Roots and Influences invites our favourite artists, local and afar, to curate a playlist of 10 songs that have inspired their career to date. Following a cracking Mornings With show on our airwaves, we catch up with DJ and Jacaranda Records Store Manager, Namina!
Our good friends and old home, Phase One, has just undergone a serious glow-up! As well as a boutique bar and venue, the hidden gem on Seel Street now boasts the city’s largest vinyl record shop, containing everything from Ace of Base to DMX. A go-to hub for music lovers near and far, we catch up with DJ and record store manager, Namina! She talks us through her musical journey so far, from playing spoons to Queen as a young’un right through to now, blasting Otoboke Beaver in the record store. Take a listen and have a read below…
Queen & David Bowie – Under Pressure
I inherited my love for music and my love for Queen from my Dad. Queen were *the* band we were raised on. My brother and I had a ritual where every Sunday we’d get out the wooden spoons and play the drums and air guitar along to their ‘Greatest Vids’ VHS. That bassline was made to be sampled!
TLC – Waterfalls
6 years old and TLC were everything I wanted to be when I grew up. Me and my cousins would spend hours listening to ‘Crazysexycool’, making up our own dance routines to their songs. This track in particular takes me right back to the summer of ‘95 when the music video dropped and it was on repeat on the radio and every music channel.
DJ Zinc – 138 Trek
UK Garage was the first time I engaged with any kind of dance music at the tender age of 11. The breakbeat in this track just keeps you bubbling along. It still gets regular play in my DJ sets. I only realised a few years ago that it used samples from Star Trek!
A Tribe Called Quest – Oh My God
The Afrocentric era of hip hop really helped me on my voyage of the self and trying to understand my place in the world. A Tribe Called Quest were the biggest players in that awakening. The playful lyrics of ‘Oh My God’ and jazzy bassline are just perf! When *was* the last time you heard a funky diabetic?!
Madlib – Stepping Into Tomorrow
I love the original version by Donald Byrd, but Madlib’s decision to make the female vocal the focal point of this song (which is my favourite part of the original) was inspiring. This song also happens to pop up at huge turning points in my life, right when I need it. A little cameo from MF DOOM at the start of the track too!
Young Fathers – Deadline
Young Fathers are what you get when you refuse to be constrained by genre. You can hear the influence of their (mostly) West African heritage throughout their music, layered with a heavy fuzz. ‘Deadline’ takes me back to the first time I saw them live and being blown away by their energy.
Talking Heads – This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)
I first became aware of this song thanks to my favourite scene of my favourite film – watch ‘Lars and the Real Girl’ if you haven’t yet. It’s fun, it’s loving, it’s warm, and it gave me the motto I try to live my life by – “Never for money, always for love”.
Moodymann – Shades of Jae
This track is an absolute tease and in the best way. It keeps withholding, gives you a little taste, before it pulls right back again. Hearing this during a set by Mr Scruff was one of the most euphoric dance floor experiences I’ve ever had.
Otoboke Beaver – Don’t Light My Fire
I probably would never have stumbled across this band if I hadn’t been working in the record shop. The ferocity of their music speaks directly to the 15 year old rock kid in me. Seeing them perform this live was an absolute experience and their playing is tight af.
Noname – Diddy Bop
Noname is one of the best rappers we have around today in my opinion. Her flow, her cadence and her lyrics are all on point. ‘Diddy Bop’ reminds me of home and growing up in my neighbourhood. The mixtape this comes from, ‘Telefone’, is perfect from start to finish.
Be sure to pay Jacaranda Record Store a visit in our old home on 40 Seel Street, or check out their online store here – in the meantime, listen back to their Mornings With show on MDR hosted by Mina and Jacinta below!
|| JACARANDA RECORD STORE ||