Little Boots - Stuck On Repeat (Fake Blood remix)
I'm pretty excited about Little Boots. Her real name is Victoria and she's from Blackpool. What I like about her is that she's technical, which impresses me because I'm the total opposite, but also because you rarely find girl musicians are like that. She produces, writes and executes all her own songs, so is clearly a talented young lady.
Chase and Status – Runnin'
I always knew Chase and Status as drum & bass producers, so it was a nice surprise to find their album More Than Alot spans loads of genres. Of all its tracks, I think Runnin' will be the breakthrough. It's accessible dubstep with a cool 1980s vocal, and it gets a great response from listners of my show so I hope that carries over when it's released in March/April. Also, they're signed to RAM records, which is run by Andy C, and what a total legend he is. Kissy Sell Out and Herve - Rikkalicious
I think Rikkalicious is a good example of what happens when producers embrace different genres and work together with an open mind. I usually run a mile from trance, but this song is four-fifths trance and I have to say I love it.
DJ Mujava - Township Funk (Sinden Remix)
Mujava is this year's underground breakthrough act; he went from unknown to Radio 1 playlist, which is just insane. It's quite minimal South African township music, and the song's hypnotic hooks made it easy to fall in love with. The Sinden remix gives it a clubbier feel, which I nearly always play in my set. It's always nice to hear a roar of appreciation when you play something like this as a DJ.
DJ Mehdi - Pocket Piano (Joakim remix)
I played with Erol Alkan and A-Trak in Bournemouth this year and it was a huge night for me because they're basically the two best DJs in the world in terms of what they represent and their technical ability. A-Trak introduced me to this version of Pocket Piano, a more drawn-out version with a fantastic ravey piano breakdown, and it's my current favourite song. It gets played during my sets a lot.
Ladyhawke - Paris is Burning
Ladyhawke is on the tour with us, which I'm happy about because I like her and her music. Paris is Burning reminds me of a French band called Phoenix. I'm a fan of Ladyhawke's general 80s vibe, she does it well.
Frankmusik - Three Little Words
This guy and Little Boots are ones to watch. He's not called Frank, he's actually called Vince, and it makes me sick how skilled he is. He's one of these people who can do everything- he's a classical pianist, a video designer, etc, and his music is like accelerated 80s pop. Stuart Price worked on this album after collaborating with Madonna, but before he went on to the Killers, which says a lot about how Frankmusik is rated.
Mstrkrft - Bounce (A-Trak remix)
This song is very me. There's a line that goes: "All I do is party, ha ha ha." It's stupidly addictive and instantly gets into your head. It's very "me" because it it doesn't take itself too seriously, I like songs with a bit of a quirk or sense of humour to them.
Details of the Annie Mac Presents Tour can be found on her website.
