He’s known for a hard-charging, tech-housey sound, but POPOF can do “intimate” as well as anyone—check out 2009’s holding-hands-at-dawn track “Serenity” if you need proof. On his new album, Love Somebody (out now on Hot Creations), the man known to his pals as Alexandre Paounov has opted to go the warm ‘n’ cuddly route—the release’s name kind of gives that away, we guess—via 11 vocal-heavy cuts of melodic amour that will likely garner more play in those back-to-mine moments than they will in the clubs. (Fear not, dancefloor fans: Lead-off single “Words Gone” featured remixes from Luciano, Marc Houle and Jamie Jones, while second single “Going Back” boasts versions from Eats Everything, Lee Foss, Oxia & Miss Kittin, and Luca Donzelli & Mar T.) With Love Somebody currently wending its way into the ears of fans of low-key electronics, we thought we’d ask POPOF to name us five of his most beloved long-players of all time—scroll down for his selections, a surprisingly diverse quintet of time-tested recordings.

Marvin Gaye

I Want You
Being a huge Marvin Gaye fan, I love most of his albums—and his 13th release, “I want you”, is for me a total success. While he was working on this one, he took inspiration from his second wife, and it can really be felt in the music. The lyric are so erotic, so sensual. Apparently, this album was very controversial—but it did greatly influence the disco, R&B and neo-soul genres.

The Prodigy
Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned
For me, this one is the Prodigy’s best album, although they’re all good in my opinion! There are lots of interesting features, such as “Spitfire” with Juliette Lewis – it’s incredible. They made lots of awesome collaborations with numerous musicians—Princess Superstar and Kool Keith, among others.

Eddie Harris
Bad Luck is All I Have
The title track remains, for me, the best blues song of all time. The hypnotizing bassline, combined with Eddie Harris’ voice, is absolutely breathtaking from the beginning until the end. The song builds up in intensity, going crescendo, then ends with these backing vocals singing “bad luck is all I have”…it’s blues in its purest form.

Trentemøller

The Last Resort
This album is for me one of the best of the last decade, in terms of electronic music. It mixes exoticism, eclectism, and melancholy to perfection. It’s simply beautiful. Songs like “Moan” or “Miss you” will remain etched in the history of electronic music.

Franz Ferdinand

Franz Ferdinand
I really like Franz Ferdinand ‘s first album because it oozes strength and energy. The songs are all super catchy; there’s not one I dislike. Great rock music mixed with new wave—I never get tired of it!