track turned you personally onto clubbing/ dance music the most?

Danny Howells: “There were many influential tracks for me, but one stands out and that’s Slam’s “Eterna”. I’d been DJing and clubbing for a while, but I remember one of our local DJs playing this at a party in Hastings once, and it came on at the same time that I had my first true “experience”, if you know what I mean.”

Skrufff: Which tracks had the greatest influence without crossing over to the mainstream?

Danny Howells: “There were many, often b-sides to early 80s synth tracks. Things like Soft Cell’s “Memorabilia” etc (although I suppose that was pretty popular). The 12″ mix of Act’s “Snobbery & Decay” was a huge influence on me and was a chart flop, even though it was on ZTT. Plus when I was a kid, there were frequently extended versions on the b-sides of disco 7″s like Al Downing’s “I’ll Keep Holding On”. Tracks like this exposed me to the art of the extended mix. I know I’ll look at the top 20 I just sent you in half an hour or so and realise I’ve left something really crucial out!”

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http://twitter.com/Danny_Howells

Jonty Skrufff: http://listn.to/JontySkrufff

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Dave Clarke; (Click on the picture for the full top 50)

Dave Clarke:

1: New Order- Blue Monday

2: Donna Summer- I feel love

3: Phuture- Acid Tracks

4: Underground Resistance- Seawolf

5: Blake Baxter- When a Thought Becomes You

6: Cybotron- Clear

7: Man Parrish- Hip Hop Be Bop

8: Newleus- Push the Button

9: Nitzer Ebb- Let Your Body Learn

10: Front 242- Headhunter

Skrufff: Why did you select your number 1 choice?

Dave Clarke: “Blue Monday was one of those tracks that had everything at the right time, 12 inch format, that electronic drum programme that made you want to save up for a drum machine, the vocals . . . just all together at the right time, I even played in Athens last week in Blend.”

Skrufff: Which track turned you personally onto clubbing/ dance music the most?

Dave Clarke: “That is very, very hard to say, but I have to give kudos to Phuture for Acid Tracks, it got me canned off a hip hop jam, but it was the future (if you excuse the pun) . . . who needs drugs when you have this, it blew my mind.”

Skrufff: Which tracks had the greatest influence without crossing over to the mainstream?

Dave Clarke: “I find “top ten’s” so hard and unrealistic. As a music enthusiast I get inspired all the time, from Lydia Lunch to PJ Harvey to Fad Gadget in the past to Mr. Jones and George Lanham now, in fact the majority of my music collection and influences never crossed over to the mainstream at all. I could be a snooty so and so and give you a top ten of utterly uncompromising influencing music that the majority of your non music making readers would be baffled by. I think from my top ten it would be Push the Button by Newcleus as the production (done on a four track cassette recorder) blows away similar productions done on big desks, it gave inspiration from many, many angles.”

http://daveclarke.com

Jonty Skrufff: http://listn.to/JontySkrufff

click for Jonty Skrufff's Band page

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Click HERE to access the full results:

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We recently asked fifty of our favourite DJs and regular Skrufff contributors to tell us their top 10 most influential dance tracks of all time: the ones that both inspired and affected them personally and helped shape wider electronic dance culture.

The resulting Top 50 (see below) has been calculated by adding up each track’s votes with no weighting given to ranking within each DJ’s top 10 (so a number 1 has the same value as a 10). Where the total numbers of votes are equal we’ve listed tracks in alphabetical order (by artist) reflecting more than a few contributors’ approaches to selecting their key tracks.

Pedro Winter thinking about his top 10

US house star Chris Fortier said his top choice of the KLF’s What Time Is Love was particularly personal because ‘it came out around the time I started to really DJ and figure out the kinds of tracks I wanted to buy and play’, though stressed ‘my list could really be in any order’.

Underground British tech-house DJ Louis Osbourne concurred.

“Here’s my top 10 in no particular order,” said Louis, “I feel very “Hi-Fidelity” now,’ he chuckled.

