Cher ─ “Believe"

I love the moment when a song transitions from “joke” to “genius.” ​​When I was around 12 and this track (and the album of the same name) came out, I thought it was extremely cringe and hated the auto-tune. It was the kind of thing I’d hear on the radio and plug my ears to avoid. At some point, though, my perception of this track changed. I started DJing it in 2020 after going through a bad breakup, and now whenever I hear it I’m filled with joy and can’t help but sing along at the top of my lungs. Maybe it’s because my taste has improved, or maybe it’s simply that I can better identify with the lyrics. I’m not sure. Either way, this song ─ and the album ─ is indisputably genius and I hope it gets played at my funeral. 

Madonna ─ Ray of light

This is another album I thought was absolutely terrible when it first came out, but now I think it’s genius. I lumped it in with a lot of commercial pop music of that era without paying attention to the intricacies that make this album great. It was produced by William Orbit who was a relatively unknown producer when Madonna asked him to collaborate. They ended up making the whole thing together over just four months, which is incredibly short for a pop album of this scale. The whole thing was made using a couple of drum machines, a Juno 106, and a Korg MS-20. I’ve read interviews with Orbit about his experience working with Madonna, and he always praises her for her unparalleled artistry. He talks about how she made a very specific point of making sure not to “overcook” anything they were working on, and that’s why Ray of Light feels so free, loose, and imperfect. In an era of highly-polished pop, this was a revolutionary approach.

Donna Summer — Live and More

I love Donna Summer and usually wouldn’t pick a live album over a studio recording, but this is probably one of the best live albums ever made. I listened to it repeatedly throughout the pandemic. Summer was at the peak of her career when she recorded it, and this performance is not just a series of songs, but a story, a narrative with peaks and valleys that carry you through love and loss, all while being supported by a superb backing band. Everyone on stage appears to be having the time of their lives, with a masterful performer and storyteller at the helm.

Aya — I’m Hole

Aya is one of my favourite producers at the moment, and I've listened to this album dozens of times, particularly the song “The Only Solution I Have Found Is to Simply Jump Higher”. I was so transfixed by the synths in the track that I became obsessed with learning how she made it, which was actually using only the Native Instruments plug-in Massive X. I found that very cool because it’s a pretty common soft-synth and fairly affordable, though I will not say it is particularly easy to use. She also recommended a few bit-crusher plugins (notably  Devastor 2) which I subsequently bought and became addicted to. So I can confidently say that, without Aya’s brilliant record, my own album —  although very different in sound —  would not be the same without her influence.

Vangelis ─ Blade Runner (Music from the original soundtrack)

While making Chin Up Buttercup I got really into film scores after being invited to score an old friend’s television series and feature film for CBC Canada. I’d never scored before and was really nervous about it, so I started collecting some well-known scores as inspiration. Vangelis’ Score for Blade Runner was one of them. It’s a wonderful balance of synthesizers and acoustic instruments with classical/folk singing that feels free, completely off the grid, and eerie. I love Rachel's song, which is sung by the uncredited Mary Hopkin, who is a Welsh folk singer.

Fabric Presents Octo Octa & Eris Drew

I chose this live album because not only does it feature some of my favourite original tracks by Octo Octa and Eris Drew, it also features some late 90s house music selections that the couple often feature in their electrifying, joyful, DJ sets. It’s the best of both worlds: their own work and a small sample of what it’s like to be transfixed by two of the most important house music DJs of the moment. Octo Octa and Eris Drew are a trans couple whose love and optimism radiates through all their musical ventures─a radiance we need urgently today.

Dorothy Ashby ─ Afro Harping

So much of the music that influenced my new album was what I played on repeat during lockdown. I have a few Dorothy Ashby LPs, and one dark winter I probably listened to them every single weekend. Ashby incorporates her spiritual practice into her recordings, especially the later ones, and I think that channeling of the divine through her music helped me survive the cold, lonely lockdowns in Toronto.

ABBA ─ The Visitors

When my co-producer Kieran and I started working on music together, we exchanged countless songs and I was really surprised to learn how much he loved folk and traditional songwriting. He played me a song by ABBA I had never heard called “Should I Laugh or Cry” from the album The Visitors and I became transfixed. It’s not quite as bubbly as their more popular work, yet there is something devastating about the opening melody that keeps pulling me back. It feels like a masterclass in melody writing and chord structures that somehow sound effortless. I wish ABBA had made dozens more records and ventured even deeper into this style of music making, because I hear the beginnings of a weirdness we’re just starting to scratch the surface of with this track.

Yu Su - Yellow River Blue

YuSu is one of the most interesting producers and composers in Canada today. This album was released in 2021 and I listened to it excessively throughout lockdown. She is classically trained and blends ambient, classical, and East Asian traditions in her compositions. She is also an incredible DJ. Some of her tracks find their way into my DJ sets — often as openers or closers — because her ambient productions bring an otherworldly atmosphere to a room, exactly what a rave should aspire to.

Sally Oldfield - Celebration

Sally is a British musician who released 15 records throughout the 1970s and 80s. My co-producer Kieran introduced me to her work via the song “Blue Water” from her album Celebration, which is spectacularly beautiful. It’s like an onomatopoeia set to sound—music that evokes blue water dancing on blue flowers somewhere near the blue ocean. I realized later that I was already familiar with her brother’s work, Mike Oldfield, a prolific composer whose compositions have influenced my work for over 2 decades. Funnily enough, I was introduced to his work after a fan compared my early recordings to his Incantations which Sally also sings on. It must be quite something to share a rich musical life with a sibling—I can’t imagine it, but the idea of effortlessly sharing the social side of music with someone is deeply appealing.