THE JOURNAL
Illustration by Mr Jalcalara
The wish lists have been ticked, the seating plan is ready, the dinner menu is set. All you’re missing now is ambience. Fear not – there are a few people better qualified to bring the tunes (and entertain his guests) than the co-founder of Luca, one of London’s most talked-about restaurants.
“There’s no shame in going full charge into Tinseltown, coloured fairy lights and Mariah Carey on repeat,” says the restaurateur and DJ Mr Daniel Willis, who previously served at St John Bread and Wine and The Clove Club. (He also recommends Mr Elvis Presley’s 1957 Christmas album.) But for our benefit, he’s come up with something a bit different.
“Personally, I love to play music that conjures [the season] up,” he says. “For me, that’s mostly doo-wop, blues, jazz and soul. Every year, myself and [the rapper] Dynamite MC do a party at The Gun pub in Hackney. I have created a special playlist for MR PORTER, which is essentially the music I’ve described above.”
Read on for his top five tracks and click the link below for the full mix on Spotify.
01. “Cristo Redentor” by Mr Harvey Mandel
“There are many versions of this song. For years, I played the original recorded by Donald Byrd, but then I found this version and fell in love with it. It somehow just conjures Christmas to me, the sonic equivalent of being trapped in a snow globe.”
02. “Just A Gigolo”/“I Ain’t Got Nobody” by Mr Louis Prima
“My first few Christmases in London, I was adopted by the Boxers. Every year, Jackson [Boxer] and Frank would whip me down from London Bridge to their family farm. They had an amazing record collection of old blues and jazz and every year the room would light up to this one.”
03. “I Only Have Eyes For You” by The Flamingos
“For some reason, doo-wop has always screamed Christmas to me. I think it must be a million movies that have seeped into my conscious. This is probably my favourite seven inch of that sound. It’s a perfect record that can only be played at the right moment and only if a crowd deserves it.”
04. “Lonesome Lover” by Mr Max Roach
“I was given an original pressing of this record one Christmas. It was a very thoughtful and touching gift. It begs to be listened to by the fire, with a single malt in a crystal cut glass.”
05. “I’m Not In Love” by 10cc
“To me, this will always be the original Christmas number one. I’m not sure why as it was made 1975, five years before I was born. It’s a perfect, slightly weird pop song with the most amazing synth break in the middle. Hard to beat as one of the most interesting moments in popular music.”