High Fidelity: the Trailer (click for more)

Louis’ reference to the Nick Hornby book/ film, in which a record shop worker spends his time compiling- then endlessly debating- increasingly obscure ‘best ever’ lists struck a chord with this poll, specifically its identification of the hobby as a male obsession.

Indeed none of the female DJs and producers we contacted decided to take part in the poll, which otherwise drew enthusiastic responses from (male) leading lights of dance culture, including DJ Pierre, Tom Tom Club, Pedro Winter and New Order/ Joy Division bass player Peter Hook.

Relative newcomers including Get The Curse’ DJ Olibusta, Romania’s The Model and Nikhil Chinapa and DJ Arjun (Jalebee Cartel) from India also shared their opinions.

Joy Division's first ever TV appearance (Peter Hook on the right) click for more

Click HERE for full details (plus the next 50), of what we reckon’s a definitive list of the most influential dance tracks- ever!  Thanks to all the DJs for taking part.

Compiled by Jonty Skrufff: http://listn.to/JontySkrufff ) Each DJ’s individual top 10 will be posted within the next few days.

DJs/ producers who voted:

Ade Fenton, Alisson Gothz, Ascii Disco, Camilo Rocha, Chris Finke, Chris Fortier, Christian Smith, Christopher Lawrence, Danny Howells, Dave Clarke.

DAVE the Drummer, Deepgroove, Diarmaid O’Meara, DJ Ariel, DJ Pierre, Dusty Kid, Edwin Oosterwal, Gary Smith, Gladys Pizarrro (Ex Strictly Rhythm), Graham Gold.

Hugh O Bryder, Jagz Kooner, Jalebee Cartel, Jeffrey Disastronaut, Johnny Dynell, Jonty Skrufff, Judge Jules, Lenny Ibizarre, Liquid, Louis Osbourne.

Luke Howard, Mark Kavanagh, MOTOR, Nick Muir, Nikhil Chinapa, Olibusta, Pathaan, Patrice Baumel, Pedro Winter, Peter Hook (New Order).

Phuturetraxx, Sara Mrs Smith, Secret Cinema, Steve Mac, The model, Timo Maas, Tom Tom Club, Utah Saints, Way Out West (Jody Wisternoff), X Press 2 (Rocky).

The Winner is: New Order: Blue Monday (Blue Monday on Wiki: http://bit.ly/wfVnz)

“Which track turned me personally onto clubbing/ dance music the most? New Order- Blue Monday.”

Judge Jules was one of 15 of our 50 who selected New Order’s multi-million selling disco classic as did Irish DJ (and Daily Star deputy) Mark Kavanagh (‘this record changed my life’) and Audiosushi’s Jeffrey Disastronaut ‘Blue Monday made me realise- even in 1983 – that I could do this for the rest of my life…”

Peter Hook, however, admitted he was surprised.

“How much was I aware of how special it was when we created it? To be truthful not very much really. It was never one of my favourite songs. I much preferred “Thieves Like Us”,” the New Order/ Joy Division legend told Skrufff.

I tell you what, when I was sat there doing it in 1982? I NEVER thought it would get comments like this 29 years later,” he added.

Underworld's Born Slippy

While less than ecstatic about Blue Monday he was considerably more enthused about his own first choice, Underworld’s Born Slippy (or ‘Lager Lager’ as it calls it).

“To me this track embodies everything about clubbing from the beat to the lyrics,” said Hooky. “Live fast die young with no thought of tomorrow!”

Donna Summer: I Feel Love

The poll’s second stand out choice, Donna Summer’s I Feel Love (which, like Blue Monday attracted twice as many votes as third, fourth and fifth place tracks Planet Rock, Acid Tracks and French Kiss) drew equally enthusiastic responses.

“Some record are years ahead of their time, ‘I Feel Love’ was decades ahead,” Horse Meat Disco’s Luke Howard declared.

“This track showed you didn’t need a guitar to make exciting music,” Jez and Tim from Utah Saints agreed, “and kick-started bedroom producers around the world!”

