- Words Notion Staff
London-based DJ and Night Slugs director Bok Bok picks out ten percussive bangers ready for the dancefloor, from DJ Lag to Lil Silva.
"Switz" by DJ Lag
Ever since I mixed this one down for Goon Club Allstars (yes, a humblebrag) it’s been a fixture in my sets. The infectious conga loop and huge 808 bass slabs make for a perfect DJ tool to create that big dancing energy that I want to conjure up in my sets.
"Mozart" by DJ Mystery
An OG, deep UK funky cut that stands the test of time, It's one of those that you can really do some salsa/merengue dancing to.
"Twist This" by Karizma
This 6/8 classic set the original template that many of us are heavily inspired by to this day. Karizma samples a vocal snippet from a Dennis Ferrer track and blends it with a swell of celestial synths. It’s a true hardbody rhythm for timeless dancefloor elation.
"Digitally Higher" by Cooly G
Cooly G has always been on her own path, and this deep tech cut is one of the standouts from her older catalogue. We were lucky enough to licence it for the ‘Night Slugs X Allstars’ compilation for our 10th anniversary. More powerful 6/8 pressure!
"Tribal Land" by Lil Silva
This tune always used to tickle my ear, as a dubplate run by Mak10 and Marcus Nasty on Rinse FM, back in the day. So, you can imagine my joy when Lil Silva finally released it on Bandcamp. There's so much unstoppable, percussive momentum on this one!
"Higher Power (Hardcore PCK Mix)" by WK7
This broken rave banger from one of Shed’s funner aliases remains a mainstay for me. The emotion in those strings is so powerful and the rolling breakbeat groove is flawlessly executed. A wonderful tune!
"IRL (DVA’s Hi Emotions Remix)" by Girl Unit
This is a 2010 Night Slugs classic that has aged like the finest wine. Scratcha flips the panic synths and monster movie atmospheres of Girl Unit’s original into a bruising 6/8 rhythm perfect for sweatbox club environments.
"Taboo (Vanyfox Remix) " by Karen Nyame KG
KG’s original was already so fire and she’s been on a roll with some amazing singles recently. But I have to shout out this Vanyfox remix because it’s just so sexy.
"Duetto" by Bok Bok
Indulge me, as I include this new one from myself, taken from a recent EP of the same name, out now on Night Slugs. It’s one of my favourite recent tunes that I’ve produced, made for moonlit dancing and dancefloor trancing, ideally in a forest clearing.
"Traffic" by DJ Gregory (Bok's Dub)
DJ Gregory, alongside artists like Karizma, helped set the template for UK funky and tracks like the original “Traffic” were the foundation for us. Lately, I’ve been making refixed “Hardbody” updates of some of these classics and this DJ tool is one of my favourites so far. I made the groove even deeper and a little harder. It’s available on my Bandcamp and there are a lot more to come.