As part of our new online city guides, we asked music experts to compile a playlist to their city. Here, Young Turks record label owner Caius Pawson lays down his tracks to London
? As featured on our London city guide
While compiling our new online guides to the major cities of the world, we thought it would be a good idea to serve up a soundtrack of songs associated with that city ? something to nod to as you sift through all the recommendations of places to stay, restaurants, cafes, bars, galleries... to transport you there, aurally.
All the recommendations in the guides come from writers and bloggers based in the cities, so it made sense to ask a local musician or artist to compile the playlists.
For London, we asked Caius Pawson from the Young Turks record label (an imprint of XL and behind Mercury Prize winners The XX ) to cue up a list of tracks that capture the heart and soul of the city. Here's what he gave us - from Eddie Grant in Brixton to Wiley in Bow, via Soho's Bar Italia with Pulpand Aphex Twin in Tower Bridge.
Of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Thousands of tracks reference the grit and wit of the Smoke, and we're sure you'll have your own soundtrack already to go. So let us know what tracks you'd have in your London playlist, and sling us a link ? or a mix ? after the jump. Happy listening.
Pulp - Bar Italia
Bar Italia is a wonderful late night Italian cafe on Frith Street. Post 4am, it's the only place open in Soho and a great place to finish a night (or watch a game of Italian football). Jarvis and co perfectly sum up the feeling of being slightly too intoxicated at the end of a date in a song from one of the most quintessentially British (and best) albums, Different Class, of the 1990s.
Elvis Costello - I Don't Want to go to Chelsea
Legend has it that shortly after this song hit the charts in 1978, Elvis Costello got into a cab and asked for, where else, but Chelsea. Cabbie's reply: "Ha, ha, bloody ha." Anyway, don't listen to Elvis, Chelsea might have lost the edge it had in the 60s and 70s but it's still a beautiful residential neighbourhood, full of parks, great restaurants and diverse architecture.
The Clash - Guns of Brixton
Out are the days of rioting in Brixton (although this predates the 1981 riots and is a rather an accurate prophecy of things to come) and in are those of boutiques, cafes and eco-friendly market stalls. Don't let the gentrification put you off though, Brixton is still one of the most vibrant and fun areas in London, especially on a sunny day.
Eddy Grant - Electric Avenue
While we're harking on about Brixton, we may as well drop this one in from 1983. Take a left out of the station and another left on to Electric Avenue. Full of butchers, fish mongers and weave stores, Electric Avenue is as good as any introduction into Brixton, as African, Caribbean and Portuguese cultures collide.
Smiley Culture - Cockney Translation
A handy guide to understanding anyone in the East End. Not really ... Outside of Guy Richie movies and ironic toffs in posh pubs, I'm yet to hear anyone use Cockney rhyming slang in London, but it's fun to imagine.
Crass - Banned from The Roxy
Sadly, The Roxy in Neal St doesn't exist any more (it closed in 1978 and is now Speedo's flagship store), but in its short lived history, it played host to some of London's best punk bands (... and The Police). As you could probably have surmised, Crass wrote this classic song in response to being banned from the venue for being too drunk on stage. I can only imagine that night was as special as this song.
Aphex Twin - Pissed up in SE1
SE1 is currently London's home for late night dancing. From giant fancy dress parties, to early morning house clubs, through Drum and Bass raves, the arches under and around London Bridge host it all. What better to sound track your drunken night-bus ride or walk home then Aphex? Local legend (/lie) has it that Aphex Twin lived at Elephant and Castle roundabout (head two stops south on the Northern Line from that rave you were at in London Bridge and see for yourself).
Wiley - Bow E3
While you won't find Bow in many tourist guidebooks, it does stand out as the birthplace of grime, the UK's most important emerging genre of the last 10 years. Wiley is to grime what Kool Herc and Jay-Z are to hip-hop, in that he both invented and now dominates it, and this is his sonnet to his postcode. Oh and if you're looking for a Chinese when in East London, Wiley recommends: "Moon Lee, Chinese thats Bow E3".
Burial - Archangel
It would be hard to deny that Burial's emergence sparked a significant shift in underground music in London, an occurrence that rarely fails to filter overground. His productions sound like the reverberations of bass off the walls and tunnels of London at night; they contain all the basic elements of dance music (a vocal sample over sub and drums) but convey the emotion of an orchestra.
London Posse - How's Life in London
And finally for a personal favourite: London Posse (Bionic and UK Hip Hop hero Rodney P) were a short lived UK hip hop group from the late 80s/early 90s who only released one album, Gangster Chronicle. It took the golden era sounds of New York, mixed them with Jamaica's dancehall and came out sounding distinctly British. A raucous, yet joyous affair, I suggest you spend the rest of your time in London digging around the city's vast (yet shrinking) array of wonderful record stores, for a copy of it on vinyl. (Camden, Soho and Notting Hill are all famous areas for their independent records stores, but if you look they exist all over.)
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/blog/2011/may/06/young-turks-london-playlist
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