The Yorkshire tribute also paid fulsome tribute to Patrick Cowley’s 15 minute epic remix, as did legendary New York underground DJ Johnny Dynell.

“The Giorgio Moroder original was earth shattering but the 15 minute Patrick Cowley German remix in 1978 took it even further,” he said.

British acid house pioneer turned Primal Scream producer Jagz Kooner agreed.

“It’s the art of the remix defined- in 1978,” he enthused, “Built from one of the greatest tunes ever made and turned into an epic 15 minute version with more cool synth riffs and arpeggiators than pretty much any tune that has been put together since. Still gets me every time.”

A Guy Called Gerald

Best of the rest

John Digweed (and Bedrock’s) esteemed producer Nick Muir singled out A Guy Called Gerald’s Voodoo Ray as his ultimate inspirational choice, declaring “I put this track first because it’s not just a piece of music, it’s a state of mind.’

“All the tracks I selected were ‘game changers’ as far as I was concerned; tracks which came to my attention at certain times along the way and affected me profoundly.”

Nick also singled out X Press 2′s early 90s classic London Xpress for special attention, in particular for its raw dance floor power.

“I can remember standing at the back of Bagleys in about 1992, somewhat the worse for wear screaming ‘CLASSIC!’ at the top of my lungs when London Xpress came on,” he recalled.

“At the time that track just nailed it. Simple, unpretentious, right in the money. UK house at its finest.”

Planet Rock

X Press 2 producer Rocky instead cited Afrika Bambaataa’s Planet Rock as his ‘year zero for dance music’ (aged 12) also choosing DJ Pierre’s Acid Tracks for providing his own acid house epiphany.

‘It was the record that gave birth to an entire musical culture. It’s arguable that there were ‘acid’ records before this, but this was the one that signalled the start of something huge,” he said.

Planet Rock on Wiki; http://bit.ly/6UPOc

godfather of soul James Brown (click for more)

James Brown

Though picking up relatively few votes from our 50, ‘Godfather of Soul’ James Brown received superlative praise from a number, including leading Brazilian journalist (and DJ) Camilo Rocha, who picked out Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag as his number one choice.

“James Brown’s track represents a major shift in the story of rhythm. It launched the funk rhythm, with the accent on the first beat of the bar, as opposed to the dominant pattern of soul and rock which emphasized the second beat,” said Camilo.

“Everything that came after, disco, house, techno, electro derives from the rhythm structure pioneered on this 1965 single,” he said.

Johnny Dynell (who also picked ‘Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag’) was more succinct.

“Without James Brown’s repetitive funk rhythms there would be no Disco and with no Disco there would be no House and with no House there would be nothing,” said Johnny, “I would be out of a job.”

British house DJ Danny Howells instead singled out Brown’s ‘Let Yourself Go/There Was A Time/I Feel All Right (Live at the Apollo Vol 2)’ explaining ‘My mum used to play this non-stop when I was four of five years old, and I suppose it was my first introduction to sheer hypnosis in music.’

“It’s a medley that runs to about 20 minutes or so, and it just sinks deeper and deeper into a trance, with James Brown engaging the crowd in a call and response chant of “hey hey, I feel alright.” and so on,” said Danny.

“And he’s controlling his band, getting them to create drum and brass stabs with callouts of “two times”, “three times” etc. This is where you can hear where Prince got so many of his live ideas from,” he said.

Kraftwerk

Kraftwerk

Brasil-based Swedish techno guru Christian Smith is one of many to include Kraftwerk though with votes splitting for a number of tracks, the Teutonic icons rock up in the 9 and 10 spots (with Numbers and Trans Europe Express.

“It’s impossible to narrow this down to one song, but if I would have to choose one track it would be Kraftwerk’s Numbers,” Christian told Skrufff.

“I was 9 yeas old when this was released and I still remember hearing it for the first time! Total future! Even today it sounds like nothing else out there,” he enthused.

Acid techno guru Henry ‘D.A.V.E. The Drummer’ Cullen (also coincidentally still a big star in Brazil) was similarly smitten at a young age.

