Former snooker world champ Steve Davis digs Ricardo Villalobos and Surgeon

You may have read that Steve Davis is set to make his dance event DJ debut at Bloc Weekender next year. Just as our surprise at that settled down, he's rattled us again by naming a few of his favourite producers and selectors.

Steve already knew his way around breaks, but it was record shopping in Germany that got him into techno when he "stumbled upon Hard Wax", the Berlin store where Cassy regularly shops and played as part of our 100% Vinyl series.

Speaking to The Thin Air about his love for electronic music, he revealed the decisive tune that certified his love for the type of beats you'll hear in Berghain: "While most of the vinyl was unknown to me at the time, a member of staff recommended 'Breaking The Frame' by Surgeon.

"While I much prefer the 'less obvious', less 'banging stuff', I was smitten with Surgeon. I think this was my gateway into appreciation of some quality techno stuff and, by chance, he agreed to come on IAS [Steve's weekly slot on Phoenix FM] and do a 'special'. I upload the shows to Mixcloud and the Surgeon special show has become our most streamed show."

Keen on showcasing his eclectic taste during his radio residency, artists featured last week include Vakula ('19 Hours Prior To Arcturus'), Oneohtrix Point Never ('I Bite Through It') and Holly Herndon ('Chorus').

The near-17-minutes-long Ricardo Villalobos remix of Insanlar's 'Kime Ne' is another fave right now, but just don't ask him where it would be placed in a record shop.

He said: "I've got to be honest, I'm not sure exactly what sub sub sub genre it falls under."

Other producers he's into include "Clark, Squarepusher and Aphex", with record stores in his hometown, London, now keeping him in the loop: "I have been sitting in Phonica Records on occasions and I've enjoyed selections I wouldn't have otherwise given enough time otherwise to get under my skin."

By the way Steve, Ricky's remix is clearly downtempo-psychedelic-world-folk-minimal.