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‘Lightning Dust’ Detail Three Secrets of Their Sound

Definitive Records asks interesting Vancouverites to sift through their memories and pull out the three albums that anchor their musical tastes. This time around we spoke with Lightning Dust duo, Amber Webber and Josh Wells.


The local rock’n’rollers recently pried themselves away from the distractions of Mexico and time spent “holing up in the studio” to collaborate on their Definitive Records picks, which are detailed below. Note that Lightning Dust will resurface once again on June 2nd at the Cultch’s Historic Theatre to conclude the first Soft Cedar series!


Eurythmics – In The Garden | LISTEN

“An underrated and little-known gem of a debut by Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart. This album was recorded with Conny Plank, a German producer best known for making some of the best ‘Krautrock’ albums of the 70s with Neu!, Kraftwerk, Ash Ra Tempel and many others. This album finds Eurythmics mining more of a traditional band aesthetic than early listeners may be used to — no drum machines present on this album. Instead, In The Garden features a studio cast comprised of members of Can, DAF, and Blondie. The sounds range from warm, throbbing disco with icy synths (the excellent “Take Me To Your Heart”) to a proto-shoegaze sound (“Belinda”). We find ourselves coming back to this record over and over again, and it never fails to inspire. We love the Eurythmics’ first three albums, but this is our favourite.”


Neil Young – On The Beach | LISTEN

“A complete bummer of a beautiful album. No Lightning Dust list would be complete without a little sadness. Neil Young sits here at his lowest point of the 70s it seems, and the results are stunning. This album is the sound of late nights, loneliness in paradise, the last hangover before you turn your life upside down. There is a lot of space here on this record, something that we have always admired and tried to incorporate into our records.”


Ike and Tina Turner – Working Together | LISTEN

“Tina Turner is a musical goddess with soul, power and so much energy it’s insane! Ike Turner: an abusive megalomaniac jerk. This record percolates with the intensity of this relationship and comes out the other side making you wanna dance and scream. R&B at its best, with a surplus of raw woman power. We’re glad that Tina ditched Ike”.

From ‘Jazzy Boombap’ to Adolescent Rebellion: Shotaro Jotatsu Names His Definitive Records

In anticipation of his next event on June 17th, the Vancouver-based DJ and host of the Japanese-run music and vintage pop-up, Ishinomonosashi, gives us the rundown of his most influential albums to date.

The Musical Tastes of Yu Su, In and Out of the Kitchen

On Wednesday, December 7th, Ubuntu Canteen will be hosting Yu Su for a sonically inspired collaborative dinner, featuring the personal sounds of her trip through mainland China.

What’s Pumping on the Speakers (and Headphones) of Patrick Hennessy

From pre-service pump-ups, to subway commutes and his current restaurant jams: these are the records that define Barbara restaurant's owner / chef.

From ‘The Hip’ to Hip Hop, Mike Jacobsen Names His Three ‘Definitive Records’

We take a short trip over to Salt Spring and head immediately to Cassette Cafe and Dive Bar - a former gas station where these days locals and visitors alike fuel up on food, drinks and a stellar playlist of tunes - to hear from its owner about the albums that 'define' him...