“Kraftwerk’s Computer World was one of the first albums I ever owned, and I listened to it constantly on cassette,” he recalled.

“I was completely in love with the electronic voices and synth sequences, everything really, and it was so different to the crap disco and post punk shit that was in the charts at the time. I’m talking about the early 80 and boy there was some crap in the charts at that time,” Henry continued, “Ottowan (D.I.S.C.O.), Abba, you name it. As a 12 year old I hated it all,” he laughed.

Kraftwerk on wiki: http://bit.ly/21K7Ah

Techno, Techno, Techno, Techno

While Joey Beltram’s Energy Flash performed highly (‘Energy Flash  was quite simply, the single most important record of all time. It not only changed my musical tastes, it changed my life’, said Ade Fenton), numerous other techno classics split the vote.

“If I had to explain to an alien “what techno is on earth” I’ll make him listening to that track!‘ Dusty Kid said about PLastikman’s seminal early 90s remake of System 7’s Alpha Wave while Dutch star Secret Cinema chose Stakker’s Humanoid.

“It was my first experience with Acid in a club,” Jereon told Skrufff, “I heard that track 3 times a night and it still kept me going on the dancefloor with full on Strobe-lights…..unbeatable.”

Patrice Baumel

Fellow Amsterdam based German producer Patrice Baumel singled out (though didn’t include) Jam and Spoon’s Follow Me because ‘at my local discotheque that was as techno as it got and my regular highlight of the night’. For his most influential track, however, he went for Emmanuel Top’s mighty Acid Phase.’

“Hearing that record played out was the first time I “got” slower techno.” Patrice explained, “Before that I just couldn’t understand why DJs would even bother dipping below 160bpm.”

Compiled by Jonty Skrufff: http://listn.to/JontySkrufff ) Each DJ’s individual top 10 will be posted within the next few days.

Skrufff.com's Most Influential Dance Tracks Ever: New Order's Blue Monday

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For DJs’ comments on why they picked what they picked, click HERE

1; New Order: Blue Monday

2: Donna Summer – I Feel Love

3: Afrika BamBaataa & The Soulsonic Force  – Planet Rock

4: DJ Pierre & Phuture: Acid Tracks

5: Lil Louis – French Kiss

6: Hardfloor  – Acperience

7: Marshall Jefferson – Move Your Body

8: Underworld- Born Slippy

9: Kraftwerk – Numbers

10: Kraftwerk- Trans Europe Express

I Feel Love (Skrufff's Number 2 'Most Influential Dance Tracks Ever')

11: Plastikman-Spastik

12: Dave Clarke – Red 2

13: Augustus Pablo – King Tubby Meets the Rockers Uptown

14: Joey Beltram – Energy Flash

15: KLF – What Time Is Love

16: LFO: LFO

17: Massive Attack -Unfinished Sympathy

18: Rhythm Is Rhythm (Derrick May) – Strings Of Life

19: A Guy Called Gerald – Voodoo Ray

20: Aphex Twin – Window Licker

For DJs’ comments on why they picked what they picked, click HERE

KLF: What Time Is Love?

21: Chemical Brothers- Block Rocking Beats

22: Daft Punk- Around The World

23: Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five – Adventures of the Wheels of Steel

