Music
The records that shaped Carl Cox
The legendary DJ takes us on a musical journey from 1962 through to present day.
It's difficult to sum up the extensive career of someone like Carl Cox. The man is, quite frankly, an icon of dance music. From his early days in the mid '80s DJing at legendary UK clubs like Shellys and The Hacienda, right through to '90s superstar DJ status, countless remixes and mix compilations and a legendary residency stint at Space in Ibiza. He has, quite literally, seen and done it all.
Cox is about to turn 54 this year, but shows no signs of slowing down. This European summer the softly spoken friendly giant reaches a career milestone - celebrating a mammoth 15 years as resident DJ of Space Ibiza, which is sadly his final season on the island. Though where one chapter ends, another begins, with the DJ launching his very own techno festival Pure in Australia this month.
With these two milestone events in mind, we thought it only fitting to look back at the music that has shaped the legend that is Carl Cox, who takes Red Bull Music through his own personal music journey from 1962 into present day.
Carl Cox | Music Is Revolution @ Space Ibiza
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Can you recall a record your parents used to play when you were a kid that has stuck with you?
It’s got to be Elvis Presley’s ‘Bossa Nova Baby,’ which is from the Fun In Acapulco film he starred in. My Mum and Dad used to have parties at home all the time and there’d always be some Elvis records playing from his collection. And we’d listen to him at Christmas time too. All his music was great, but ‘Bossa Nova Baby’ is the one that has stayed with me to this very day.
It’s funny how much of a musical influence parents can have on a child growing up. It’s almost as if there’s no choice in the matter - your tastes become ingrained in you.
Absolutely. My family is from the Caribbean, so they used to play all the music that came from local artists in Barbados as well. But Elvis was one of those artists who really broke through everything. No matter what kind of music you were into, Elvis Presley would be in your collection, he was that prolific. And you know what? The first time I heard him I didn’t even know he was white! Actually most people who heard him before they saw him in films or on the telly thought he was black. He just had so much soul and that’s why his music crossed over to black people at the time. In the end it didn’t matter what colour he was, it was his fantastic music that touched people’s souls.
You mentioned your Caribbean heritage. Are there any tracks or artists from there you remember from that time?
Hmmm, that’s a tough one. I’d have to say Eddy Grant, who was in a band called The Equals back in the ‘60s. Not many people really remember him from that time though. They mostly know him for his 1982 hit ‘Electric Avenue,’ which is a great track.
What was the first record you ever bought?
It was ‘Love Hangover’ by Diana Ross, which I bought in 1976 for 83 pence at a place called Our Price Records in Sutton High Street. I used to do a paper round which earned me about £2.50, so after buying that record I had enough money to buy some sweets afterwards!
Was disco a big influence on you growing up?
Yeah, but it wasn’t just disco. As a teenager in the ‘70s I was always listening to the radio and buying lots of different music, but an album I used to listen to all the time was Stevie Wonder’s ‘Songs In The Key Of Life’. That album had the most musicianship from Stevie than anything else he’s ever done; he played keys, bass, drums, he sang. He coordinated all the music. It takes a massive ear and talent to be able to put something like that together. That album really defines him I think. And it defines my life at that time too as a kid growing up in South London. I got stuck on it for so many years and it still sounds amazing to this day.
What was the first electronic record you heard that blew you away?
The one that completely blew me out of my socks was ‘Planet Rock’ by Afrika Bambaataa & Soul Sonic Force, which was produced by Arthur Baker and came out in 1982. I think this has to be the most seminal hip-hop track of that time and everything in it was electronic; the 808 drums, the Moog synths. It just sounded so different and powerful and it’s so amazing that people still sample it today. You’ll never get anything that sounds quite like that bassline.
Is there a specific track that made you want to become a DJ?
Back when I was a painter and decorator I remember hearing Gary Numan’s ‘Cars’ on the radio and thinking, ‘I really don’t want to do this anymore!’ That was my last job before I became a DJ. I remember I used to hear ‘Cars’ being played in all the New Romantic clubs. If you went to Steve Strange’s place The Blitz In Camden Palace you’d hear it there. It’s just such a phenomenal track – no one had ever made a riff quite like that before. To be able to get musicianship and electronics to sound as one is always difficult, and early electronic music could often sound very robotic. But Gary Numan really made it work.
This is a toughie, but what would you consider as one of your all time favourite early house or techno records?
It would have to be Rhythim Is Rhythim (Derrick May) – ‘Strings Of Life’, which came out in ’87. All this dance music that was starting to come out was so brand new and different. I think the first acid house record I bought was Chip E – ‘Time to Jack’, and then there were other great early house and garage records from Mr. Fingers and Larry Heard. And then along came ‘Strings Of Life,’ which was techno, but with strings and an arrangement. I mean it started off with a keyboard, so instantly you wondered where this record was going. I remember Paul Oakenfold playing it for the first time at Heaven in London. When the drum pattern dropped and the stings came in….wow, there was nothing quite like it. That record was definitely the birth of the techno sound. Think of all the millions of dance records that have come out since then, and you can play ‘Strings’ now and people are still in awe at how amazing it is.
Given your long-standing residency at Space Ibiza is coming to a close this year, I have to ask, which record best sums up the island for you?
Wow, I mean you can imagine there’s been hundreds of those over the years! That’s a hard one to choose, but I suppose it’d probably be ‘Bamboleo’ by the Gypsy Kings. That’s a record you’d hear at the end of the night in the early days, bringing everyone together. Every time I hear that record it reminds me of Ibiza.
Is that a record you would have heard Alfredo play back in the day?
Definitely. Back in the 80s, Ibiza was all about him. And you could get away with playing a record like that back then because DJing was so much more eclectic.
OK, what’s a record you’ve always loved and you’ll never tire of listening to?
‘Don’t Leave Me This Way’ by Thelma Houston. It came out towards the end of the disco era in 1978. It’s just such a great song, it’s absolutely timeless. To me it just screams of Tamla Motown with its arrangement and strings and how it builds up into the chorus. It’s one of those songs you end up singing at the top of your voice. An absolute classic.
So you’d choose the original version over the Communards’ cover, then?
[Laughs] Definitely!
I have to admit, I'm a fan of the Communards version! Finally, is there a track or artist from the last few years that has really impressed you?
For me Pharrell has made some of the best music in recent times. He’s produced for so many artists, but then he came out from behind the mixing desk and into the limelight with his own stuff and he just blew people away. ‘Happy,’ for instance, is such an amazing pop record. And then look at his work with Daft Punk and Nile Rodgers on ‘Get Lucky’ – he really was the one who carried that record through. His music is such a great representation of who he is and it’s definitely going to stand the test of time.