My mixtape: John Gosling’s 10 tracks for Lee Alexander McQueen

In April, we pay tribute to the designer through a special show that reimagines the music that shaped his life and work.

Part of Multitudes‘ second edition, Unnatural Harmony: Sounds of Lee Alexander McQueen brings together the London Contemporary Orchestra with choreography from Holly Blakey and Michael Clark, and a new film from Douglas Hart and Eddie Whelan.

A key collaborator on the show is the musician and producer John Gosling, who performs under the name Mekon and is perhaps best known as a member of the industrial music group Psychic TV and collaborator of Coil. A close personal friend of the designer, Gosling worked as musical director on all of McQueen’s shows. Here he shares an eclectic playlist of tracks which put him in mind of McQueen, and, beneath the tracks, the reason for each’s inclusion.

‘Main Title (Theme From Jaws)’ – John Williams

Sharks were part of the zeitgeist in the 1990s due to Damien Hirst’s ‘The Physical Impossibility Of Death In The Mind Of Someone Living’, which Lee loved. I was also using this track to open my DJ sets.

‘Gary Gilmore’s Eyes’ – The Adverts

I included this as it is one of the lesser known tracks in Lee’s world. The reference for the music was ‘Scottish punk’ which we achieved with broad strokes by looping up the intro to ‘Gary Gilmore’s Eyes’ and adding bagpipes.

‘Atlantis, Pt. 3 Intro’ – Mekon

A track I composed with Raymond Watts at Lee’s request. The inspiration was from The Abyss, which was one of Lee’s favourite films.

‘Main Title (The Shining)’ – Wendy Carlos, Rachel Elkind

Lee loves Stanley Kubrick and we were both big Wendy Carlos fans.

‘Main Titles (Blade Runner)’ – Vangelis

Blade Runner was a source of constant inspiration for Lee and the track also works really well for transitions between disparate pieces of music, so it became a recurring theme.

‘I Put A Spell On You’ – Bobby Gillespie

The song ‘I Put A Spell On You’ was originally written and recorded by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins and later covered by Nina Simone. This version was recorded by Bobby Gillespie and Marco Pirroni especially for Lee.

‘God Bless The Child’ – Billie Holiday 

This song was Lee’s direct comment on his relationship with the fashion industry at the time.

‘Come Fly With Me’ – Frank Sinatra

Lee loved all things avian. This song was both a statement of intent and a promise.

‘Witch Doktor’ – Armand Van Helden

‘Witch Doktor’ is intrinsic to Lee’s legacy and a track we used to hear a lot when we were out clubbing. It begins with African tribal chanting and goes into a heavy 808 beat, thus enhancing the contrast between the natural world and the human/artificial world.

‘Adagio for Strings, Op. 11a’ – The London Philharmonic Orchestra 

‘Adagio for Strings’ was chosen due to its use in the film Platoon, another film Lee really liked.