Desert Island Disco: 40th Birthday Island Par-tayyy!

Listener Helen Richardson-Foster is in control of this week's awesome #DesertIslandDisco.

When you requested Desert Island Disco selections, I immediately set to work with a mind map and I have been pondering it since. I'm afraid as I'm approaching 40 this June it’s a bit 90s heavy but never mind, this is my pick of tunes that I reckon would keep my island dance floor filled. It’s mostly old rave-y stuff and disco. I think I’m showing my age, and harking back to my good old dancing days, but I’m fortunate to still get out these days either to local parties or the Trades Club in Hebden Bridge, and these are the ones that will get people up. They are also all in my excel sheet for my 40th birthday party in June. Some remind me of particular times, nights in Brighton or Brixton, or holidays, or falling off podiums at the Que Club.

There’s no particular order to this, but I think Destiny’s Child is the perfect opener as the sample at the beginning and the call of “can you handle this?” summons you to the dance floor. This one - for the ladies! - reminds me of my wedding in 2001 when I had to buy the 12" to ensure it was played by the DJ. Shimmying with my bridesmaids and best female friends to this was a joy. It's such a celebration of going out, dancing and having wobbly bits. There are a few disco tracks, which again were hard to narrow down.

I love a good vocal which you get with Sylvester and Gloria Gaynor. These are songs you must strut and point to. Amongst my old school tunes are the Prodigy - again a good vocal you can point to - and Rez by Underworld, which is brilliant hypnotic, hands in the air tune that marvellously goes on and on (you’d need that on the island!). Reminds me of many happy times, so much so in fact that when this was played at my friend’s 40th we burst into tears whilst dancing - missing our dear friend who passed away the year before.

It's hard to pick just one Chemical Brothers song, so I've picked two, including the mighty Elecktrobank. I adore these fellas, they can do no wrong. These days I seem to dance as much as at parties than clubs and whenever I am the Resurrection is played you can guarantee a packed dance floor and a sing along. Not long ago I enjoyed the sight of two men doing a kind of tap/Morris dance to this at the Hebden Bridge Trades club. You can also get lost in the guitars at the end.

40^th Birthday Island Par-tayyy!

Destiny's Child - Bootylicious

Sylvester - Mighty Real

Underworld – Rez

Prodigy - No Good (Start the Dance)

The Stone Roses - I am the Resurrection.

Felix – Don’t You Want Me

Australia – Mandala (Noom 10)

Future Sound of London - Papua New Guinea

Chemical Brothers – Elektrobank

Chemical Brothers – Don’t Think

Orbital – Chime

Earth, Wind & Fire – Boogie Wonderland

Major Lazer – Pon de Floor

Gloria Gaynor – I Will Survive

Rui da Silva – Touch Me

Mojo - Lady