Guest Selector: La La

France Joli – Gonna Get Over You

This is probably what [Beyoncé's] Single Ladies is to other women. I mean the title is enough of a giveaway but I must have been going through a single lady moment, needing some empowerment, when I first stumbled across it. Even now, when not needing that edge I love it just as much as the first time I heard it. I'm yet to hear it in a club or play it myself – need to figure out a way to do that.

Faithless – Insomnia

I don't know if you will believe me when I say this, but full credit goes to my dad with this one. He played the Reverence album pretty constantly when I was young, but I think it first properly registered with me musically when I was in first year in high school. Faithless were totally ahead of the game in my opinion. I was three when this was released; it really speaks volumes when a track can stand the test of time like this. 

LoSoul – Open Door

11 minutes and 31 seconds of complete Chicago house pleasure. Gritty bassline complemented with some hard hitting drums – it is the giver that keeps on delivering. You can definitely expect me to play this whenever I can.

The Funk Parlor – Something For The Dancefloor (Undergroundiscofunk Rmx)

This is a secret weapon of mine – well it was until now! Michelle Weeks, the vocalist, always seems to grab my attention – [sometimes] without me knowing it's her. It has a bit of everything you would want from a solid house track. 

Chaka Khan – Clouds (1980 Disco Purrfection Version)

I never like to define my sound by genre but if I am honest with myself, there is something about disco for me that doesn't compare to anything else. I think I first heard this in Journey Into Paradise – The Larry Levan Story. Essentially about heartbreak – ‘There in the distance / Is that number one pain’ – at the time I couldn’t wait for heartbreak if it meant to feel something that deeply (now I will pass!). Chaka Khan can do no wrong in my books, but this one is a particular favourite.

Kerri Chandler – Atmospheric Beats (Original Extended Version)

Produced in what I would class as the golden era for house music, for sure. The way Chandler strips it right down to the essential beats and bass core (arguably one of the most perfect in the history of house), and keeps only these obsessive, euphoric synthetic horns... I see it has been resurfacing recently, which I am not complaining about.

Lil' Louis and The World – I Called U (The Conversation)

Seeing Lil' Louis play at Sub Club – that was the moment I knew the kind of DJ I wanted to be. To hear someone play tracks that [few] people in the room had even heard before, but still celebrate them like it was their favourite track... I stood there thinking "That is IT!" Lil' Louis has honestly done a lot for me – I got the same gratification from this one, the penny dropped when I heard it. It was exactly the kind of track I wanted to play out myself. I would say that this is honestly my favourite house track ever made. I still get chills every time I hear it. Thank you Lil' Louis, take a bow sir. 

Moloko – The Time Is Now

The battle between this and Sing It Back is a tough one. The Time Is Now took the lead on Moloko's third album Things to Make and Do and quite rightly so. Apparently when producing it, budgets were tight so they couldn't go with full-on disco strings as first planned, but I think it's perfect as it is. 

Aretha Franklin – Get It Right

Produced by Luther Vandross: an unbelievable combination, destined to do amazing things, and they did. If you don't emerge from your seat when this comes on there is something wrong with your ears.

Lovebirds – Want You In My Soul ft. Stee Downes (Original Mix)

Want You In My Soul – I've always really appreciated the title. I think it pulls at my female heartstrings with a hope that someone will want me in their soul! After a long atmospheric build-up, a subtle but powerful bassline is added with the singing/ranting of Stee Downes. The lyrics scream desperate love – it goes through many different climaxes but all round, a beautiful piece of sound engineering and composition. The only thing that is missing is knowing who it's written about. 

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La La plays FLY Open Air Festival, Princes St Gardens, Edinburgh, 23 Sep, with Eats Everything, Lil' Louis, Leon Vynehall, Theo Kottis and more
soundcloud.com/la-la-la-nd