Guy J: My Top 10 Influential Dance Tracks

One of Israel’s top exports, Guy J has long been an ITM favourite. The producer is currently midway through a winter Australian club tour, and after wowing Perth, Brisbane and Melbourne last week he’s set to hit Canberra and Sydney this weekend. Lucky for us, Guy J took some time out of his busy tour schedule to run us through his top 10 influential dance tracks. Unsurprisingly, it’s an impressive list spanning everything from trance to techno, with guys like James Holden sitting next to more obscure – but no less mighty – remixes. Over to you, Guy…

1. Bedrock – Heaven Scent

For me, Heaven Scent is the mother of progressive: all the elements in this track, all the sounds, the bass line. I think it was the track that opened my mind and ears to progressive house music. I heard it for the first time (among other songs I’m going to list here) at Love Parade in Tel Aviv and these tracks, I think, designed the way I look at and think of electronic music.

2. Andy Ling – Fixation

Every time I hear the original, I think about the sun, good vibes and a build-up of elements. Not many tracks have done this so well: having a melody in the break and then coming back to the main pattern, leaving you with a taste for more. This was one of the best releases on Hooj Choons, which was a legendary label.

3. James Holden – Horizon

James Holden’s productions always amaze me. If I could put all his tracks here I would, but the first track I heard by him was on a radio show in Israel and it was Horizon. I think that whatever genre of music you like, what you want to hear in the end is amazing music. Horizon is like a symphony in electronic music that you can dance to, creating so many emotions and a storm of feelings. A genius creation.

4.16B feat Morel – Driving To Heaven

Every single time I hear this tune I get goosebumps. I think I could listen this track on repeat for a full day; it’s one of best male vocal tunes I have ever heard. I think it’s hard to make a tune that combines a proper song in it, not just a vocal and Driving To Heaven by 16B is a perfect example of how it should be done. Another amazing track on Hooj Choons.

5. Ben Sims – Manipulated (Adam Beyer remix)

I was big fan of techno at the time this came out and for me, this is proper techno music. Manipulated is a ride in the jungle – the rhythm, the drums, the loop – I don’t think you can stand still when you hear it on a big sound-system. I’m influenced by a few genres of electronic music and from techno, this is one of the biggest.