Howie B

Howie B
a.k.a. Howard Bernstein

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MY FAVORITE THINGS

Howie B
One of the most respected electronic composers of the '90s, Howie B is a sonic polymath whose production work with U2, Bjork, Tricky, and Everything but the Girl has made him an ace hired gun often called upon to give pop stars credit in the dance world. The British studio maestro's new release, SNATCH, isn't a dance record but a series of fascinating compositions that play with various forms of '90s electronica -- from sub-dub reclusion to flowery funkadelics -- and it's certainly one of his best to date. Jon Dolan recently caught up with the incredibly busy B in his London studio and asked this widely eclectic music fan for a list of discs he's likely to plunk down after a hard day behind the mixing board.

barnesandnoble.com: What albums inspired you to be a musician, and why?

Howie B.: The albums by the Undisputed Truth, all of which are on Motown. They had the funk, but it was the production of Norman Whitfield that made them special. He was experimenting with all kinds of ideas -- mad, funky psychedelia and tough street-based lyrics. He was working with the Temptations at the same time, writing songs and producing them, so they got all the big songs and Undisputed Truth got all the left-field input. But that gives them the raw edge that I like -- dance music with attitude.

Also, Keith Jarrett's THE KÖLN CONCERT. This is a classic fairy-tale recording. Jarrett is one of the great improvisational jazz pianists. His label manager, Manfred Eicher, was driving Jarrett around Germany in a battered old car to do his gigs -- everything was on a budget. At Köln, the piano was inferior and Jarrett was tired -- he almost didn't do the gig. Lucky for us he did, because this recording is magic. A masterpiece!

bn: What's one of the most romantic records you've ever heard?

HB: Serge Gainsbourg, HISTOIRE DE MELODY NELSON. It's one of the French philanderer's finest moments -- breathy monologues set to orchestral funk, epic soundscapes, and the odd romantic swirl. It gets sampled for songs to f*ck to, and rightly so. Serge was a genius. Some of his lyrics were a bit dodgy, but his compositions were amazing. I never get tired of listening to this.

bn: You recently did a remix album, DRUM & BASS STRIP TO THE BONE BY HOWIE B, with Jamaican dub reggae legends Sly and Robbie. What dub records inspired you for that project?

HB: Sly and Robbie's LANGUAGE BARRIER, from 1985. It was recorded in New York, Nassau, and Kingston and is a melting pot of tough drum and bass with other influences. Those guys are the dons. They've played with Peter Tosh, Black Uhuru, Grace Jones, Herbie Hancock...the list is endless. What else can I say? Big up the Riddim Twins!