Media Talks Back: Abhi Meer’s Top Ten

This edition of Media Talks Back raids the playlist of critic/musician/DJ Abhi Meer – Editor-in-Chief at Bhavishayvani Future Soundz. When he’s not editor-in-chief-ing, he’s dominating dance floors under the alias Norcotiq. When he’s not doing any of the above, he’s curating playlists for us that offer a sneak peak (and listen) to the myriad musical messiahs that have shaped his eclectic tastes. Hear ye. 

“As a DJ, I’ve never let genres dictate what I play out. As a critic, it’s sometimes hard not to, especially when you find yourself obsessed with a song or an album or an era. As a musician though, I only ever align with what makes my soul clap. This playlist is all over the place, new songs and old, some from particular periods of my life, and some that soundtracked really definitive moments growing up. Essentially, a taste of what I’m all about. I hope you dig, and then some more”.

1. DJ Marky & XRX feat. Stamina MC – LK

I heard this DJ Marky jam for the first time at a club called Ginglik close to my old apartment in West London. Ginglik was one of those edgy, super underground, optional membership spots, that had been converted from a public toilet beneath Shepherd’s Bush Green. Plaid even played there once, Radioactive Man was a regular. It was 2003-2004 or something, I was 17, Ecstasy was involved and it was Friday. This is one of those songs that really come to define a place in your life and leave a permanent spot in your heart and mind. I would kill for more drum ’n’ bass to sound like this.

2. Jimpster – Porchlight & Rocking Chairs

The year was 2013, and a whole lot of 4×4 dance music that was previously reliant on drum kit energy had started to give way to bass and more bass and a heavy reliance on uppers. Jimpster dropped an album of melodious, shoegaze-y club tunes and this one in particular stood out for being as emotive and powerful as a lot of what was out there by making real intelligent use of the low-end. KiNK’s remix, designed for club use, was a home run as well.

3. uffe* – Lemon Nights Done

Lemon Nights Done combines all the great elements of a retro-futuristic dance track. It’s got plenty of soul, great chords, a funky, memorable groove, these little acid bubbles under the surface, and enough raw experimentation to leave you guessing throughout. The future of uplifting dance music is in good hands with the likes of young producers like uffe* doing what they do.

4. Tom Trago – The Elite

Tom Trago is a proper tastemaker, even before being a producer, label owner and performer. A lot of his music gets thrown right into that “instant-classic” category because of its ability to either transport you to a special memory or its ability to make you paint pictures of future situations and environments in your mind. Where were you when you first heard this? Or rather, where do you want to be right now?

5. Voiski – From White To Red

I absolutely love this Voiski tune. But I didn’t initially. The first time I heard it was on Erol Alkan’s FabricLive mix from last year. That first time, it kind of annoyed me. I felt there was too much going on in within the song, a lot of noise and and it would only let up for a few brief moments to breathe and give the listener a moment to think and make sense of stuff. Just. Like. Life.

I read a book some time ago and I think it was Eddie Vedder that said Jane’s Addiction was the band that made it acceptable for other late ‘80s – earl ‘90s bands to behave like complete freaks, and allow that to bleed through their art and lifestyle choices. They’re a sort of pre-millenium Rolling Stones. This opens Nothing Shocking, not just an album, a real masterpiece, art in its highest form. I was 15 or 16 and I remember posting it to the Gigpad forums under a thread called Best Basslines (I was a bass player back then).

7. Puff Daddy ft. The Notorious B.I.G. & Busta Rhymes – Victory

This is the song that birthed my love for rap music. Not hip-hop, straight rap. People like to hate on Puff Daddy, but Biggie and him made a solid team. The (long version) video’s got Dennis Hopper and Danny DeVito and apparently cost A LOT of money to make. Must have been worth it.

9. Bobby Darin – Bridge Over Troubled Water (Live)

Elvis Presley, Bobby Darin and Sam Cooke, all of them generations apart, are, to me, the holy trinity of singing talent. I picked Sam Cooke for another playlist recently, and I’ve been listening to Bobby all morning, so here’s the unbeatable, big-band version of an S&G classic off the excellent Mack Is Back DVD. Like a YouTube commenter said, “Watch this a second time so you can see Greatness twice.”

Hall & Oates had a knack of creation ear worms throughout their career. That said, I’ve had the piano melody of this song etched into my mind since I was a child, played it live as part of a cover band as a teenager, and recently, an extended version made its way into one of my DJ sets. I really enjoyed standing and watching that song mutate meaning and energy in front of my eyes. Stuff like this makes playing music out to crowds worth every last bit. Timeless.