After a year of giving up on life I’ve finally finished GTA IV and all the story packs – The Ballad of Gay Tony and The Lost and Damned. Characters like Niko Bellic, Luis Lopez, Little Jacob and Gay Tony have provided me with SO SO SO SO much fun.

I didn’t play games for a least a decade before I got GTA IV and to be honest I don’t really have much desire to play anything else. Maybe it’s the drug deals, the twitter pastiche, Porsches, and the coked up Brits dancing to a Paul Oakenfold piss take. It’s just a big lol.

Anyway, the game has some of the best music ever. Here are my favourite three tracks. I had to ditch Buju Banton, Cerrone, Marley Marl, DJ Khaled, Liquid Liquid and Fleetwood Mac.

Machine – There But For The Grace Of God

Skatt Brothers – Walk The Night

Hello – New York Groove

I don’t know where I got this compilation. It’s the type that has lots of songs inaudibly pressed on each side and the first beat frustratingly skips so even if wanted to use the pressing to DJ you’d screw up. You know what I mean? About a third of my vinyl’s like this.

It’s called “Paradisco: 12 essential Italian club cuts” and it’s full of early late 80s/early 90s house. My favourite track is this:

MB – YOU DON’T GET STOP

Venom and Damage – Deeper

Now DFA’s not so ubiquitous I’ve realised I made a mistake – it was actually alright! All those years hating Our Disco were wasted. This song isn’t that great but the video reminds me of all my favourite 1980s dance movies.

I found this 12″ during my holiday to South Beach Miami between visiting the fabulous Wolfsonian Design Museum and not so fabulous World Erotic Art Museum. BTW take a look at some of the exhibits at both.

Man Parrish, the “electro funky white boy” and pioneer of electronic music, made a track with Paul Parker, the creator of my favourite jogging track – Right on target.

PAUL PARKER – ONE LOOK (WAS ENOUGH)

The collaboration reads better than it sounds – right?

I found this really worn picture disc in Miami. YouTube says “zadora is very sexy and cupid girl.” I agree.

PIA ZADORA – LET’S DANCE TONIGHT

Rory gave me this banger ages ago but I thought posting it would be rude. It’s all over the internet now so hopefully he won’t get mad if I tell the world how good it is.

EINE KLEINE – FEUERPROBE (RORY PHILLIPS NACHTVERSION)

I’ve wanted to play this track out for seven years but rather pathetically I’ve never been sure if it’s cool enough. Lame.

DEBBIE HARRY – RUSH RUSH

Shimmy your shoulders wildly to this.

COLONEL ABRAMS – TRAPPED

I never really got into this song until today.

PAUL PARKER – RIGHT ON TARGET

Thanks Rory

Brian Auger’s a jazz and blues Hammond B3 player who played with every whorey rockstar of the 60s. Notably his band the Trinity had a hit with This Wheel’s On Fire which later became the theme to the TV series Absolutely Fabulous. In the early 80s he had fun with some Italians with synthesizers and made this. I found it on Picnic Land – thanks P – and according to iTunes I’ve played this track more than any other recently.

BRIAN AUGER – NIGHT TRAIN TO NOWHERE

I was really good when I played the the Mustache Bar doing house, disco and freestyle but I just couldn’t fake enthusiasm for anything around 140bpm at East Village last night. I’m looking forward to searching for some new banging tracks and coming back fresh.

Back to old music – I played this at the Mustache – it’s my current favourite.
IRENE CARA – BREAKDANCE
but I mixed it with
TITTSWORTH – BROKE ASS NIGGA (DJ ASSAULT REMIX)
and it sounded great!

Denboy gave this record among a bunch of charity shop 12″s about five years ago for my birthday but for some reason I never listened to it until now. That was my loss because this is pretty special hi-nrg.

CAROL JIANI – TOUCH AND GO LOVER