Saine Music Playlist: Under the Influence

Lauri Saine is a friendly Finnish bloke who spends most of his time welding chugged-out house grooves with a snappy hip hop aesthetic. Based in Helsinki, he’s been producing properly for the best part of ten years and has four albums under his belt already; but it’s the recent trio of tub-thumping EPs on Must Have Records, Odd Socks and Sleazy Beats Black Ops that has cemented the name Saine as a marker of reliable quality.

His latest Business Hours EP is a vessel for sharp synth lines, soulful refrains and merrier disco vibes. It’s slightly tighter than previous releases, but that doesn’t detract from the signature stable wonkiness at all. And, there’s more to come this year – keep a keen ear out for new track Gravy, rolling out on Andy Hart’s fledgling Voyage imprint this month.

Now, the reason we’re all here. It’s not too much of a surprise to find that Saine counts the likes of Tribe, Luomo and Terekke among his major influences, but there’s a fair few selections on this list that may well encourage you to raise an eyebrow or two.

A Tribe Called Quest – The Low End Theory [Jive]
It would be impossible for me to speak of influences without acknowledging The Low End Theory – while perhaps an obvious choice, it's my favorite hip hop record of all time. Had I never come across this album back in the 90s, my sound would definitely have turned out differently. To this day, I find myself inspired by the smoky, gimmick-free textures of this music: muffled double-bass hooks, discreet use of jazz samples, laidback rhymes. I always liked stuff that doesn't cry for attention, with all the energy and style found beneath the apparent surface. 

Luomo – Vocalcity [Force Tracks]
Kinda falls in between genres, maybe that's why I always enjoyed the album so much. Sure, cynical ears will hear some turn-of-the-millenia cheesiness but I love the night-time feel throughout and the way these tracks constantly evolve – not necessarily towards a set destination but instead just flowing aimlessly. It's very hard to achieve that vibe I think. I heard Sasu Ripatti himself never considered this among his best work and the fellow Finn certainly has a lot of different releases under his belt (and under many monikers), but for me, this was always the one.

Fela Anikulapo Kuti & Africa 70 – Opposite People [Decca]

This music can't be put into words. The endlessly repeating guitar riffs, the horns, all that movement... Man, it just doesn't get much better than this. I listen to this stuff so frequently, it's bound to have left a mark on my tracks as well.

The Bees - Sunshine Hit Me [We Love You]
A friend of mine introduced me to this album a few years ago (shouts to Steph!) and I've been coming back to this every spring since. Known as Band of Bees in the States, this record just makes me smile. This is all about worn-out t-shirts, burning hot asphalt on a driveway, those never-ending summer afternoons. 

Jaga Jazzist – A Livingroom Hush [WEA]

The debut from the Norwegian outfit, I've always been inspired by this group's instrumentation and clever blend of jazz and electronics. Personally I'm not really into big bands and Jaga Jazzist certainly has a big ass horn/winds section going, but they always somehow manage to keep everything super stylish – beautiful arrangement! Check out their later albums as well. 

Bill Evans Trio – Sunday at the Village Vanguard [Riverside Records]
I'm a big jazz guy and there's so many records that I wanted to include here, but it's Bill Evans' chord work that made me end up with this one. It's all still a mystery to me, but I think whenever I make music, regardless of style, there's always an unconscious attempt to reach the vibe of some of those modal passages. The dude really made the piano sing. I also love this album because of Scott LaFaro's impeccable double bass work throughout – unfortunately, though, LaFaro was killed in a car accident just ten days after the recording of this album. 

Led Zeppelin – Houses of the Holy [Atlantic] 
What can I say, Led Zeppelin is a big deal to me. My personal favourite Led Zep moments are scattered evenly across their albums, though. After this, most modern rock leaves me cold. The drums are but soulless clicks and snaps and you can no longer crank up the volume – yeah, here we go with the usual whine! Well this band certainly shows how it's done – and their songwriting has always been something I look up to. 

Erykah Badu – Baduizm [Universal] 
Classic debut from one of the greats. I've always admired Erykah Badu and I even remember the moment I first stumbled upon her music. I was listening to a night-time show on Radiomafia here in Finland around 1998 I think, and Appletree started playing. Bam! This album also got me into the Rhodes piano, finally resulting in me getting one myself. Can't help it, those neo soul-ish chords played with the Rhodes – I'll never get tired of that vibe.

Terekke – Damn EP [L.I.E.S.] 
Modern lo-fi awesomeness from Matt Gardner. I wanted to include this EP from a couple of years ago as it's had such a lasting effect on me – one that's bound to have made its way into some of my productions as well. Not every L.I.E.S. record has worked for me quite on this magnitude, but this one certainly does the trick every time. 

Datassette – People Without Mouths EP [Shipwrec]
From 2012, this is the newest one on the list. One of those records I keep wanting to go back to and has certainly inspired me. The guy knows his craft, and he's obviously got an exceptional ear for harmonies and really squeezes the most out of his analogue synths. The drums are crispy as hell, too. Sometimes I like to play a dubby version of this 45 at 33rpm.