With the weather warming and the industry reawakening, the amount of quality vinyl is being released is at an all time high. So much so, that we have a hard time keeping up with all of the music to recommend to you.
So to help with some of the heavy lifting, we brought in the help of industry legend and vinyl aficionado Gary Richards, aka Destructo, to help curate even more quality recommendations, just for you ahead of his set tomorrow night at Leland City Club hosted by MeanRed Productions.
Purchase Tickets To The Show Here
Richards’ set of song selections almost plays like a recipe for his G-House sound, mixing pioneering electronic classics from Kraftwerk and Giorgio Moroder with west coast hip-hop standards from Dr. Dre and Eazy-E, and adding in a dash of darkness from Depeche Mode and Nine Inch Nails.
Destructo’s Top 7 Vinyl Recommendations
Purchase The Album: Midnight Express Soundtrack
I mean what can you say its the most classic electronic jam that’s in film.
For me I always picture the movie and I remember the story of the guy in the movie, and this theme that made it stood out and obviously meeting Giorgio and really understanding what went behind it.
The synths really got to me when I was a little kid.
I did a remix or let’s just say a ‘kick’ and Giorgio was mad at me coz he said I missed a note. He fixed it and it was all good.
Purchase The Album: Computer World
My dad played them in the radio and he was friends with their manager Ira in the beginning of their career.
This was when I was first exposed to Kraftwerk in the 70s, which I was still a very little kid, but whenever I hear synths, my ears perk up.
I never heard anything like this sound, but I just loved it. I remember when I got my first car, they put out ‘Electric Cafe’. I remember driving around and during the kick, it would rattle my mirrors. Kraftwerk and Giorgio Moroder, two of the best in my book – but this record is stellar.
Purchase The Album: Planet Patrol
It all connects.
This record actually sampled Kraftwerk ‘Numbers’. I mean Tommy Boy Records. We moved to DC to New Orleans and my dad was on the radio in New Orleans and Tom Silverman sent all these records for my dad to play.
He was always into Funk and Soul, but when this record came out, this was Electro Funk. This was when I was getting older and I love all his records. Afrika Bambaataa, Jonzun Crew. ‘Play At Your Own Risk’ has this melody though.
Out of all the Tommy Boy Records, this melody is just up there. You know there is a story about this song about him telling the girl …you know, play at your own risk, coz I might not be here tomorrow. Listen to the lyrics and the melody, it tells that story.
Purchase The Album: Eazy-Duz-It
So we moved from DC to New Orleans to LA.I went to High School in LA. I got my car and I think I listened to this record.
This and Eric B & Rakim. I got my Volkswagen GTI with my 6 x 9 in the back. Was crushing it. This was the record where right before you park your car to get to school, you queue it up and blast the heck out of it and bass just goes boom.
This song still works at the club. You drop this and the whole room just goes nuts.
Purchase The Album: The Chronic
When this record came out, this changed the world.
My brother worked at Interscope Records and everyone just kept saying “Snoop’s record is coming” it’s going to be bigger, and I was like how is it going to be bigger? It’s all about the melody on this track.
I’m all about the melody.
Purchase The Album: Paid In Full
I don’t know what to say.
This one was a little before Dre, but this one was around Eazy-E. MTV Raps was going on and this is how I discovered this record. I just love this album. I listen to this record from start to finish. Back then, I didn’t realize that Eric B was a DJ.
It took me awhile to figure that out. Maybe its that funky beats in the record, you can easily dance to. The feel on this record is Rakim’s voice.
Purchase The Album: Downward Spiral
Staying in the Interscope vibe, I always love Trent, I think I saw him on MTV on 120 minutes or something like that and I was like what the hell is that?
Hearing electronic with some balls. I picked this song is because anyone that can write a hook of a song that says ‘I want to F*#k you like an animal’ – you win!
Who Is Destructo?
Destructo has been called one of the EDM world’s most vital by the leading publications in the music industry. He is a musical veteran that has been producing and doing an explosive blend of electro and hiphop since the early 90s.
The LA-based artist, who’s started his career as A&R for Def American Recordings, has collaborated with major artists like E-40, Too $hort, Busta Rhymes, YG, Kurupt, and Ty Dolla $ign.
Since 2007, his HARD Event brand has cemented itself as one of the top globally consistently booking acts like Skrillex, Diplo, and more.
For nearly three decades, the prolific producer, remixer, promoter, and DJ has been an integral figure in the world of electronic music, and on May 14, come and hear why as Destructo comes to Detroit’s industrial Leland City Club, courtesy of MeanRed.
Will Vance is a professional music producer who has been involved in the industry for the better part of a decade and has been the managing editor at Magnetic Magazine since mid-2022. In that time period, he has published thousands of articles on music production, industry think pieces and educational articles about the music industry. Over the last decade as a professional music producer, Will Vance has also ran multiple successful and highly respected record labels in the industry, including Where The Heart Is Records as well as having launched a new label with a focus on community through Magnetic Magazine. When not running these labels or producing his own music, Vance is likely writing for other top industry sites like Waves or the Hyperbits Masterclass or working on his upcoming book on mindfulness in music production. On the rare chance he's not thinking about music production, he's probably running a game of Dungeons and Dragons with his friends which he has been the dungeon master for for many years.
