Emotional Rescue takes a look towards the dancefloor sounds of Britain underground 80s electronic synth-pop scene for their next release. From Dallas’ infamous ecstacy fueled Starck club to the Le Palace in Paris, it was such music that while not gaining wider pop recognition, become classics of their time and the secret finds for today’s DJs.
For the latest edition of the intriguing Dessert Islands Discs re-edit series, the label has called upon the well-renowned scalpel talents of German-in-Amsterdam Marcel Vogel, AKA Em Vee. The Double Denim-sporting eccentric drops another gem in the shape of “White Heat Shake It Out (Edit)”, a bouncy and seductive disco chop-job that makes great use of the source material’s bustling groove and steamy, spoken word vocals. On the flip, lesser-known re-edit heads Papi Del Pancake and Claude Von Reefer take up the challenge. Their “Gimme What You Got” has a little more deep house shuffle, but retains the key instrumentation and feel of a sumptuous disco-soul jam.
Spacey electronic disco from 1977… Not only was this ahead of its time, but it features the works of two of disco’s most respected, revered studio artists; Tom Moulton and Patrick Cowley. Long-since sought after, West End have done us the good service of reissuing it in all its glory. Cowley’s mega mix is linear, dubbed out and naked in vibe, which gives it a really neat timeless groove sensation. The disco mix is a little more frenetic and of its time thanks to the big drums, overlayed guitars and Michele’s sensuous vocals.
Dark Entries is proud to release Uno, a collection of early recordings from seminal Italian electronic act Kirlian Camera. Keyboardist/vocalist Angelo Bergamini founded the project in Parma in 1979, initially naming it Suicide Commando, before discovering another project using the same name. By 1980, Angelo had recruited singer Simona Buja, keyboardist Fabrizio Chiari and bassist Mauro Montacchini. Their demo cassette, Dawn, attracted the attention of Italian Records, a popular independent label. The following year, Mauro left the band and was replaced by Giorgio Vecchi, and the band recorded their first mini-LP, Kirlian Camera. Uno compiles the 4 songs from the mini-LP on Side A and the 6 songs from the demo cassette on Side B. Also included is the bonus track Minitech, originally released in 1981 on flexi-disc. Kirlian Cameras clean, minimalist new wave is marked by strong haunting melodies, slow moving synth washes, and stark, dramatic vocals.
Blimey, Light Sounds Dark really went to town on this new compilation of curios, obscurities and delights that’s spread across three 12″s. If you’ve indulged in previous slabs of LSD curated obscurity then you should have an idea of what is waiting for you within the rather tempting mirrored, triple-gatefold sleeve; namely a smorgasbord of industrial, proto rhythms and early wave sounds. Unlike previous Light Sounds Dark transmissions, there is no identifying information of any sort.
Compilation of old and new (mostly) Belgian & Dutch minimal synth tracks for the first time ever on vinyl.
impLOG was the solo project of Don Christensen after leaving New York No Wave group The Contortions in 1979. He began making music using found sounds, a Univox drum machine, guitar stomp boxes, Casio keyboards and percussion instruments. Holland Tunnel Dive is a monotone lament, with a narrator reciting a list of all that is missing in his life along to a sparse, mechanical beat. A variable speed Milwaukee drill creeps its way into the song, eventually reaching cacophonous levels. After four minutes of industrial motorik, an upbeat saxophone riff breaks out unexpectedly, unsettling the listener even further. On the B-side is a deranged version of the Lieber and Stoller show tune On Broadway, featuring lead guitar by Jody Harris of the Contortions. The record perfectly captures the dark and seedy vibe of downtown New York in the early 80’s.
Void Vision is a Philadelphia based solo female Minimal Synth / Cold Wave project from Shari Wallin. Already included by Rough Trade in their seminal Synth Wave compilations, the single is anticipating her full lenght ‘Sub Rosa’, out for Mannequin Records later in 2014. Remix by Vanzetti & Sacco aka Jos Van Galen with Otto Kraanen, the boss of the acclaimed Bordello A Parigi from Rotterdam.
This is the recording of Dunkeltier’s aka SneakerDJ session at the pre-party for the STRCamp festival in Vilnius, Lithuania in July 2014.
Dunkeltier is going deep into obscure things (edits that will come on Macadam Mambo Edits Rec. and Rat Life Rec.), then turning into sweet uptempo synth tunes.
Deeper and advanced electronix on Valcrond Video, the label run by sound and image artist Luke Wyatt (Torn Hawk). Ari Russo is an NYC based multi-artist whose engagement with abandoned media finds an outlet in the video bursts he culls as OfficeFern. As a programmer, he’s produced innovative music generation tools such as the Diamond Arpeggiator. He returns to his own music with this collection of challenging and transporting structures
Trio Kazanchis got together by coincidence in 2009 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s musical hotspot while playing Jam Sessions in Melaku Belay’s Club Fendika and Mulatu Astatke’s own African- Jazz Club before touring Europe most underground venues and related festivals. The original line-up is Jeroen Visser (NL, Baritonsax & FarfisaOrgan), Mesele Asmamaw (ETH, Krar & Vox) and Fabien Duscombs (F, Drums). Endris Hassen (ETH, masinqo) joined the group in 2013 (he’s the +1). Kazanchis +1 plays songs with an Ethiopian origin, either modern or traditional, and an European 80’s touch combined with free energetic improvisation using highly-developed Ethiopian pentatonic scales for slow trance-like to up-tempo energetic moods. The band’s choice of instruments showed itself on European stages as very elastic, nicely melting together, as well as a challenging combination, all in all successful. Mesele Asmamaw, described as the Jimi Hendricks on his instrument the electric Krar (the 6-string Ethiopian Lyre), has become known as innovator & virtuose of his instrument in Ethiopia. Fabien Duscombs, the quicksilver drummer from Toulouse lays down the perfect grid for Mesele to play his syncopating accents. Jeroen Visser glues them two tightly together providing bass and chords with his Farfisa Organ/Synth, or challenges with his baritone sax. Since summer 2013 the amazing Masinqo-player (one stringed violin) Endris Hassen has become full member of the group, completing the sound and surprisingly even reinforcing the Trio-Feel.
Sought-after cosmic jazz funk album from 1977. Plastic disco in the style of Jean-Pierre Massiera! Check the title track “Le Payback”, a French sleazy disco rework of the James Brown classic.
Banda Black Rio is a Brazilian musical group from Rio de Janeiro that was formed in 1976. It has a repertoire based on funk but also including samba, jazz and Brazilian rhythms. Banda Black Rio developed a particular style of instrumental soul music fusing together elements from a number of genres. This is the official reissue of the instrumental album Maria Fumaça from 1977.
Black Rox is back with 2 more sneaky Soft Rocks specials that have somehow been liberated from locked CD wallets and released into the wild for general consumption. The A side Sabu Dance combines Horns, Flutes & Percussion on this killer slice of midtempo funk from Africa via Berlin. This has been thoroughly road tested by Soft Rocks at their Kinfolk night & never fails to get a great response from the dancefloor. Side B. Don’t worry it’s not the tantric one’s ode to voyeurism but a rare as hens teeth slice of UK. Reggae at is’s finest. Adjustments have been made sensitively and sounds have been chosen to carefully match those from the appropriate era.
