Australian DJ Claire Morgan is an exhilarating new signing to the MN2S DJ roster. Her formidable record collection has taken on legendary status, so we had to ask her about the best records she owns, and the ‘Lucky Seven’ tracks she loves to play. Here’s what she told us.
Aaron Carl – Tears [Subject Detroit]
Possibly the most-played record in my entire collection, ‘Tears’ has hardly left my bag since its release 10 years ago. I was working at a record store called Machinemusik and arrived one day to relieve my colleague Simon Caldwell of his duties. He gave me such a smug look when I walked in and casually dropped the needle on this baby. Mind/heart explosion. This record is like a great old friend that never disappoints and always greets you with a big warm hug. It’s so sad that there will be no more new music from AC, but we are lucky to have beauties like this one.
Choice – Acid Eiffel [Fnac Music Dance Division]
Brainchild of French legends Shazz and Laurent Garnier, engineered with Ludovic Navarre, this is arguably the finest deep acid techno track ever made. I bought this record the first time I came to Berlin in 2006, a trip that forever changed my understanding of electronic music and club culture. I returned to Sydney with a suitcase full of records and a heart full of inspiration, and ‘Acid Eiffel’ became the opening record of my first proper mixtape. I actually haven’t played ‘Acid Eiffel’ at too many gigs, it’s so special that it needs to be exactly the right time and place. But when that happens, this track is untouchable.
69 – Ladies and Gentlemen [Planet E]
Considering Carl Craig’s unparalleled back catalogue, there are some massive tunes that could be included here. I chose this one because the first time I played it, blindly one night at peak time, the raw power of ‘Ladies and Gentlemen’ really took me by surprise and taught me to never doubt Carl Craig’s intrinsic gift for building tension and releasing a dance floor into pure bliss. Even in his earliest work, that magic is unmistakeable. I was buying a lot of Detroit music right from the start without realising that it all came from the same city, and it took me a little while to understand how to properly work with the power of this music. This was definitely a turning point, and I proceeded with a new perspective.
Traumprinz – Changes [Traumprinz]
A rework of a Sandy Rivera’s ‘Changes’, this record has received insane levels of hype and discogs extortion. Aside from that, it’s a lovely, thoughtful interpretation that puts a new spin on a classic vocal. I’ve played this many times, but I will always remember it as my last record one fateful Monday morning when I was invited to close the Klubnacht at Panorama Bar. I think that Sunday 23:59 timeslot has got to be one of the most challenging, inspiring and rewarding gigs a DJ can play anywhere in the world, the club is usually full of industry people and everyone knows their shit, musically speaking. I feel grateful to have had that experience, and with a Rane MP2016 under my hands. It remains the best gig I have played in my life to date and I was lucky to have a lot of friends in the room with me. This was the perfect track to exit on.
Ame – Rej [Sonar Kollectiv/Innervisions]
This has since become a techno classic, but my fondest memory of playing this record is from all the way back in 2006 at Channel Zero, the first of a series of legendary illegal raves in Sydney. My baby-DJ jaw hit the floor when I arrived to find a multi-stage extravaganza with thousands of people and some very serious sound systems. Midway through my set there was a power failure and our stage was plunged into pitch black mayhem, I think it must have been an old pie factory because there were silver pie tins flying everywhere. The pressure just built and built with people chanting in the darkness and going crazy, and when the power came back on and that distinctive ‘Tum-tum…tum. Tum-tum…tum’ hook started up (first at 33rpm then quickly switched to 45rpm), it felt like the whole room levitated simultaneously.
UR – The Final Frontier/Base Camp Alpha 808 [Underground Resistance]
I must include both sides of this record. This was a very early purchase of mine way back when I thought I only liked West Coast deep house and hip hop. I listened to ‘The Final Frontier’ and thought, “Dayam! I have no idea what the hell that is but my brain just fragmented!” For many years, the title track was never played, it’s such an epic, armageddon-conjuring destroyer that every time I went to play it, I wimped out and flipped the record. So ‘Base Camp Alpha 808’ got all the glory for a very long time, which is fine because it’s brilliant too. Late last year I was closing Tresor after Octave One, and finally ‘The Final Frontier’, which in my opinion is the finest example of proper Detroit electro, found its place. I think I may have been “woooooo”-ing the whole time it was playing.
DJ HMC – Cum On [Decks Classix]
Obvious choice for an Aussie, DJ HMC is still probably our most widely known export in the house and techno arena. I have a sneaking suspicion this track has been played somewhere around the world every weekend since it was released in 1995. I was doing synchronised dance moves to girl bands at the time but apparently it was a hit from day one. I could have as easily chosen ‘Marauder’, ‘Phreakin’ or ‘6am’, but ‘Cum On’ is my pick because I played this record on NYE at Mad Racket in Sydney. For anyone who has danced there, and the DJs and live acts lucky enough to have played at this party, it is up there with the best on the planet. Long live Racket!
Read more of our Lucky Seven features here: