The State of Sao Paulo Night-life; Is Pop Killing the Club Scene?
Magal, Renato Cohen, Camilo Rocha, Benjamin Ferreira, Alisson Gothz, Eduardo Corelli
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)
Skrufff.com’s Top 50 Most Influential Dance Tracks Ever: DJ by DJ: the 1st 10
Compiled by Jonty Skrufff: http://listn.to/JontySkrufff
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
Skrufff.com’s Top 50 Most Influential Dance Tracks Ever: the details
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!”
Skrufff.com’s Top 50 Most Influential Dance Tracks Ever: The Results
Compiled by Jonty Skrufff: http://listn.to/JontySkrufff
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
http://skrufff.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/MarrsPumpUpTheVolumeAD707.jpg "MarrsPumpUpTheVolumeAD707")
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)
