WARMER MIXTAPES #1038 | by Elliott Williams [Y.O.U]

 1. Michael Jackson | The Way You Make Me Feel 
Where else to Start than at the Beginning. Michael Jackson was my entrance to Music and the Soundtrack of my Childhood. I had the privilege of going to see him on the Dangerous Tour 1992 at Werchter Park in Belgium where I was living at the time. I was probably about 5 years old, pretty Life Changing Experience for a 5 year old!! No one has ever come close to putting on a Show like Jackson. I feel sorry for kids now who have to grow up with Justin Beiber and One Direction for Pop Stars when we had MJ.

2. David Bowie | Win
I got into Bowie as a teenager, my Mum used to play Changes a lot. She was a Bowie fan when she was a teenager, but her Mum would never let her go to see him, he was like the Antichrist. My favourite Bowie tracks/albums change daily, but Young Americans and Let's Dance were two records that are Vital to the Blueprint of Y.O.U. Win is such a beautiful song, the Soulful Backing Vocals, Sax and Strings always send shivers down my spine. Bowie is just Everything, the way he talks, the way he walks, the way he dresses, I have a total Bowie man crush.

3. The Cure | Plainsong
The Cure are the Only Band I've Truly Fanboy'd Over, I've traveled thousands of miles to see them across the Globe, paid ridiculous prices for rare T-Shirts which I cherish like Trophies. I first heard The Cure via my Mum again who used to play Friday I'm In Love in the kitchen, I Loved that song so and used to listen to it religiously. During an Art Class at School, a classmate heard me listening to it and said his brother was a massive Cure fan and that he would bring in some albums that I could borrow. The next day he brought in Disintegration I popped it into my CD Player and Plainsong started. I fell in Love with Robert Smith hard.

4. Peter Gabriel | In Your Eyes
From the seminal album So, I always Loved Peter's amazing use of World Rhythms and this track is a perfect example of that blend between brilliant Songwriting and interesting Original Instrumentation. It's so Emotive and Peter has the Voice Box equivalent of a Warm Blanket, it's so Comforting to hear him Sing.

5. Blur | Beetlebum
One way I used to discover Music as a kid was through Baby Sitters, I would ask them to show me their favourite bands and records. I had some pretty rad babysitters, a couple of Metal Heads who used to let me wear their Guns N' Roses T-shirts, watch Hellraiser, play Mortal Kombat and listen to Iron Maiden. Also a family friend called Jordanna who was really into Britpop. The first Physical Single I actually brought was Beetlebum, I had no idea what the song was about at the time and I was only trying to impress Jordanna. Britpop totally passed me by, but Blur went on to become one of my Favourite Bands.

6. Green Day | Longview
Michael Jackson might of started my obsession with Music, but Green Day were the band that made me become a Musician. I got Dookie after seeing Basket Case on MTV and I went to see them Live when my Mum thought I was old enough to go, which was about 12. It was the First Rock Show I'd Ever Been To and I remember thinking that's all I want to do with my life. Soon after I got a Guitar and started learning the whole of the Green Day catalogue. The songs were so Basic, it was such a great way to Learn! Three Chords and great Melodies, after a while I started to change the Chords around and make up my own Melodies.

7. The Smashing Pumpkins | 1979
In the midst of High School I was an avid MTV 2 watcher and there was a creepy Video that was always on with a bald guy in a black Polar Neck Jumper surrounded by lots of scary women in masquerade masks. I remember being terrified but excited at the same time... It was the Video for Zero that sucked me in. That weekend I went to the Record Shop, found the picture of the women climbing through the star and bought Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness. It's since become one of my Favourite Albums of All Time. It wasn’t a straight up Grunge Rock album like Nirvana or Slapstick like Green Day - it had Depth, Mystique and Magic. It's easily the defining Pumpkins album, it almost feels like your listening to a Greatest Hits record with the Quality and Diversity of Songwriting on each track.

8. Radiohead | Everything In Its Right Place 
I heard Radiohead for the first time at School through another kid's headphones, I knew their name, but I didn't know any of their songs and their new record had just come out. He played me Everything In Its Right Place, it was so Weird, I Had Never Heard Anything Like That Before! I was listening to a lot of Pop Punk and American Rock Bands at the time, following on from the Green Day trip, so this was a totally New Style of Music to me. I brought the album for myself a few weeks later and it totally opened the door into a Whole New World of Music, particularly more Electronic Based Music.

9. Holden | Lump 
After Radiohead and Kid A, I started to tap further into Electronic Music more and more into my late teens and early 20's. This led to getting into lots of new things like Aphex Twin, The Orb, The Chemical Brothers, Boards Of Canada and the whole French House/Electro explosion. Around that time though James Holden - The Idiots Are Winning was easily one of my stand out Electronic records, I really like his Progressive Style and the Manipulation of Sound. This track Lump is the highlight.

10. Air | Playground Love (The Virgin Suicides Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
As a teenager I fell in Love with the Film The Virgin Suicides and in particular Lux played by Kirstin Dunst who became my All Time crush. This song Soundtracked my Film crush as well as my Real Life crushes for years and is still a Firm Favourite. Air Produce such Lush Recognisable records, I Love their Production Style and this has one of the Best Sax Solo's of All Time in it.

+11. Ryan Adams | This Is It 
Ryan Adams get a lot of stick. Rock N Roll is generally considered his worst record! But it's a record I Love so dearly and have so many memories attached to. I spent a Summer getting Stoned, Skateboarding, Hanging Out, Driving Around with my buds in a Ford Capri, Sun glasses on like we were in Dazed and Confused. I think that was the perfect way to ingest that record.

+12. Wings | Let 'Em In 
I could of chosen any number of Beatles songs. It's near impossible to choose a favourite! I've had this Paul McCartney track on Repeat for the last few years. It's such a good Groove and Vibe. McCartney is a Melodic Master and I can never get this out of my head. I like the Positivity in Macca's records, he makes Feel Good Tunes.

+13. Claude Debussy | Suite Bergamasque: 3. Claire De Lune (Played by Isao Tomita)
The Synthesizer has been something of a Fascination for me since my teens, the only reason I learned to play Keys was to be able to use Synthesizers. They have an Other Worldly Look and Sound which is so Synthetic yet can be so Versatile, Warm, Fragile and Emotive. Tomita is a Synthesis Master from Japan and this is his version of Debussy's Claire De Lune. Claire De Lune for me is probably the Most Beautifully Emotive Piece of Music Ever Written, but Tomita manages to take it to a Whole New Level. If there was ever a Soundtrack to the Creation of the Universe, this is it.