11 clubbing anthems of the 2000s from DJ Jodie Harsh  

If you headed out to a London club night in the 2000s, there was a decent chance you’d find DJ and producer Jodie Harsh living it up on the dance floor. This period of clubbing in the capital influenced and shaped the now legendary Harsh, and forms the basis of her upcoming, suitably titled memoir, You Had to Be There. 

In the book, Harsh takes us to The End, The Astoria, Boombox and countless other London clubs that have now bitten the dust. It is both an ode to the capital’s nightlife at large, and to how it can mould and shape a person’s character. To celebrate its release, Harsh takes Rolling Stone UK on a trip back in time to the legendary Trash nights at the now-defunct The End club by selecting 11 anthems that electrified the dance floors back then, including some that still do… 

‘Emerge’, Fischerspooner

Even though this came out a couple of years before I moved to London, we couldn’t go to Trash without hearing it. It’s cold and mechanical, a greatest hit from the electroclash era, which was rising from the underground as I arrived.  

‘Train’, Goldfrapp

Early in my university days, I sneaked into a fashion show for a London designer called Preen and the models stomped down the runway to this. The song is all dirty glamour – latex, sweat and a sleazy snarl. Very Trash.  

‘Let’s Make Love…’ (Spank Rock remix), CSS  

I was obsessed with this dirty, bass-heavy bounce-a-long, and it made everyone lose their minds at Trash. It sounded like a house party in São Paulo had crashed into a basement in Holborn, scooping up some pals from Brooklyn en route. The original was already bratty and fun, but the Spank Rock remix turned it into a full-on dance riot. 

‘Joe Le Taxi’, Hanayo

A warped, whispered version of the Vanessa Paradis classic. The first time I heard it, I wasn’t sure if it was a joke or genius. It’s exactly the kind of oddball gem Trash founder Erol Alkan would slip into a set at just the right, unhinged moment. That’s what Trash did best – blurred the line between irony and iconic.  

‘Fuck the Pain Away’, Peaches 

A certified Trash anthem. The club was a sweaty, screaming mess of bodies and bad behaviour and tunes like this captured that essence. “Sucking on my titties like you wanted me”. The best opening line of a song ever. I love how live it sounds too.   

‘Frank Sinatra’, Miss Kittin & The Hacker

Miss Kittin was basically the queen of Trash. “To be famous is so nice / Suck my dick / Kiss my ass”. It was deadpan and cool. A perfect balance of glamour and grit.  

‘La La Land’, Green Velvet 

‘La La Land’ still sounds so good today, and I play it in my DJ sets. That simple percussion, the squelchy bass – so good.  

‘Silver Screen (Shower Scene)’, Felix da Housecat 

An electro icon of a song. The camera clicks alone take me right back to Monday nights at The End, hanging out by the water fountain.  

‘We Are Your Friends’, Justice Vs Simian Mobile Disco

I remember the entire room singing along in the a capella bits. We all knew something huge was happening with our scene going mainstream. Erol would build it up with tension, then boom – that anthem dropped. It was like a departing shout, electro leaving the underground.  

‘Seventeen’, Ladytron

I remember vividly The Lovely Jonjo [DJ Jonjo Jury] playing when I walked into Trash for the first time (at 17!). It’s the kind of track you’d dance to with eyes half-closed and a knowing smile.  

‘Losing My Edge’, LCD Soundsystem

I think this started to be played out shortly before Trash closed and became Durrr. It’s massively triggering when I listen to the lyrics now – it’s an older person talking about ‘being there’ back in the day, at all the right things. But I never really left, so…