The latest incorrigible vinyl buff to share Five Records from his collection with FACT is Joakim.
The Tigersushi boss – full name Joakim Bouaziz – is currently celebrating the 10th anniversary of his label. Last month saw the release of a double-CD compilation, More GDM X, collecting tracks from Tigersushi artists and friends; of particular interest was the second disc, a mix by Joakim that aimed specifically to showcase the darker, more twisted side of the imprint.
As his choice of Five Records proves, Joakim does indeed love it when the going gets weird, but he also has an unquenchable thirst for pop. These seemingly diametric desires combine to thrilling effect in his own productions – witness the classic singles ‘Come Into My Kitchen’ and ‘I Wish You Were Gone’, and the albums Monsters & Silly Songs and Milky Ways. It should come as no surprise, then, that his most prized LPs range from the rapturous soul of Stevie Wonder to the droning minimalism of Eliane Radigue…
01: MOODYMANN
AMERIKA
(KDJ 12″, 1997)
Moodymann – ‘Amerika’
“I remember I was looking for this 12-inch for weeks – back in the days when there were no mp3s and not much internet mail order, and you had to actually find a copy of the records. This was especially the case with Moodymann’s twelves, which were usually quite limited and imported from the US. I was buying every new KDJ release, but I was especially obsessed by this one because it was so simple – one sample loop – and so deep and emotional. I used to listen to a lot of blues when I was even younger, especially stripped-down delta blues, and this was for me a perfect example of true electronic blues. There is truth in this record.”
02: ELIANE RADIGUE
ADNOS I-III
(TABLE OF THE ELEMENTS 3XCD, 2002; RECORDED 1975-83)
“Eliane Radigue is my favorite drone musician. She’s been making music since the 50s, mostly on the ARP2500 which is according to her the only modular synth to have such a deep sound and give her such subtle control over tones and harmonics. On Adnos you have three “tracks”, each more than 70 minutes long, and each exemplifying the most minimal drone music ever. I read an interview with Radigue where she said her music acts like a mirror of your soul, your emotions and feelings are bounced back by the music and amplified; it’s terribly true, and because of that you can’t listen to this music if you feel too bad or stressed, or if you just refuse it. You have to dive into it, and then it connects to your whole body. It’s true body music.”
03: SCOTT WALKER
SCOTT 3
(PHILIPS LP, 1969)
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Scott Walker – ‘Big Louise’
“Scott Walker is one of my heroes, and Scott 3 is one of my all-time favorite records. I’ve said it many times already. He’s also one of the rare pop artists who make a link with my classical music roots: his string arrangements are so beautiful, it reminds me sometimes of composers like Debussy or Prokoviev. I wish I was a crooner like Scott, or Johnny Cash, or Frank Sinatra – three quite different examples of what a crooner can be. I would sing for the ladies. Crooners can be assholes in real life and angels when they sing. They can save your soul, they are super-humans.”
04: STEVIE WONDER
INNERVISIONS
(TAMLA MOTOWN LP, 1973)
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Stevie Wonder – ‘Living For The City’
Among black musicians, Stevie Wonder is probably the one that had the most impact on me when I was a teenager. Probably because his music has this raw soul edge, it’s kinda rough, he’s playing all the instruments and you can feel his life depends on it. And also because he’s such a pop genius. Although I love drones, noise and so on, I can’t stay away too long from melodies and pop music. I’ve always been impressed by musicians who are able to turn all sorts of music into instant classic pop, like Talking Heads, or like Stevie Wonder.”
05: SILVER APPLES
SILVER APPLES
(KAPP LP, 1968)
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Silver Apples – ‘Lovefingers’
“I think this is the most expensive record I’ve ever bought on vinyl, although I’m not into collecting super-rare records if I can find them reissued (which wasn’t the case with this one at that time). I didn’t have a clue about it when my friend Youri – who had a second-hand record shop in Paris – showed it to me. He always kept the weird stuff behind his counter, and he knew I was into weird stuff. So he popped that silver covered record out, and as soon as I put the needle on, I was blown away. I already knew a bit of krautrock back then, but this seemed much more modern, probably because it’s so minimal. It’s conceptual, but doesn’t suffer from the progressive side that afflicts many a 70s record. It’s almost like Suicide ten years early. And it’s also one of the many records that turned me into an obsessive synth and sound nerd.”
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