Chósta is the moniker of Conor Kelly, an electronic artist from the seaside Dublin town of Donabate. His music draws heavily on playful sampling and driving bass-lines, citing influences as far reaching as Boards of Canada, J Dilla, Mobb Deep, Talk Talk, John Coltrane and Planxty.
Chósta’s latest self-titled EP was released earlier this year. Be sure to check it out! Below, Chósta also speaks about the 10 tracks that inspired him to make the music he does.
Burial & Four Tet - Nova
The first time I heard Burial’s music was probably ten or eleven years ago. Zane Lowe played Untrue on his old BBC radio show and it floored me. His creation atmosphere and texture is unmatched. Four Tet is another of my favourites, and this collaboration is the perfect blend of darkness and melancholy I try to achieve with my own music.
Planxty - The West Coast of Claire
These chaps were just built differently. From their recordings and live performances, you could sense that they were playing music purely for the love and fun of it. I’m hugely inspired by their passion for the craft and the way they modernised trad music.
J Dilla - Sunbeams
Sometimes the beauty is in simplicity. Not only was Dilla the master at digging for obscure records/sounds, he was the master at taking a short sample and keeping it interesting. Sunbeams is essentially the same four bar loop repeated for 18 minutes, yet it never tires.
David Bowie - Moss Garden
As a self-confessed superfan, I would put Bowie’s 1970s output up against any other artist. The Berlin trio are my personal favourites, and “Heroes" is maybe his most eclectic, starting with one of his biggest pop hits and veering off into weird Eno ambient stuff such as this.
Scott Walker - It’s Raining Today
Scott Walker’s career took one of the most unusual paths of any mainstream artist, and his fearlessness in diving into new territory should inspire everyone. This track is the perfect balance of beauty and something altogether more sinister.
Nina Simone - Funkier Than A Mosquito’s Tweeter
Most of the comment around Nina Simone is the uniqueness of her voice, but an underrated aspect of her music is the variety and depth of it. This track is a masterclass in groove.
Portishead - Biscuit
Rarely has the phrase ‘quality over quantity’ applied more to a band. Portishead may only have released three albums in 27 years, but each one is a bona fide classic. From the brooding downtempo beat, Beth Gibbon’s haunting vocals and the genius Johnny Ray sample flip, Biscuit (from their debut record Dummy) is a track I would use as a reference point.
Mobb Deep - Trife Life
The Infamous is such a vivid and stark portrayal of the grimy streets of early 90s New York. The production on Trife Life is moody and menacing, and really transports you into that world in a cinematic way. It boggles the mind that Prodigy and Havoc made this record at the age of 20.
Dean Blunt - as long as ropes unravel fake rolex will travel
I only explored Dean Blunt’s music recently, but his experimentation and unwillingness to adhere to genre boundaries is very inspiring. I heard this on Maria Somerville’s brilliant NTS show about a year ago and it’s been on repeat ever since.
William Basinski - Melancholia II
William Basinski is one of my favourite composers and Melancholia is an album I’ve listened to whenever I’ve gone through dark times. Melancholia II is probably one of the most beautiful tracks ever made and that piano is the sound I’m forever searching for.