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In the bag: Ben Cannon (Soul Control)
Soul Control is one of HiFi’s most beloved nights. A year gone, and they have thrown some amazing parties, and look to keep doing so with their octopus mascot by their side all the way. Their next swim is on 24th March – check the event page here. To celebrate their one year anniversary, we thought we’d interrogate one of their team of selectors to reveal the secrets of his record bag…
Name(s): Ben Cannon
Artist/DJ/Producer/Band name: DJ Ken
Hometown: Chester/Wrexham
First record ever bought?
Can’t actually remember the first one I ever bought, think it was some shit disco from a charity shop. Here’s one from my first discogs order, purchased alongside some naff hardcore. This one is some early UK techno, nice n cheap with this storming a-side and an unexpected lovely slowed down ambient version on b2. Got sick of it by the time I started playing out so yet to do so but one day…
Best floorfiller?
Heard this out at love muscle from michael and bought it the next day. Sick 1989 hip house on gherkin records, home to loads of great Chicago releases. Just the right amount of vocal with driving acid lines.
Best crate dig?
Not so much a dig just part of an outrageously cheap bundle of records I bought a while back. This one is some digi dub from mad professor on his own ariwa label, the lp called psychedelic dub dub. See past a few dodgy tunes and it has some really sick dancehall leaning stuff with silly drums and sampling.
Sleaziest record?
No youtube on the offending title (it is also terrible) so heres the other tune I bought it for, seminal baltimore club I heard on one of the first hessle rinse shows I ever listened to. Simple think break with massive bass line and another I’ve not had a chance to play out!
Best warehouse/stadium filler?
Playing warehouses is not really my domain although would love the chance. Had fun listening to tunes to answer this one, settled on this virgo track. Originally released in 1986 (!) it actually sounds as though they recorded it in a warehouse. The breakdown at 1:40, and change up in kick pattern soon after, sums up .. avin it. Disclaimer: don’t actually own this record, just is a better answer to this question than anything ive got!
Most nostalgic record?
Don’t buy too many records for this reason as they end up not getting out too much but play tunes from this dmz lp quite a lot. A classic dubstep tune from mala that has a lot of good memories attached to it from when I first started going out. Doesn’t need much introduction!
Most valuable record? (monetary or sentimental)
Answer to both of those! Classic mid tempo soul given to me as a present from my lovely girlfriend. Works great as a last tune, have played it to death and still not sick of it, hope I never am.
Weirdest record?
Maybe this 12 on l.i.e.s, the ‘sleeve’ is a sellotape dispenser printed on standard a4 sheet of paper. “This polyrhythmic swirl of drum machine, tape echo and locked grooves is the product of two post-1982 jam sessions between an anonymous DJ and drum machine operator duo. The DJ liked the way a record happened to skip. More were made to do so. The drum machine operator had had a bit too much, but he knew that 100 divided by 3 was 33 – and he was feeling the toms that night”. So probably one of the l.i.e.s crew then…
Last record you bought?
Splashed out a bit and ordered this from Japan. It’s a 1984 haruomi hosono lp; a 6 tracker with every song offering something interesting, from this punchy electro-leaning ‘strange love’ to some down tempo to proto techno, all ending in ambient piano tune in ‘dark side of the star’. All ridiculously well produced and packaged, all round sick.
Record you wish you could own?
Amazing psychedelic soul, crispest drums and almost dub sounding bassline. It’s not crazy expensive just no one selling it, I’m on the lookout…
