A seminal figure in the development of underground dance, Pinch’s influence has spread far and wide and it should be no surprise to hear that I was caught up in his extensive dragnet too. For me, Pinch’s productions, and in some cases his mixes, have been hugely influential, often to the point where they may have soundtracked a key period in my life. He’s the producer I’ve grown up listening to and I freely admit that his mixes and DJ sets helped mould my taste.

It’s not only through his successful Tectonic Recordings – a label which has nurtured some of the genre’s most unprecedented talents – that Pinch has carved his mark on the UK music scene. He’s also the founder of pioneering dubstep nights, Subloaded, and of course, the mind behind some of the most well received releases of the past five years.

In the run-up to our Bristol takeover here in London, I caught up with Pinch to ask him in particular about the Bristol tracks that have made the most impact on him.

Smith & Mighty – Closer
One of my all time favourite tracks ever! Soulful electronic dub music at it’s finest.. Simple as that. Smith & Mighty were responsible for so many good things musically that set a strong foundation upon which the likes of Massive Attack, Tricky, Portishead, Full Cycle were able to launch from and – ironically – leave Smith & Mighty behind. The very definition of Bristol Legends in my opinion.
 
 

Massive Attack – 5 Man Army
With so many classic tunes to pick from – this might not be one of their best known but it always struck a particular chord with me (and everyone already knows about ‘Unfinished Sympathy’!). Something about the rolling dubby bassline perhaps? I lost track with Massive Attack after ‘Mezzanine’ but they were a big influence on me in the earlier years.
 
 

Portishead – The Rip
Absolutely everything on ‘Dummy’ is genius and I could have picked almost anything from it – but wanted to include this more recent title as it showed me that they still have the ‘magic’. This is an absolutely beautiful track, brim with honest hard feelings – melancholic and heart-warming.
 
 

DJ Die – Reincarnations
Die was always one of my favourite producers from the Full Cycle camp. I loved his minimal approach that leaves no room for possible error. Perfectly executed in every way, this track is my favourite of his productions – tastefully defying the demands of big room dancefloors and instead, playing with a deep smokey vibe that conjures strange images from the darkness..
 
 

Henry & Louis – Answer
The remix I did of this track was totally unofficial and by chance it found it’s way to Andy Scholes, 2 Kings label boss, through Rob Smith – and ended up getting a release as a result! The whole ‘Time Will Tell’ LP from which this was taken is still, to this day, one of the most under-rated and unknown Bristol classics.
 
 

Tricky – Hell Is Around The Corner
I remember Tricky and Portishead both used the same key sample that features in this track – slightly unclear who got to it first (though it’s strongly suggested it was Portishead if I remember right!), but both made excellent use of it (Portishead ‘Glory Box’). Anyway – Maxinquaye was a great album all round.
 
 

Peverelist – The Grind
Somewhat overlooked but excellent ‘dubstep’ track by my good friend Peverelist. With this one track I feel he set the path for what became unfortunately known as dubstep-techno crossover and has received little in the way of credit for doing so. Whatever you want to call it – it’s a great tune!