1. My Bloody ValentineLoveless
My no. 1 forever. It would appear on any of my lists. When I think of it, I just see that sleeve, manifested in sound, that beautiful, dark colourful blur. The density of sound on Loveless it is something that influenced me a lot when I was younger. It made me think of music as a physical thing, like sculpture – which had an obvious literal effect on the work that I do.   I remember seeing them live first time around too – Jesus, it was an assault. Like they were having this long battle with the audience, willing them to survive this heavy wall of sound. It was beyond immersive, and that had a huge effect on me.  It’s funny though – it’s a record I only revisit about once a year. It’s too precious. Do you have a record like that? [Yes, I say – Joy Division’s Unknown Pleasures.] It’s so perfect in my head, it’s like I don’t want to break that spell. But how great is that? Thirty years on, it still has that spell on me.