Dancefloor fillers
“I think a DJ’s most important job is to warm up a crowd,” says Fat Tony, the man responsible for keeping the super-set in party mode (Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell are his BFFs). “When people are mingling, they don’t want to hear the tunes, but as the night progresses, you take it up a notch, and then you have those instant floor-fillers, where everyone goes mad. They’re all-time classics and appeal to all generations.” Is there a particular trick track he has up his sleeve to inspire the insanity? “It depends on the party. If I’m doing Cannes for the film festival for Naomi, that type of crowd, it would have to be Work It by Missy Elliott. You don’t have to be into R&B, it just has that magic.” For Vashtie Kola, the DJ responsible for the infamous 1992 parties (which only started in 2006) in New York, the best way to fill a floor is to stay true to her roots.
“I love to DJ hip-hop and R&B, like Magnolia by Playboi Carti or Mask Off by Future, because they speak to the sounds I grew up with, but they are also international crowd-pleasers and make everyone go bonkers.”
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Feel It Still by Portugal.The Man
Chained to the Rhythm by Katy Perry
Despacito (Bieber remix) by Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee and Justin Bieber
Summer roadtrip
A drive along the coast — roof down if possible — would not be complete without a languid, atmospheric soundtrack to rival that of a Sofia Coppola film. “There is nothing like driving around the British countryside with your friends,” says the model and DJ Mary Charteris, who lists Automaton by Jamiroquai and Come Around by MIA as her songs of choice for the occasion. Ellie Rowsell, of the London four-piece Wolf Alice, opts for the 1997 lo-fi classic Drinking in LA by Bran Van 3000. “It’s got that head-out-of-the-window, driving-in-paradise-hour feel,” she says. “It’s really repetitive and summery, and if I go on a drive, that’s the kind of tune I put on.” Growing up “in the ’hood in Albany”, New York State, Vashtie Kola was most influenced by her older siblings. “I recall driving around with my sister a lot. We would listen to British bands from the 1980s and 1990s, like Depeche Mode and the Smiths. Those fond memories are something I try to recreate whenever I’m on a road trip,” she says, suggesting This Charming Man by the Smiths for your next ride.
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Hands to Myself by Selena Gomez
Don’t Kill My Vibe by Sigrid
Cut to the Feeling by Carly Rae Jepsen
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Beach boombox
Days spent on the beach are best accompanied by an icy drink and a breezy background soundtrack. “If I’m lying in the sun, it would have to be It’s Ecstasy When You Lay Down Next to Me by Barry White, because it’s so laid-back and beautiful,” says Fat Tony. When Mary Charteris is lounging, her choice is Loaded by Primal Scream and Stand High Patrol by Brest Bay. Mia Moretti, the New York-based DJ and best friend of Kate Perry (the two cut a track for Perry’s latest album, Witness), looks to something with soul, listing I Like It Like That by Pete Rodriguez as her go-to. “I put it on when I’m not feeling the way I want to be feeling and instantly my mood lifts. That’s the beauty and spirit of music — it can change how you’re feeling.”
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Makeba by Jain
Hard Times by Paramore
Wild Thoughts by DJ Khaled ft Rihanna
Rooftop sundowners
For those moments when summer days stretch into nights in a haze of a few too many Aperol spritzes, a clever playlist will help to keep energy levels up. “Well, first, I’m drinking soda water and lime,” corrects the teetotal Fat Tony, before recommending the 1987 house classic Promised Land by Joe Smooth. “It has to be laid-back and beautiful, do you get what I mean? Retro 1980s and 1990s house classics get me every time. To me, that’s heaven.” Ellie Rowsell is inspired by a similar sense of nostalgia for her choice, Love by Kendrick Lamar. “It’s really emotive and summery. We put it on a million times. It’s got that teenagery summer-romance feel to it. Summer always reminds me of being a teenager. ”
Mia Moretti looks to tracks that bring people together: “I think summer is about community, family and friends. In New York, summer is a time when people get together and socialise and share. You might end up at a barbecue with 10 people you don’t know, but that’s what summer is for me. It’s that journey, that adventure that you start somewhere and you’re not sure where you’re going to finish it.” The perfect come-together track? The funk anthem Feel It Still by Portugal. The Man.
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Ti Amo by Phoenix
Ripe by Banoffee
Under by Sampha
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2am tracks
“It’s the time of night when I’ve lost all my inhibitions and I think I can sing along at the top of my voice, but it’s not that uh-oh, hazy, about-to-embarrass-myself vibe,” says Ellie Rowsell of the tail end of a long evening — the perfect moment to put on Homemade Dynamite by Lorde. “Her album can theme-tune a night out. It has peaks and troughs and nightclub vibes, but it’s slightly on the darker side.” For Fat Tony, it’s all about the classics. “If I’m working at one of my own clubs or the Ministry of Sound, I’d go on a house tip. For an all-time classic, it’d have to be Finally by the Kings of Tomorrow.”
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All Night by Big Boi
We Got the Power by Gorillaz ft Jehnny Beth
Most Girls by Hailee Steinfeld
The morning after
Whether you’ve just woken up or haven’t been to bed yet, one thing is certain: summer Sundays go best with a shaded area and lo-fi mellow beats. Ellie Rowsell uses the day to unwind and reset. “Bobby by Alex G, off the album Rocket — it’s perfect for a chillout mood, tidying my room, reading a book without actually reading it, that kind of thing. It’s very country. I didn’t know I liked country, but this is so chilled.” For Fat Tony, it’s about keeping the party going. “I continue the vibe. In the morning it has to be something beautiful and laid-back, something tranquil. Maybe a Cafe del Mar or Hotel Costes album, something like that.”
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New York by St Vincent
I Know a Place by Muna
Grease by Flo Morrissey & Matthew E White
Find the full Style playlist at spoti.fi/StyleSummer
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Top 10 summer albums by Dan Cairns, chief pop critic of The Sunday Times
1 Since I Left You by the Avalanches
2 Lemonade by Beyoncé
3 The Score by Fugees
4 Pills ’n’ Thrills and Bellyaches by Happy Mondays
5 Paid in Full by Eric B & Rakim
6 The Suburbs by Arcade Fire
7 Kaya by Bob Marley & the Wailers
8 Tasty by Kelis
9 Paul’s Boutique by the Beastie Boys
10 Endless Summer by the Beach Boys