I was chuffed to bits when brother Sanj, author of the global record shop guides The Secret List asked me to curate a mix. A man with deep musical knowledge, wicked dance moves, impeccable taste in clothes and a real gent to boot. Chatting with Sanj about music is always an enlightening experience. You’ll find that deep knowledge in his two expertly crafted guides from Los Angeles and Paris. With the London edition out soon The Secret List is well on its way to becoming the leading authority on where to buy your vinyl when travelling. Not only is it a guide to those undiscovered treasure troves of dusty nuggets, but Sanj also gives the reader a cultural tour of the city. From those cool back street bars to an indulgent gastro treat to street art, where to dance or even where to stay on your trip. Oh, and if you have any spare change, he even has hot tips on the best shops, boutiques. The Secret List is so much more than just about buying records.

Talking about buying records like any good vinyl addict, I buy records nearly every week, but I’m not a completist, as that is far too expensive, and I don’t need that really rare record that I hate and only play once. The bulk of my collection is unfortunately in storage having moved back to London from Barcelona a few years into a smaller apartment which is not quite big enough to house my collection of records. I’m now running out of space in my current apartment, so I’ll need to get my skates on (the wife agrees) and move again pretty soon methinks. So not being able to dig through my entire collection this mix comes from a selection of a few new purchases of which there have been many and the handful or so records I didn’t store away. Having a very open mind to music my record collection covers many styles from Soul, Funk, Latin, Disco, Hip Hop, Jazz and much, much more. The tracks chosen represent a small section of my musical headspace, but it covers plenty of ground mixing the genres with new and old tracks. Nothing rare or hard to find just simply good music that I hope you’ll enjoy.

Keep digging and remember life is too short to listen to bad music, right?

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Tracklisting:

Emma-Jean Thackray – Wet Nose – Self-Released (Walrus EP)

Marcus Belgrave – Space Odyssey – Tribe Records (Gemini)

MoonDog – Dragon’s Teeth/ Voices Of Spring – Honest Jons (Moondog And His Friends)

Horace Tapscott & The Pan African Peoples Arkestra – Peyote Song No. III – Nimbus West Records (The Call)

Shabaka And The Ancestors – Joyous – Brownswood Recordings (Wisdom Of Elders)

Alice Coltrane – Gospel Trane – Impulse! ( A Monastic Trio)

John Coltrane – Bahia – DOL (Bahia)

Oneness of Juju – African Rhythms – Black Fire Music ( African Rhythms)

Al Doson Jr – Live At Makeover – Rhythm Section International (Rye Lane Vol 11 & 111)

Reginald Omas Mamode IV – Omas Sextet (Time, Rhythm and Change) Five Easy Pieces (Reginald Omas Mamode IV)

Mo Kolours – Pots And Pans Ceremonial Intro – One Handed Music (Texture Like Sun)

Mo Kolours – Golden Brown – One Handed Music (Texture Like Sun)

Bastien Keb – Blurs – One Handed Music (Dinking In The Shadows Of Zizou)

K15 – Loves Gambit – Eglo Records (Wu15)

Moses Boyd – Drum Dance – Exodus Records (Rye Lane Shuffle)

Claudia – Macumba – Premier (Claudia)

Georgette – Kirie – Mr Bongo ( A Moça Do Mar)

Kendrick Lamer – Institutionalized – Top Dawg Entertainment (To Pimp A Butterfly)

D’Angelo and The Vanguard – Another Life – RCA Records (Black Messiah)