The summer of 2014 belonged to Jungle. The début album from the Shepherd's Bush duo offered up a sunshine-soaked mix of modern soul and disco anthems, catapulting them into centre of the British music scene.
Founded by long-time friends Josh Lloyd-Watson and Tom McFarland, Jungle are set to capitalise on the success of their album with a tour of the US next month, followed by a UK headline tour throughout the autumn - including a significant return to their home turf at the Shepherd's Bush Empire.
We spoke to Tom McFarland to discover his Ultimate Playlist - a surprisingly melancholy collection that contrasts with his own disco beats. Read on to find out more.
____________________________________
Favourite sad song
"I dunno, sad songs are difficult. I don't think my choice is sad, there's just a lot of melancholy attached to it - I enjoy the feeling of melancholy more than sadness. Probably Pyramid Song by Radiohead. I just love the feeling of the piano chords. Thom Yorke's melodies always seem very haunting and ghostly."
____________________________________
Favourite childhood song
"It's got to be the Thomas the Tank Engine theme tune. I just loved that. I had the wallpaper, the curtains, the bed sheets. I was all over that shit man. I think it was just one of those tunes that brainwashed me as a kid after watching it too much, it's just stuck in my head."
____________________________________
Favourite movie soundtrack
"Anything that Tarantino uses in his films are usually absolutely amazing. He's got such a great ear for that sort of Spaghetti Western style score. My absolute favourite would have to be the Moon soundtrack by Clint Mansell - it's a really amazing score that adds so much to the film."
____________________________________
Favourite wedding song
"Ooh... Definitely 1999 by Prince. The intro, the chorus - it's just a classic anthem that will get everyone on the dance floor."
Prince (1999) sur WAT.tvMusique____________________________________
FAVOURITE SONG THAT NO ONE ELSE KNOWS
"There's an amazing track that's recently come out called So Good by Jai Paul's brother A.K. Paul and girl called Nao. It's an amazing track - we've been listen to it a lot lately. There's also a J Dilla track on the album Donuts which is great - WorkinOnIt. It uses an old 10CC sample perfectly."
____________________________________
Favourite lyric
"It's got to be Paul Simon on You Can Call Me Al. It goes, "He sees angels in the architecture. Spinning in infinity." It's just a pretty great visual idea - mysterious and off beat for the song."
____________________________________
Favourite Ballad
"Tearing and Breaking by Phil Collins. It's an underrated ballad - more people should know about it."
____________________________________
Favourite song from your own music
"I think the last track on the record, Lemonade Lake, has always had a strong place in our hearts. It was the last track that we finished off on the album production-wise and mix-wise. It feels like the end of that era, the beginning of something new and really positive. "
____________________________________
Favourite One-hit wonder
"I dunno... it's hard to think of something that's only around for a brief while. I guess Artful Dodger had a pretty one-off track with Rewind? That was a real tune."
____________________________________
Favourite live track
"It has to be Radiohead again. I went to see them at the O2 - they played 15 Step. It was when they had this huge video rig that comes down from the ceiling... they built this huge second ceiling made out of LED screens on the stage. It's a phenomenal track and was made all the more impressive with that production behind it."
On 21 August, Jungle will be headlining Ignite London, an exclusive party hosted by Heineken at the iconic Battersea Power Station. Heineken is unlocking London, opening up one of its landmark buildings for one night only. To find out more, search for #openlondon on Twitter
(Images: Rex)
