Modula – Sounds From Montenuovo EP [BAP153]

MODULA - Sounds From Montenuovo

Balearic. Disco. Italo. House. These are the styles that forged Filippo Colonna Romano, aka Modula. The diverse musician has always drawn on a rich musical seam for inspiration. His latest album, Sounds from Montenuovo, calls upon a spread of sounds and styles. From the birdsong of the title piece, the listener finds themselves in the stripped electro-wave of “Party Crime” and “Night Warrior” with Pamina Chauveau offering impassioned vocals. The colder edges of emotions are exposed in the unsheathed funk of “The Anger” before the summer brightness and overarching warmth of “Looking At The Horizon”. Modula island hops from genre to genre, dipping into one sound before diving deep into another style to resurface with audio pearls. Tribal tones and melodic bursts come together in the exotic “Malicumbà”, a track which anticipates the pure synthesizer joy of the instrumental version of “Looking At The Horizon”. A vivid collection of imaginings from Romano’s studio, sounds that arrive via the clear waters of the Caribbean and the cinematic echoes of the 1980s. A voyage from beginning to end.

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Modula – Sounds From Montenuovo EP [BAP153]

Patrick Cowley – Mind Warp [SPLP-7053]

COWLEY, Patrick - Mind Warp

Seminal early 80’s HI-NRG / Synth disco emanating from the gay clubs, bath houses and discotheques of San Francisco. A truly original and groundbreaking sound and style helmed by studio genius Patrick Cowley. Heavily informed by sonically charged science fiction fantasy and the darkest corners of nightlife, ‘Mind Warp’ is a cornerstone of electronic music that still astonishes today. Originally released on Cowley’s own Megatone imprint in 1982 the album marks a definitive change in direction of post-disco dance music, undoubtedly inspired by European artists such as Kraftwerk, Moroder, Yello and more. A huge influence on what was to come through in later years via house and techno music, ‘Mind Warp’ is a bonafide classic and every single self respecting music lover or DJs home should have a copy. Celebrate 40 years of the label with this unmissable reissue package beautifully presented on wondrous coloured vinyl by your friends over at Unidisc.

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Patrick Cowley – Mind Warp [SPLP-7053]

Evolution (L&L) – Radio [BAP157]

EVOLUTION (L & L) - Radio

Originally released in 1982 on Cinofilm Produzione, Francesco Strippoli aka Armonics discovered the ‘Radio’ 7″ by pure chance last year near his home in Bari. It was in Vito Lisco’s basement, who written and produced this track together with Renzo Maria La Costa back in the 80’s. They polished up the original track and on top re-recorded the vocal parts, added some guitar riffs and remixed everything together for a modern take on this eccentric italo production by Evolution (L&L).

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Evolution (L&L) – Radio [BAP157]

Clio – Faces [PLT677MIX]

CLIO - Faces (reissue)

Worthy italo re-issue of this early Roberto Ferrante’s project. Roberto started his career being part of various electronic music groups in Naples around the early 80s. In 1985 “Faces” came out, a simple but direct and honest song with an irresistible rhythm and lyrics that tends to move away from that typical dark sound in other Italo-Disco songs of that era. This song is a triumph for synthesizers and electronic drums as it’s fully electronic, something still a rarity in those days. The beautiful melody and spiritual essence of ”Faces” represent the revolution of a new beginning of the Italian pop of the 80s with a perfect arrangement by Roberto Ferrante, a bouncing bassline, and strong and clear vocal. The sweet and sensual voice, full of personality and charm is by Clio (Maria Chiara Perugini).

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Clio – Faces [PLT677MIX]

Aerphax – Traditions 19 [TRAD19]

AERPHAX - Traditions 19

Traditions 19 featuring underground Danish artist Brian Anthony aka Aerphax. Aerphax has been making eclectic electronic music since early 90s. It includes a double EP of forward-thinking electronic music with a range that goes from Electro and Italo to IDM or Acid.

