Life is a Jumble Sale: Dale Cornish’s Favourite Albums

Baker's Dozen

Artists discuss the 13 records that shaped their lives

I’d spend hours in Tower Records. They had an amazing dance/electronic department with an electro section where I picked up the Fischerspooner album because I liked the cover and recognised the label. I was aware this music was gaining traction and heard about an electroclash night called Nag Nag Nag. So I went down to Nag Nag Nag, and within a year or two, I was occasionally DJing there. 

I entered this world of electroclash and loved it. I went to Nag Nag Nag every week; made a different outfit every week from binbags or John Lewis fabric. What I loved was that Johnny [Slut, founder] would never play ‘Nag, Nag, Nag’ by Cabaret Voltaire, even though he named the club after it. He never played ‘Emerge’ by Fischerspooner either. He had records no-one else played. French things, weird broken beat, really insistent hip hop. So even at this epicentre of London electroclash, it was never really zealous – it was always about really enjoying a diverse range of music. 

I still think #1 is a brilliant album. Sir is now my favourite weightlifting soundtrack. I saw them play at Royal Festival Hall, and they played ‘Emerge’ a second time for the encore. Casey Spooner stopped to point to the front row, and said ‘Oh my God, it’s Boy George!’ He also once told me I looked like David Beckham, so [cackling] I can dine out on that for life. 

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