#family

Me and Saul relaxing whilst T and Arlo bake a mighty fine tray of biscuits.

1994 featured a couple of big life events. Finishing school, first trip to Glastonbury (4 of us making the journey in my mate's mini metro) and then starting university in Aberdeen. '94 was of course the year that britpop grew wheels (although 95 was really it's nadir). At Glastonbury all the stars of the next few years were playing afternoon and early evening slots - Blur, Pulp, Oasis, Radiohead you name them they were there. The only Glasto I've been at where the sun was baking hot. It wasn't until I got back and watched some footage, there were a dusty, smoky, cinematic band performing in the acoustic tent. A band who in one way or another shaped my future tastes, the perfect blend of hip-hop beats, lazy loping samples and the sweep of John Barry. I rushed straight out and bought the Numb e.p. on 12" and for the second day in a row I'm going for a b-side (A Tribute to Monk and Cantella).

It seems strange to pick a release by Portishead over something from the two big albums of the year Parklife and Definitely Maybe. Those albums were blaring from every window on campus from the moment I arrived at university and at times it felt like they were played in their entirety during indie club nights (although the dj at the Mudd Club used to mix it up with a Terrorvision medley or two!). Whilst I love both the albums and seeing Blur on the Parklife tour was amazing I've decided to opt for something to balance out the guitar-centric aspect of my list and therefore better represent my tastes.