We continue our feature series in which we ask producers, DJs and electronic artists to pick out the records that define their ‘house’.
Ahead of the release of his Strictly Jacked! mix album, Classic’s Luke Solomon makes his personal selections.
A RECORD I SAMPLED
Brainstorm - Hot For U
I remember hearing this for the first time in Chicago in the early 90s (a little late to the party I know.) Gemini played it at a party we put on and worked the middle section over and over: it’s a 10 minute record anyway, so this went on for some time! It stayed in my head and has remained there ever since. It was actually the second record that I sampled as part of Freaks for our first single on Phono ‘The Shrunken Head’, so it will always hold fond memories for me.
MY FAVOURITE EVER HOUSE REMIX
Grace Jones - Feel Up (Danny Tenaglia remix)
I remember scooping one of these on the day of release when I was working at a record shop in Barnet. It was part of a single released for the Aids Foundation and it still remains to this day one of my favourite ever house remixes.I played it last year when Rob Mello and I opened the Genosys stage at Glastonbury to a crowd of thousands, and it erupted: an amazing feeling.
A MYSTERY HOUSE RECORD
Rosie Gaines - I Surrender (Junior Vasquez remix)
This first appeared mysteriously as the Musk Men entitled ‘Explosions’ - again in the mid-90s. I remember it carrying a mysterious back story - but no one actually know what the exact record was. It wasn’t until recently that I discovered exactly what it was whilst looking for a different Rosie Gaines record on iTunes. Originally it was thought to be an MK remix of Prince - it actually was this - but Prince wrote and performed on it. An absolute Classic.
THE RECORDS THAT REMINDS ME OF FRIENDS
Martin Circus - Disco Circus
Again, I was late to the party with this record. I was first made aware of its existence by two of my dearest friends; a certain Mr Derrick Carter and Tim Shumaker (of Home & Garden fame, who has also released records on Classic.) Derrick used to - and still does - play the arse out of it. Tim then told me what it was and gave me a copy when I went out to play in Dallas for the first time, but what made it special was that the copy he gave me was a ‘DJ’ copy which had two copies of the same record in one 12 inch so you could basically do your own DJ edits on the fly.
THE UNSUNG HEROES OF CHICAGO HOUSE
Home & Garden feat. Colette – Sexuality
I am pretty sure that to this day I am still their greatest fan. They had a series of amazing singles on Classic - all of them did pretty well - but I don’t think they ever recognised their importance in house music through the 90s. Tim Shumaker and Tim Kavanosky made some real classics, but this still gives me goose bumps. Tim K went on to co-produce ‘The Hue’ for Classic with JT Donaldson and also singles with Honey Dijon. The other Tim ended up becoming a wonderful photographer that has contributed to both Classic and my own portfolios.
Strictly Jacked! Mixed by Luke Solomon is out 31 July 2015 (digital) on Strictly Rhythm - order from iTunes
Defected Gets Physical Mixed by DJ T. and Luke Solomon is out 28 August 2015 (3CD and digital) on Defected Records. Pre-order the CD from the DStore
