We love Ron Hardy and have done ever since we found out about him in our teens and always will due to the timeless nature of his productions. Everyone bangs on about Larry Levan & Paradise Garage, no doubt those nights were incredible but If we could fire up the time machine for one night only though, The Muzic/Music Box (delete as applicable) circa mid eighties would be the destination. We love the period when the disco era was moving towards the rawer sounds of early house music.

Ron Hardy was great, versatile in the mix, a master of the edit and generally in the blending of disco, house, acid and 80s pop favs, exactly what we’d be after. He would have been 59 this month, if we’ve done our calculations properly, so in respect of the man here are some firm favourites.

Slice and lock baby!

The kind of disco we love, raw and switching around like crazy. This Hardy edit is still good to go.

Robert Owens, Chip E, Larry Heard and Hardy, if you can get more house royalty gold on a disc we’ve yet to hear it.

Raw as you like, real as you like. There is a reason why tracks like this have outlasted the super polished stuff that came after.

Opening sets with this, then smashing the place to pieces with, acid, 909 drums and disco vocals. Come on that’s bound to have been insane and ridiculously fresh at the time. True innovator!

R.I.P Ron Hardy.