Artist Picks: Spooky

Although not as well-known to American audiences, the British electronic duo Spooky occupies a place alongside acts like Orbital and Underworld as mid-'90s pioneers of dance music's post-rave evolution beyond 4/4 beats. As their latest album Open demonstrates, Charlie May and Duncan Forbes are as adept at traditional song structures as they are at creating beautiful, synthesized soundscapes.

Here, Duncan Forbes digs into his extensive record collection and selects a few albums and songs that have inspired him over the years.

	This Mortal Coil "Song to the Siren" It'll End in Tears
"One of the most beautiful records ever made - Liz Frazer's voice just literally takes you to another place. Check out Tim Buckley's original too—spine tingling! In the early '90s I'd always play this in the chill-out room at the Drum Club in London, a very special record."
	Avro Part "Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten" Tabula Rasa
"The first time I heard this I almost melted—so moving. Mr Part studied Indian classical music before making the album and didn't write for five years until this CD—the greatest living classical composer in my eyes. If you've never heard this you are in for a treat."
	Talk Talk "Desire" Spirit of Eden
	Talk Talk "New Grass" Laughing Stock
"This is emotive music at its best, probably my most listened-to LPs. Hard just to pull off a track because they are real albums, they just flow so well. These two are just real moments from each CD."
	Marvin Gaye What's Going On
"This man had it all going on. What's Going On is probably one of the greatest albums of its time and is so beautifully produced—it's hard to think how it was very nearly never released, the torture he must have gone through with the label at that time."
	Sueño Latino Sueño Latino
"Balearic house music doesn't get better than this, still sounds fantastic today. Derrick May's epic 11-minute mix is just magical. Along with 'The Dance' and 'In the Beginning' it's counted among my most loved dance records."
	Harold Budd Lovely Thunder
"So watery—check 'Gypsy Violin,' this is music that will surround you, comfort you and make you feel a bit like an aural float tanks—amazing. Harold Budd has made some beautiful records—Plateaux of the Mirror (with Brian Eno as Ambient 2), The White Arcades and The Pearl (again with Brian's treatments)."
	Fela Kuti Best of the Black President
"The man was a legend and made some of the funkiest dance music ever. Tracks like 'Monkey Banana,' 'Everything Scatter' and 'International TT' just blow up on the dancefloor. Dip your toe in his world and you're hooked." [Ed. note: Duncan actually picked Fela's classic 1981 album Black President, but it is sadly out of print. The compilation Best of the Black President is, in Duncan's words, "also brilliant."]
	Primal Scream Screamadelica
"With Mr. Andrew Weatherall at the helm, this is one of the great 'dance records,' in inverted commas, of all time. 'Higher than the Sun,' 'Don't Fight It, Feel It'—nuff said. The record of a generation. I can never get bored of listening to it—track down the singles as well because there are some amazing other mixes that they did."
	Grace Jones Private Life: The Compass Point Sessions
"Man this double cd rocks—loads of versions from these now-legendary sessions at Chris Blackwell's studio in Nassau. 'Warm Leatherette,' 'Private Life,' 'Pull Up to the Bumper,' 'Nightclubbing'—I always come back to this when listening at home or in the car or on a beach. Alex Sadkin and Sly and Robbie made Grace shine—truly amazing stuff."
	Donna Summer "I Feel Love" (12-inch extended remix) The Journey: The Very Best of Donna Summer
"Gorgio Moroder's production on this classic disco anthem was light years ahead—I still drop the original extended mix today. I remember my cousin who was a DJ playing this to me when i was just 8 years old and thinking it was the best thing that i'd ever heard. Few records come close to this to lose yourself on the dance floor—yeah!"