Back in the late 90s, James Ford and Jas Shaw were studying biology at and philosophy respectively at Manchester University, while crafting strange electronic music in the spare room of their shared house. Fellow student Simon Lord, a folk-influenced singer-songwriter, caught wind of the duo’s sonic experiments, and along with bass player Alex MacNaughten they formed the band Simian. In order to sate their love of electronic party music, James and Jas booked themselves DJ dates while touring with Simian. They’d finish a gig and then run off to play electro records to small, sweaty rooms full of people who often seemed to be having lots more fun than the audiences at their gigs. As a pisstake, they called themselves Simian Mobile Disco.
Fuck Buttons / Flight of the Feathered Serpent Lovely, noisy, messy, dreamy, and it’s got a great name.
It was just last summer when MilkMan set out on a dangerous quest to find his true inner self. He traveled north, into the farthest arctic tundra, subsisting off of only melted ice and lamas bread for weeks on end. Just as he was about to turn back, he happened upon a massive castle made of ice and snow. Inside the castle, Milk Man stumbled upon a pile of elaborate glistening crystals. Each individual crystal produced its own specific frequency. Milk Man brought these crystals back home. They successfully broke the mystical code and were soon arranging and composing symphonies out of these crystals; tweaked electronic versions of the original crystal operas. Their mystical collaboration, My Milky Way Arms, showcases a breathtaking blend of noise and electronica.
Van Halen / Panama I hated Van Halen for years and this song embodied my hatred. Then one day, like a light switch, my mind clicked over to finally realize this is the most awesome band of all time! This is the ultimate party song I’m too scared to play at a party.
My Secret Playlist is a music discovery website and weekly email publication. We invite our favourite bands and musicians to give us the rundown on their eight favourite songs right now. These are their words on the music that inspires them.
