Over the past two years, Montreal producer Jacques Greene has quietly amassed an impressive little catalog, twisting the spirit of R&B into something functional for dancefloors fueled by classic house and forward-thinking bass. With only a few releases under his belt, he has become one of North America’s most lauded producers, a feat assisted in no small part by his jaw-dropping, analog-gear-intensive live shows. Once the calendar reached 2012, Greene announced the next step in his ongoing evolution, the founding of his own label, Vase. Last week, the young imprint dropped its first record, Concealer, a four-track EP from Greene himself. On the heels of its release, we tapped the busy artist to list five tracks that have helped to shape both his current musical outlook and his new label’s philosophy.

Rhythm is Rhythm “Drama”

You can’t really say much about Derrick May: pioneer, legend, “The Innovator.” This record embodies a lot of the reasons I fell in love with dancefloors and electronic dance music. Though this record doesn’t necessarily sound “current,” it is definitely timeless, and that’s something to strive for—[making] something that is undoubtedly both of its time and enjoyable right now, 22 years later.

Jimmy Edgar “Pret-a-Porter”

Jimmy Edgar manages to make music that’s simultaneously sexy and endearing, but [also] kind of creepy and uncomfortable in the best way. It’s this sleazy-yet-sophisticated thing that he does, blurring lines all over the place between pop and “IDM,” light and dark, seduction and predator vibes. [This track has] fantastic arrangements and a great sense of melody.

Ben Frost “Theory of Machines”

Good music to get lost in. Again, this [song coveys the] idea of things being simultaneously one and [another]. Ben Frost makes music that’s menacing and aggressive, but it always feels like it’s about to fall apart. He makes music that sticks with you and deserves careful listens, and he’s also one of the best performers in “drone,” or whatever you want to call it.

Joy Division “Disorder”

Factory Records had a catalog number for the club they ran (the Haçienda, FAC 51) and for a lawsuit that was filed against them by Martin Hannett (FAC 61). They didn’t really seem to care about rules and what is expected of a record company, however, a lot of care was taken with the presentation of its output. Peter Saville and the others at Factory are a huge influence on the approach to making this Vase thing happen and where you can take the idea of a “record label.”

Kraftwerk “Computer Love”

Another timeless gem. [This is] music good enough to transcend genres, decades, etc. [It’s full of] simplicity, beauty… I could go on forever. There are a lot of “big tracks” and classics on this list, but I guess that’s what you’re trying to strive for when releasing music, whether it be your own or that of others.