24: Jam and Spoon-Stella

25: Manuel Goettsching- e2-e4

26: MARRS – Pump Up the Volume

27: Orbital- Chime

28: Prodigy – Smack My Bitch Up

29: Art of Noise-Close to the Edit

30: Cerrone; Supernature

For DJs’ comments on why they picked what they picked, click HERE

MARRS: Pump Up The Volume

31: Chic – Le Freak

32: Daft Punk – Da Funk

33: Farley Jackmaster Funk; Love Can’t Turn Around

34: Front 242: Headhunter

35: Future Sound Of London – Papua New Guinea

36: Gat Decor; Passion

37: Inner City: Good Life

38: James Brown – Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag

39: Jeff Mills- The Bells

40: Josh Wink: Higher State of Consciousness

For DJs’ comments on why they picked what they picked, click HERE

Daft Punk; Da Funk

41: Meat Beat Manifesto – Babylon

42: Michael Jackson – Billie Jean

43: Moby: Go

44: Mory Kante – Yeke Yeke

45: Mr Fingers; Can You Feel It

46: Primal Scream; Loaded

47: Prodigy; Charlie

48: Rolando – Knights of the Jaguar

49: Sasha- Xpander

50: Soft Cell; Memorabilia

For DJs’ comments on why they picked what they picked, click HERE

More Kante's Yeke Yeke (click to listen)

Compiled by Jonty Skrufff: http://listn.to/JontySkrufff

DJs/ producers who voted:

Ade Fenton, Alisson Gothz, Ascii Disco, Camilo Rocha, Chris Finke, Chris Fortier, Christian Smith, Christopher Lawrence, Danny Howells, Dave Clarke,

DAVE the Drummer, Deepgroove, Diarmaid O’Meara, DJ Ariel, DJ Pierre, Dusty Kid, Edwin Oosterwal, Gary Smith, Gladys Pizarrro (Ex Strictly Rhythm), Graham Gold,

Hugh O Bryder, Jagz Kooner, Jalebee Cartel, Jeffrey Disastronaut, Johnny Dynell, Jonty Skrufff, Judge Jules, Lenny Ibizarre, Liquid, Louis Osbourne,

Luke Howard, Mark Kavanagh, MOTOR, Nick Muir, Nikhil Chinapa, Olibusta, Pathaan, Patrice Baumel, Pedro Winter, Peter Hook (New Order),

Phuture traxx, Sara Mrs Smith, Secret Cinema, Steve Mac, The model, Timo Maas, Tom Tom Club, Utah Saints, Way Out West (Jody Wisternoff), X Press 2 (Rocky)

The Next 50:

Also included

3 Phase Featuring Dr. Motte  ”Der Klang Der Familie”

2 Bad Mice – Bombscare

adonis – no way back

Alexander Robotnick – Problemes D’Amour

Art of Noise- Moments in love

Basement Jaxx: Fly Life

Beat Dis, Bomb The Bass

The Beloved- The Sun Rising

Cafe Del Mar 98- Energy 52

Ce Ce Rogers – Someday

Chemical Brothers- Block Rocking Beats

Chemical Brothers – Out Of Control

Crystal Waters- Gypsy Woman

Cybotron – Alleys Of The Mind

DJ Misjah & DJ Tim – Access

Future Sound of London-Papua New Guinea

Hardfloor: Fish and Chips

Inner City – Good Life

Issac Hayes – Shaft

Joe Smooth: Promised Land

Kaoma – Lambada

Laurie Anderson- O Superman

Lionrock: Lionrock

man parish – hip hop, be bop

Marmion – Schoneberg

MFSB – Love Is The Message

Michel Jackson – Billie Jean

Mr Oizo – Flat Eric

Nathan Fake – Sky Is Pink (James Holden Remix)

New Order – Temptation

Night Crawlers-Let The Music take You

Norman  Greenbaum- Spirit in the sky

Paul van Dyk: for an Angel

Primal Scream – Higher Than The Sun

Robert Armani – Circus Bells (Hardfloor Remix)

Sisters Of Mercy; Temple Of Love

Slam – Eterna

Soul11 Soul: Back to Life

Stardust: Music Sounds better

Steve Silk Hurley-Jack Your Body

System 7 – Alpha Wave (PLastikman acid house mix)

Talking Heads – Once In A Lifetime

Todd Terry – Something is going on

Tubeway Army; Are Friends Electric

ULTRA NATE: Free

Underworld – Rez

Underground Resistance: Seawolf

Vernon’s Wonderland- Vernon’s Wonderland

Vitalic – Pony E.P.

Visage: Fade To Gray

X-Press 2 – Muzik Express

Yaz – Situation

For DJs’ comments on why they picked what they picked, click HERE

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