Justin Robertson Music Playlist: Under the Influence

As one of the most distinctive and enduring – not to mention best-dressed – characters in UK dance music, Justin Robertson has seen many shades of rave. His legendary Manchester club Spice was occasionally only attended by The Chemical Brothers, but soon became a minor phenomenon, with Robertson earning the status of one of the most in-demand acid and techno DJs in the UK, as well as remixing every decent alternative music act worth touching, from Wire to Midlake. Nowadays, as well as introducing a new generation of dancers to his unique sensibility, Robertson is focused on his Deadstock 33s side project, a krautrock and psychedelia inspired outfit that nonetheless has a foot on the dancefloor.

Robertson’s taste in the offbeat and cosmic undoubtedly colours his mixed selection of albums and tracks below, which he describes as the records – old and new – that are best informing his current soundworld. 

1. Mary Lou Williams – Black Christ of the Andes (Smithsonian Folkways)
My mate Richard dug this one out, and he found me a copy for my birthday into the bargain. It’s from the mid-60s I think. This is devotional music rendered as something smoky and demonic. There’s some real dark beauty on this record, which is something I really dig. Melody with an uneasy undercurrent is something I try to achieve in my music.

2. Hookworms – Pearl Mystic (Gringo Records)
I love this band. There’s some demented space rock stylings on this album, a really dense sound with a lot of heavy echo and sensual fuzz that lifts it out of the ordinary pastiche and creates something really unique. I’m really interested in doing some quite densely layered stuff to complement the sparser Deadstock 33s stuff. Enveloping, mesmerising and odd, this is really inspiring.

3. Inter-Groupie Psychotherapeutic Elastic Band – Floating (from the 1971 7" vinyl on BYG Records)
A real beauty this one. I think Vangelis and Argiris Koulouris from Aphrodite’s Child are responsible for the mesmerising psych-cum-pro-chant. It just builds and builds with a cosmic feel and good vocal refrain holding it all together – a real head-turner. I'm currently writing the new Deadstock 33s album, and I’m really feeling the hypnotic vocal scat. I might liberate that idea.

4. Papir – Papir III (El Paraiso Records)
I found this on a recent trip to Probe records in Liverpool. I know virtually nothing about this band, but this is really special. I think they are a Danish three-piece, with a psychedelic but very percussive sound that’s just amazingly infectious. It also has a beautiful cover, which is why I picked it up! There are so many gems out there it makes my head spin, but in a good way.

5. Albert Ayler – New Grass (Impulse!)
Actually not as taxing as you might think – this album is Ayler’s pop album from 1968. A lot of people hate it, they say he sold out and was attempting to go mainstream. I think it’s a combination that makes it sound really demented in places, and pretty good fun for Albert Ayler. I actually first heard this as a background to a late-70s skateboarding documentary called Skateboard Kings: Tony Alva shredding a pool with Ayler blowing like a mad thing, great vocal by The Soul Singers; like a more wigged out Hair.