Whilst it’s not everyday that we get a favourite five contribution from a living acid house legend, actor, Ivor Novello winner and lifestyle coach, today just happens to be one of those days. Here at Proper we’ve loved Mr C for several decades now, for many reasons though getting to repeatedly shout ‘Es are good, Es are good‘ to a nation of millions on Top of The pops is perhaps our favourite. As well as running the SuperFreq label he also continues to DJ and showcases some of the world’s finest acid, techno and house music via his high quality streaming site FreqStream as well as his regular podcasts (which you can also catch on the likes of iTunes, YouTube, Spotify, Soundcloud and Mixcloud). Though before you get lost deep into one of his marvellous mixes check out his favourite five first…
Book
Alan Watts is my favourite author. I love all his books & the way he thinks, which is very in line with my own way of thinking. What I love is that Alan explains Buddhism & it’s techniques in a non religious way. It seems that science & especially quantum physics is finally catching up with the views of people like Alan. I’ll go with Become What You Are as my favourite.
Art
I absolutely love art, as art is the agent of Human evolution. Art is an expression of the artist’s experiences, created to question the perception of others in profound ways, which then contributes to the Human struggle to grow, evolve & even change the world. My favourite piece of art is one that was created in my own home. My friend Caroline Gray started the piece & my wife Xo Chic, who’s a high end fashion buyer & stylist & our flatmate Sheldon Salmiery went crazy on it with such great end results.
Clothing
I love clothes & fashion so much. Traditionally my favourite have always been British with Alexander McQueen (RIP), Vivienne Westwood & the like setting the standard. However I love what the Japanese & the Belgians are doing these days. Walter Van Beirendonck is up there with my very favourites, he just can’t do a thing wrong in my eyes. So I’m going with this sweater by Walter as my favourite piece. I love the transparent plastic front panel & the message too.
Music
Asking a proper DJ their favourite piece of music is a trick. Every week I listen to a ton of new music & my favourite piece changes every month as I have a low boredom threshold. However the Padlock Album by Gwen Guthrie on Garage Records holds a place in my heart like no other album. With reggae geniuses Sly Dunbar & Robbie Shakespeare on production & drums & bass, Wally Badarou on the keys, Darryl Thompson on guitar, Larry Levan on the mix down & the sweetest voice of Gwen on vocals, disco surely doesn’t get any better than this.
Something Else
As many people are aware, I have a real passion for Chelsea Football Club. I went to my first game aged eleven back in season 76/77 at home to Nottingham Forest. We were both in Division 2 & battling for promotion. Forest went 0-1 up & Chelsea came back to win 2-1. It was a night game, the stadium was intimidating, the fans were aggressive & I fell in love. I’ve been a loyal & passionate supporter ever since & run the Chelsea in Los Angeles (CiLA 1905) Official Supporters club with our extended L.A. family.
