Debut albums are, to the most part, a big deal. When it's the debut for both artist and label, however, then you know it's going to be something a little special offered for such a landmark occasion. Medlar and WOLF Music are embarking on such a journey together through forthcoming album 'Sleep'.
A core part of the WOLF family alongside KRL and Greymatter, the UK producer is taking his usual alternative, moody and subdued dancefloor sound to more intricate and introverted territory, by combining his output with the world's of instrumental hip hop & ambient electronica. A musical magpie if we ever did see one, Medlar's rich musical inspirations and sonic palettes are vast - so we asked him to pick and explain the 6 most inspiring, defining records that helped shaped him into the artist he is today. Over to you Ned...
Pixies - Trompe Le Monde
I owe my older sister for introducing me to a lot of music when I was growing up, and this is one of the few bands that I still go back to, and seem as relevant as ever. One of those records where the opening seconds of each track recalls lots of memories. I need to go back to this kind of stuff after listening to lots of music made on computers, it was a toss up between this and Nirvana's Unplugged in New York. People will argue Surfer Rosa is a more important album but this is the Pixies record, and the record which defines that part of my youth that I'm most fond of. I must give my sister her CD back..
Photek - Modus Operandi
I remember buying this not long after discovering jungle and drum and bass and not really knowing what to make of it for a while. So ahead of its time in terms of both style and production. There are so many jungle/drum and bass records I could have included in this list as I spent most of my youth that scene, so it was a tough choice!
TRG - Broken Hearted (Martyn's DCM remix)
Dubstep opened a lot of things up as it showed it was possible to combine elements of disparate scenes and sounds of different eras to make something fresh, which is what is propelling this "house revival" or whatever you want to call it. Dance music was very fragmented at the turn of the century. I have such vivid memories of hearing Kode 9 play this what felt like a year until I heard it again. A masterclass in soulful minimalism! 'For Lost Relatives is my joint-favourite Martyn track, which I often close sets with.
Mr Fingers - Can You Feel It
Perhaps an obvious choice, but I thought about it and it wouldn't feel right leaving it out. It has the balance of emotion, raw sonics and an interesting structure that sum up what I love about the deeper end of house music. For years I thought "maybe I'll get into house one day", and when I finally decided to give it a chance I started with the early Chicago stuff. I almost immediately found this track which totally sold it to me, it was very refreshing. The classic house record, and deservedly so.
Rufus & Chaka Khan - Masterjam
It took me a little while to figure out what I liked and disliked within disco. Within that time I picked up several Rufus/Chaka LPs as they're quite common and pretty cheap. This is my favourite of theirs and one of my favourite albums that I've discovered in recent years. As well as 'Do You Love What You Feel', it has the cover of Quincy Jones''Body Heat' (Quincy produced the album) and the monster 'Any Love'. And that's why it's pretty much always in my record bag!
Tammi Terrell - All I Do
I sampled this off of a BBE compilation to make a hip hop track with a friend, a year or 2 before I found the recording again and used it in 'Terrell', which is the first track I released as Medlar and the start of me working with Wolf Music. At the time I was unaware of the history of Stevie Wonder writing the song as a teenager and Tammi Terrell's tragic death (and how that affected Marvin Gaye). Discovering this after the Wolf 12" went out, combined with the opportunities that have opened up for me since deciding to make house music, and how it's my favourite Motown record, make it a very special record to me, with many layers of appreciation. I really should get a 45 of it!
Medlar releases 'Sleep'on October 7th through Wolf Music.