From Huwston With Love

"Australia's answer to Gilles Peterson" That's what I like to call my good friend Huw Ellis. As someone that's spent years around music from his days working for some of Australia's best indie record labels to DJing to running his own amazing label Knowfool as well as writing a column and interviewing all the right people in one of Sydney's longest running dance publications 3d World and more recently shining as a radio presenter with his show Soul Glow on 2ser he does an incredible job of opening peoples ears to 'good music' hence the 'Gilles' tag I've given him.

With all this on his plate it's a wonder he has any spare time to scratch himself let alone return my calls so I was especially stoked when he said he'd take the time to whip up a mix and answer the Themes For Young Lovers questions for the blog.

So without further ado heeeere we go...

Name - Huw Ellis aka Huwston

A/S/L - 27 / Male / Newtown, Sydney, Australia

Name 3 songs that would be no-brainers to put on a mixtape for that special someone you were trying to woo -
Al Green - Love & Happiness (Shoes Edit)
Natural Four – Try Love Again
Kylie Auldist – Never Did I Ever Stop Loving You
(funnily enough none of these made the cut today but I started the Q & A before I did the mix and this is just where I was at on an overcast Sunday afternoon)

You've turned the lights down low, lit the candles and poured the dom perignon, what LP goes on the stereo? Erykah Badu – Worldwide Underground (but you gotta program out the Latifah joint at the end). I Included her and Common’s tribute to Hip Hop on the mix because it’s nice like that and that woman is gonna have one talented family. You see – music really does bring people together!

What is your fave romantic film of all time? Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind – so bittersweet. Gets me every time. And I could only bring myself to see it once. A modern masterpiece.

You've just had your heart broken, what's the song that you play to ease the pain and get you through? Lonely Soul – Unkle feat Richard Ashcroft – really evokes the tears, especially when the strings come in – POW! That’s the DJ Shadow influence. I steer as far away from anything by Unkle after that album. Yuck. But this is a love blog and now I’ve gone all negative...

What song was/or will be played during the first dance at your wedding? Good question, so many to choose from, really have to go with a joint choice here and should bring in the missus on this one. I DJ a lot of weddings and there are some terrible choices, mostly really obvious ones, too. Maybe ‘Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing’ by Marvin and Tammi. Best duo ever?

Who's music do you think has played the biggest part in helping increase the world's population over the years, Al Green, Barry White or Marvin Gaye? Marvin, no doubt. Everyone (meaning rich white people) only knows ‘Let’s Stay Together’ by Al Green and that Barry White is ‘that guy with the deep voice’ but I think Marvin infiltrated popular culture from early on and kept building. But I gotta give a shout out to ?uestlove – his productions or drums or whatever appear like half a dozen times on my mix!!!

and finally What's your fave guilty pleasure/cheesiest love song? Sting is a very guilty pleasure cos he comes off as such a knob in interviews. Had to drop ?uesto and James Poyser’s cover of ‘Be Still My Beating Heart’ on the mix. The guys is an incredible songwriter, in all fairness.

Themes For Young Lovers blog mix - From Huwston With Love by Knowfoowl

Tracklisting -

Stanley Clarke – Slow Dance
7 Samurai – Without Luv
James Mason – I Want Your Love
Mos Def – Ms Phat Booty (Pure P Mix)
Erykah Badu feat Common – Love of my Life
Joss Stone – Fell In Love With A Boy
Dwele – If You Want To The
Randy Watson Experience – Be Still My Beating Heart
DJ Mitsu The Beats feat Jose James – Promise In Love
Freddie & Linn – Live For Love
Sa Ra Creative Partners – The Bone Song
Final Solution – I’m Ready For Love
As One feat Paul Randolph – I Love You
D’Angelo – Feel Like Making Love
Al Green – What More Do You Want From Me
Amy Winehouse – Love Is A Losing Game
The Four Tops – Your Love Is Amazing
Raphael Saadiq – Love That Girl
Marvin Gaye – I Want You
Floating Points – Love Me (Like This)
Donna Summer – Love To Love You Baby (Frico Edit)
Al Hudson & The Soul Partners - Spread Love
Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes – The Love I Lost (DJ Asparagus edit)
Jose James – Love (Ben Westbeech Remix)
The Foreign Exchange feat Yahzarah – If This Is Love
Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell – Ain’t No Mountain High Enough
Aretha Franklin – I Say A Little Prayer
Mayer Hawthorne – Green Eyed Love (Waajeed Remix)