“It’s the Final Countdown……..” – The DJ’s Give Us Their Top 10 Tunes of 2007

I’m a list person. I must be the only person on the planet who compares the Guardian’s list of Top 100 books with the books I’ve actually read and secretly enjoys watching those shit programs on tv like VH-1’s “Top 50 Music Videos” and “Top 50 Most Embarassing Celebrity Moments”.

So when end of the year rolls around, I don’t think of tax returns and new year’s resolutions – I think about the important things in life: what music rocked my world.

2007 was a great year for “going out” for music.

Brighton played host to an exciting number of music activities, from festivals to club nights to all-dayers, with both new faces and old hands on board. Suddenly there were loads of new nights to go to, and I felt spoiled for choice.

New Kids on the Block? PlayGroup, Beat Circus, On The House, Strawberry Social, Pollen, Somewhere in the Universe, Gangster Music for Indie Kids, Pointbreaks [editor's note: 2007 was the year these nights showed up on my radar - PlayGroup actually started in 06 -oops!]

New Festivals: Loop, Brighton City Festival, Frequency Festival

“New” Clubs: Digital

Of course, I’m also thinking of all the good music that I came across this year, and who knows all the track names that pleasantly haunt my sleep better than DJs?

Brightonians “love their music”, but as tastes can vary wildly, I asked DJs from different nights to give us their Top 10 for 2007.

Some DJ lists included songs that made the heavens shake at their night but were actually released in previous years, while others gave lists of their personal favorite tunes of those released in the year. Either way, these nights showed us Brighton people a helluva good time, and any release year you cut, it doesn’t really matter.

Brighton’s Top 10 Tunes for 2007

Sick’lil Munkeez Greg from Electric Playboys

Aaren San- Osclownyzz (Blende Remix)
Black Daniel- Gimmie What You Got- Alex Metric Mix
Slyde- Sex & Drugs
Like Woah!- Oh I Like (Whitenoise Remix)
Gossip- Standing In The Way Of Control (Soulwax Night Version)
Grandmaster Flash- White Lines (Carrison vx Scorpio Remix)
Eyerer and Chopstick Ft. Zdar- Make My Day (Haunting)- Mashtronic Vocal Remix
House of Pain- Jump Around- Micky Slim Bootleg
Linus Loves- Stand Back (2007 Mix)
Herve- Rocky Raver

Electric Playboys is a free monthly night at the Pressure Point. The boys play a little bit of everything – breaks, house, funk, drum ‘n’ bass – anything that will pump up the party-vibe. After celebrating their first birthday, Playboys threw a massive free party for New Year’s Eve at both Hectors House and Pressure Point. Free party with a curfew?

DJ Aize from Cut Loose

Mental Overdrive ‘Soma’ (R&S) 1991
Satin Storm ‘Think I’m going outta my head’ (Satin Storm) 1992
Liquid Crystal ‘Power Within’ (Bizarre) 1991
Technohead ‘Headsex LP’ (Mokum) 1994
Aurora ‘Spectral Bass’ (Adrenalin Records) 1992
Potential Badboy ‘Everyday Child’ (Sublogic recordings/92 Retro) 2006
The Men From Del Bosca ‘El-Bland-E’ (Giant Trax) 1992
Noise Factory ‘The Fire/Set me Free Remix’ (3rd Party) 1992
Doc Scott ‘As Nasty as i Wanna Be Remixes’ 1992
EQ ‘Ghetto Boys’ (FX Records) 1992

Cut Loose is a monthly night at the Volks Tavern that plays drum ‘n’ bass, old skool jungle, and ragga. The night puts on mighty big names including the legendary 4Hero, Tayo, XX to name a few, and are supported by roster of powerhouse residents. A good night minus the chavs.

Paul My Fingah from White Rhino

The Reward Is Cheese – Deadmau5 – [Rising Trax]
Dope On Strings – Madox – [Mantra]
I Thought Inside Out – Alex Metric – [Marine Parade]
Trippin Me Out – Audiojack Remix – [Pornobreaks]
Shake With It – Bass Kleph Remix – [Vacation Records]
I Slide – John Dahlback (Flatfoot Remix) – [KNM Special Marketing]
Wasabi On Top – Olivier Giacomotto
Im A Freak – Fukkk Offf – [Coco Machete Records]
Bone Snow – Sam Hell (Dopamine Remix) – [Sinister Recordings]
Feel Like Dancin – BROTHERS BUD vs.THC (Micky Slim Remix) – [Finger Lickin]

b>White Rhino is one of the longer running nights, and it takes place monthly at the Volks Tavern. It was started by a group of friends who had a shared concern over the diminishing numbers of the rare African white rhino along with a shared love of dirty breaks and filthy beats. Clubbing with a conscience.

Johnny Loves House from

Pollen

1) Quality Control – Deep Down – Southern Comfort EP – (Drop Music)
2) Candy Dealers – The Things That You Do – Who’s Disco EP – (ShrewdMusic)
3) Inland Knights – None Of These – Drop 50 Part One – (Drop Music)
4) Da Sunlounge – Chance 2 Dance – Beat-Nik Kid EP – (Myna Music)
5) Derrick Carter’s Love groove mix – Love Plus – Truman Industries – (DAE)
6) Matt Shrewd – Walk Around – Second Innings EP – (Bambino)
7) Lo/Rez – Angry – Guilty Feet EP – (Greenhouse Recordings)
8) Dubble D – Honey – Bug Eyed EP – (Winding Road Records)
9) Blacksoul feat Dogo Argentino – Walkin’ – Walkin’ Remixes – (DAE)
10) Formidable Force – That’s The Way – That’s The Way EP – (Detour)

Pollen
is a monthly night at the Jazz Rooms. See “New Nights 2008″ article for more info.

Lee Smith from Kliks

Junior Boys – Like A Child (Carl Craig remix) [Domino]
Supermayer – Two Of Us [Kompakt]
Markus Enochson – Red Coffee (Redshape remix) [Imprime]
Argy – 1985 (Sydenham & Rune Remix) [Liebe*Detail Spezial]
Paul Kalkbrenner – Ick Muss Aus Dit Milieu Heraus (Bpitch Control)
Pigon – Promises [Dial]
Diskjokke – Flok L Farta [Kindisch]
Error Error – The End Of The Day [Sender]
Sascha Klober – Treating Me [Funkwelle]
Fairmont – Flight of The Albatross [Border Community]

Kliks is a monthly night at Audio. Kliks helped turn Brighton clubbers on to fine minimalist techno nearly a decade ago and continues to import techno DJs from France, Germany and the world for our listening pleasure. Clubbing in Cologne minus the flight.

Words: Amy the Film Maker