David Guetta (whose first name is actually Pierre) is one of the contenders for the throne of “King of the DJs.” After working the nightclub scene in his native France in the 1980s and 1990s, Guetta broke out as a producer of electronic music in 2002, with his début album ‘Just a Little More Love.’ It took him a few more tries — with the albums ‘Guetta Blaster’ (2004) and ‘Pop Life’ (2007) — before he hit mainstream success in 2009 with ‘One Love.’ The album included number one hit singles ‘When Love Takes Over’ (featuring Destiny’s Child alumnus Kelly Rowland) and ‘Sexy Bitch’ (featuring Akon). The “Guetta Blaster” is now on the speed dial of any artist who wants to break through to a growing global audience of electronic dance music lovers. This DJ has sold 15 million singles (and 6 million albums) worldwide and was voted the number one DJ in the “DJ Mag Top 100 DJs” fan poll in 2011.

Did you know?
All that artist David Guetta needs to create his club hits is his laptop . . . and his super creative brain!

1. When Love Takes Over | 2009 (with K. Rowland)

2. Sexy Chick | 2009 (with Akon)

3. Club Can’t Handle Me | 2010 (with Flo Rida)

4. Titanium | 2011 (with Sia)

5. Without You | 2011 (with Usher)

6. Turn Me On | 2011 (with N. Minaj)

7. Where Them Girls At | 2011 (with Flo Rida and N. Minaj)

8. Lovers On The Sun | 2014 (with S. Martin)

9. She Wolf (Falling To Pieces) | 2012 (with Sia)

10. Who’s That Chick | 2011 (with Rihanna)

A direct descendant of the rhythm and blues music of the 1940s, this phenomenon has itself given birth to a long, long, LONG list of genres and sub-genres, and has been the major driving force in western pop culture over the last half century or so. The music your great-grandparents, grandparents, AND parents probably warned you about? This is where it all got started. Bill Haley, Elvis, The Rolling Stones, and Chuck Berry (arguably the most important figure in Rock and Roll history) are just a few of the “greats” contending for a place in this category. Forget Disco – where would we be without these guys?

1. Let’s Twist Again - Chubby Checker

2. Rock Around The Clock – Bill Haley And The Comets,

3. Great Balls of Fire! – Jerry Lee Lewis

4. Twist And Shout – The Beatles

5. Jailhouse Rock – Elvis Presley

6. That’ll Be The Day – Buddy Holly

7. Johnny B Goode – Chuck Berry

8. You Really Got Me – The Kinks

9. (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction – The Rolling Stones

10. Blueberry Hill – Fats Domino

After splitting into many different subgenres since its inception in the 50s, Soul somewhat drastically changed course in the 80s. With Disco and Funk dominating the charts and the burgeoning Hip-Hop style consuming the streets like wildfire, Soul took a much more mellow route. In many respects, the genre became more laid back, putting an emphasis on smooth. With relaxed tempos and soft melodies, Soul borrowed influences from Jazz and Adult Contemporary styles. Artists like Luther Vandross, Evelyn “Champagne” King, and the UK’s very own Loose Ends helped define this branch of the Soul music family for most people.

1. I’ve Found Lovin – The Fatback Band 
2. Never Too Much – Luther Vandross
3. To Be Real – Cheryl Lynn
4. Somebody Else’s Guy – Jocelyn Brown
5. Ain’t Nobody – Rufus & Chaka Khan
6. Running Away – Roy Ayers
7. Funkin’ For Jamaica – Tom Browne
8. I’m In Love – Evelyn “Champagne” King
9. Hangin’ On A String – Loose Ends
10. Square Biz – Teena Marie

A subgenre of dance music, Disco blends the influences of funk, Latin, and soul music with a solid “four-on-the-floor” beat, prominent electric bass guitar lines, and synthesized keyboard parts. The music charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre’s popularity peaked during the late 1970s. Disco’s initial audiences were club-goers from the African American, Latino, gay, and psychedelic communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and early 1970s; it was a reaction against both the domination of rock music and the stigmatization of dance music by the counterculture of the time.

1. I Will Survive – Gloria Gaynor
2. Celebration – Kool And The Gang
3. Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now – McFadden and Whitehead
4. Staying Alive – Bee Gees
5. My First My Last My Everything – Barry White
6. Young Hearts Run Free – Candi Staton 
7. It’s Raining Men – The Weather Girls
8. Car Wash – Rose Royce
9. I Feel Love – Donna Summer
10. We Are Family – Sister Sledge

You know it, you love it, even though it’s rarely good for your street cred to admit it! There’s nothing quite like a bit of quality Cheese, played at the right moment, to spark things and get the party going. It spans decades, starting somewhere in the 1970s and continuing on to today. If you’re thinking about an awkward yet romantic moment that harks back to your teenage years, there’s a Cheese song that’s a perfect fit! Here's my Top 10:


1. Dancing Queen – ABBA
2. Wake Me Up Before You Go Go – Wham!
3. Mambo No. 5 – Lou Bega
4. Come On Eileen – Dexy’s Midnight Runners
5. I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) – Proclaimers
6. Uptown Girl – Billy Joel
7. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun – Cyndi Lauper
8. Copacabana (At The Copa) – Barry Manilow
9. Hi Ho Silver Lining – Jeff Beck 
10. I Am The One And Only – Chesney Hawkes

I find Aretha Franklin’s voice, style and story enchanting. I still have a vivid memory of when I discovered and fell in love with her, which all happened in the same moment. To protect the other party involved I won’t go too much into the detail, but suffice to say I was in my teens and it was one of those do we 'make up or break up?' situations. I thought it was time to break up so she sent me a TDK C90 cassette tape with just one song recorded on it in a 90 minute loop.  That song was Aretha’s Until You Come Back To Me (That’s What I’m Gonna Do) and after hearing that, of course, we made up. 

Among the great things about Aretha, and something I think we can all learn from, has been her versatility and her ability to move and change with the times. During her long and illustrious career she has proved herself to be equally at home in the gospel, blues, jazz, doo-wop, rhythm and blues, soul, pop, dance and modern R ‘n’ B idioms. She also has a scary ability to ‘own’ the song every time, no matter who the original was by or how successful it had been. Dionne Warwick’s I Say A Little Prayer is a great example of this. Aretha’s version started out as something she sang for fun in between recordings while in the studio working on her 1968 Aretha Now album. A decision was eventually taken to record the track and release it as a B side. It went on to reach No. 4 in the UK charts.

Aretha has worked with an amazing and diverse array of  great 20th century artists including George Benson, Curtis Mayfield, Annie Lennox, George Michael, Luther Vandross and Mary J. Blige. Bearing all of this in mind, I think it’s fair to say that Aretha is not only the Queen of Soul, she is also a Queen of Reinvention.

Just in case you’re wondering, DJ Pascoe’s top 10 tunes by Aretha are:

1.   Until You Come Back To Me (That’s What’s I’m Gonna Do) – Let Me into Your Life, 1974

2.   (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman - Lady Soul, 1968

3.   I Say A Little Prayer – Aretha Now, 1968

4.   Respect - I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You, 1967

5.   Jump To It – Jump To It, 1882

6.   You Send Me - Aretha Now, 1968

7.   No Matter What, So Damn Happy 2003

8.   Giving Him Something He Can Feel - Sparkle, 1976

9.   Angel – Hey Now Hey (The Otherside Of The Sky) 1973

10.  Day Dreaming - I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You, 1967

Tune in to DJ Pascoe’s Groove Control Experience radio show, Wednesdays, 10 – midnight @www.soulradiouk.com