Portland-based Marius Libmun (a.k.a.Copy) is an electro gift from the future. Taking cues from italo-disco, melodic techno, vintage hardcore, and new wave, Libmun proves himself a production renaissance man on his latest album, Hair Guitar. We sat down with the bearded wonder to see what records have led him into this champion terrain.

Hair Guitar is out now, on Audio Dregs.

Soft Pink TruthDo You Party?Soundslike
This record whispered the secret into my ears, that dance music could be awesome, mind-bending, and rad. I honestly didn’t know before. This is the record that made me want to make dance music.

MurcofMartesLeaf
I still get chills listening to this. It’s maybe the most melancholy album ever–enveloping and achingly beautiful. I was pretty depressed when this album came out, and it felt like the perfect soundtrack to my life.

The FieldFrom Here We Go SublimeKompakt
This record just came out, but I’ve already listened to it more times than a ton of records that have been in my collection for years. It’s beautiful, melodic, and exhibits an envious amount of restraint and balance.

AirTalkie WalkieAstralwerks
I was never a huge Air fan before this came out, but all that changed after my first listen. This is close to the perfect pop album.

Herbie HancockSextantColumbia
Herbie Hancock is one of my all time favorite musicians, so picking one favorite album of his is hard. I love his later disco and electro-infused stuff, but this record of spaced-out fusion-funk is his deepest, most cohesive record.

Don CaballeroWhat Burns Never ReturnsTouch and Go
I stumbled across this album totally by accident. I picked it up because I liked the cover, and was instantly blown away. Ian Williams is probably my favorite guitar player, and Damon Che is one of the best non-jazz drummers ever.

FugaziEnd Hits Dischord
I fucking love Fugazi. They’re the only band I was into during junior high that I still listen to today. It’s sort of amazing how they continued to mature and evolve (and actually got better instead of worse). The production and songwriting hits all the right spots, and perfectly encapsulates what [the band was] about.

Metro AreaS/TEnviron
I can’t get enough italo-disco and early ’80s proto-electro, but listening to that stuff usually involves willfully overlooking some glaringly cheesy stuff. Metro Area extracts all the good ideas, mixing them with subtle, modern production techniques, to an awesome effect.

Tears for FearsThe HurtingPolygram
Oh man, this record rules. Ten years ago I would have never guessed that this would be one of my all time favorite albums, but things change. This album is way more experimental and deep than people realize, and I think most contemporary studio-pop bands are still playing catch-up [to the band] in a lot of ways.

Atom(TM) and Tea Time XXXRather Interesting
Uwe Schmidt is one of my all time favorite electronic producers, and this is probably my favorite album of his. It’s a fucked-up mix of pervy, glitched-out hip-hop and Latin music that’s crammed with enough innovative ideas and details to transcend its otherwise ironic concept.