CHECK OUT 10 TRACKS THAT INFLUENCED MARCO BAILEY

The bangers that still get techno stalward Marco Bailey excited...

DJ Mag Staff

Monday, August 22, 2016 - 14:50

Marco Bailey is a techno pioneer with a musical career spanning almost three decades. His over 300-strong and counting oeuvre ranges from nosebleed-inducing Millsian techno to slower, more emotive and melodic chill out tracks. He continues to produce, DJs around the world, runs 17-year-old MB Elektronics label and has a consistently stellar weekly Elektronic Force podcast.

Just thinking about everything Marco does is making us tired, and we are stoked that he’s taken time out of his busy schedule, ahead of some upcoming US tour dates, to give us his top 10 tunes.

01. Aphex Twin: ‘Xtal’ (R&S Records)  

“Everything this outstanding man has done is just brilliant. Richard [David James] should get a monument right in the middle of central London, he is a piece of art and beyond what every producer can make or do in the electronic music scene. He is definitely my hero. ‘Selected Ambient Works 85-92,’ the extraordinary ‘Come To Daddy’ up until now with ‘Syro’, his last album; everything is just brilliant!” 

02. Underground Resistance: ‘The Final Frontier’ (UR 003 -1991)  
“Mike Banks aka Mad Mike, the founder of one of the greatest labels for me of all time. ‘Final Frontier’ is a record that I play at every party as one of the last tracks if the vibe of the night is just right. It’s definitely a timeless tune.”

03. Laurent Garnier & Shazz: ‘Acid Eiffel’ (Fragile Recs) 
“Laurent is just a great DJ and artist. This is one track out of so many great productions that he’s done. When the moment is magic, the crowd is right on the nip and the vibe is just what it should be, this is my last track of the night. I think, that being said, it means a lot.”

04. Boards of Canada: ‘Geogaddi’ (Warp Records)
“I think I’ve bought all albums from Boards, it was like a lifetime change for me back in 1998. Not only did I change my style completely as a DJ to play techno, which is what I still do today, but also each album of Boards brought me a certain inner peace what is difficult to declare here now. It just gave me those inner peace moments with music inside my soul and mind, which is what I needed.”

05. Mathew Jonson: ‘Marionette’ (Wagon Repair Recs)  
“Mathew is the producer who made one of the greatest exclusive sounds over the last 15 years. Still in each set nowadays there is a Mathew Jonson track in it.”

06. Sven Väth & Ralf Hildenbeutel: ‘Barbarella’ (Harthouse Records)
“I think this is still the best track that Sven & Ralf ever did, [and] the best track to start a night or to end with. Both are important moments to me, it’s a tune that you have to play from the first second to the last one; just close your eyes and follow the flow. It’s a piece of art.”

07. U2: ’Where The Streets Have No Name’ (Island Records)  
“This tune still gives me goose bumps each time I listen to it, especially when they play it live. When I started as a DJ in ‘88 I used to play nine to 10 hour [sets]. A U2 tune was always in my set - I’m another big fan, it must be The Edge and his guitar or Bono and his kicking vocals!”

08. Hans Zimmer: ‘Time’ (From the film ‘Inception’) 
“The way Hans handles his piano is out of this world, it makes me cry with happiness each and every time. A true artist for the books.”

09. LL Cool J: ‘Mama Said Knock You Out’ (Def Jam)
“When I started as a DJ back in 1988, I used to play a lot of rock but soon after I got really inspired by all the DJs who were doing their thing behind the decks... guys like Grandmaster Flash or DJ QBert were like heroes for me, back spinning and scratching like no others could do. It was really inspiring.”