The last track of the night?
I’ve got a tendency either to drop the hardest thing in my box or finish with a classic – either to drain the last bit of energy from them or send them home smiling. Depends on my mood really. Years ago I always used to drop Jeff Mills’ ‘Phase 4’ as my last track. It’s so amazingly relentless that there’s nowhere to go but home after playing it!
The guilty pleasure?
I’ll admit that I’m partial to Rod Stewart’s ‘Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?’. It’s shit but in a funny way. Obviously it’s cheesy as fuck, but a lot of disco was. There’s actually an edit of this I did to play at a promoter’s wedding, which I’ve drunkenly (and mistakenly) dropped at a couple of techno clubs. Oh dear.
The best chillout record?
I’m not one of those guys with loads of ambient albums, chillout and soundscape shit. Obviously I’m a fan of things like early Aphex Twin and Global Commination, but for me the ultimate relaxing soundtrack needs to be reggae or dub. It just unwinds me. I’m not a stoner – haven’t been for years – but it still has the same effect, so something like King Tubby’s ‘Dreada Version’ does it for me. Failing that, some dub-flavoured house or techno. Ability II’s ‘Pressure Dub’ is always an armchair rave fave.
The future classic?
A touch of blatant self-promotion here, but there’s two forthcoming acid tracks I’ve worked on with two heroes that I truly hope become classics as I’m so bloody pleased with them. The first is with Tyree Cooper. It’s an attempt at recreating an ’88 kinda vibe but with a current structure:
The second is with DJ Rush and it’s a straight up acid banger:
Ben Sims plays at Valhalla Festival on 22nd December in Amsterdam. Click here for more info.