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Aerphax – Traditions 19 [TRAD19]

Plant43 – Sublunar Tides [PLANT43006LP]

PLANT43 - Sublunar Tides

The sixth album by Emile Facey under the Plant43 moniker and the seventh release on his Plant43 Recordings imprint since its inception in 2020, Sublunar Tides is his most expressive and stylistically wide ranging to date. Over 52 minutes and nine tracks the album whisks the listener effortlessly from fast-paced dancefloor electro through the slowmotion cloud-soaring of Concrete Breakers, the intricate experimental synths of Perfect Ruin to the lilting, songlike tones of the emotional album closer ‘Tides Align’.  Co-founder of London’s Bleep43 crew, Facey has been promoting underground electro and techno since the 90’s.

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Plant43 – Sublunar Tides [PLANT43006LP]

James Infiltrate – Void Remixes [INFILTRATE11]

JAMES INFILTRATE - Void Remixes

In 2018, unknown artist James Infiltrate dropped an album of smart electro tunes that get everyone talking. It turned out to be an alias of James Burnham aka Burnski aka the Constant Sound boss aka Instinct Now some of the cuts from that album get choice remixes – Alex Jann flips ‘Flash’ into a caustic electro banger with bright synths and twisted bass. Stojche goes for a lurching, loopy, scintillating and loopy remix of ‘Isolate’ that takes you to the stars and the flip offers up an acid laced electro cruiser from Sound Synthesis and Relpek mix of ‘Reconnect’ that is melodic and mysterious.

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James Infiltrate – Void Remixes [INFILTRATE11]

Martin Matiske – Karakuri Ningyō [FMR011]

MATISKE, Martin - Karakuri Ningyo

Mixed emotions surround the first LP release by Femur: からくり人形 by Martin Matiske, being this his second long play. The German producer presents a record of clear Japanese reminiscence in a dystopic-futuristic, robotic, sci-fi aura, all bathed by the rising sun.

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Martin Matiske – Karakuri Ningyō [FMR011]

VA – Exit Planet Earth: Radon [EPE07]

EXALTICS, The/PARIS THE BLACK FU/ALEX JANN/LOST SOULS OF SATURN/KIM COSMIC - Exit Planet Earth: Radon

The 7th edition in the Exit Planet Earth vinyl series features another serving of electronic cuts designed for space travel with 20/20 Vision debuts from The Exaltics & Paris The Black Fu, Alex Jann, Lost Souls of Saturn and Kim Cosmik.

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VA – Exit Planet Earth: Radon [EPE07]

Ombra 2021 – Day 3

Sunday morning we were eager to come back as early as possible to the Utopia 126 for the last day of the festival, so we managed to arrive by midday again. At the Ombra Stage, Vinilette was about to finish her vinyl set for the Frigio showcase.

Continue reading “Ombra 2021 – Day 3”
Ombra 2021 – Day 3

Ombra 2021 – Day 2

After a few hours of sleep by midday we started our second day at Ombra. Ofra was already heating up the cold warehouse of the Operator Stage, offering one of the best dj sets from the festival.

Continue reading “Ombra 2021 – Day 2”
Ombra 2021 – Day 2

Ombra 2021 – Day 1

Friday on the first day of the festival we took the floors of Ombra, loaded with enthusiasm and eager to dance our hearts out, after almost 2 years of not being able to attend any proper live event.

Continue reading “Ombra 2021 – Day 1”
Ombra 2021 – Day 1

SARIN x Scarlit Port – Daevas [MTRONW009]

SARIN/SCARLIT PORT - Daevas

“Daevas”, meaning divinities of chaos and disorder in the Zoroastrian faith, is the combined effort of SARIN x Scarlit Port recorded in Berlin during the lockdown of 2020. The six track 30 minute EP is a winding journey that dives into both artists’ shared Persian heritage by referencing ancient pagan Gods, mysticism and the more recent tragic histories of colonialism, dictatorships, longing and a sense of being uprooted. These unwinding stories and artefacts are imprinted within a dark cascade of sounds incorporating and combining each artist’s influences to create a total work that encompasses elements of techno body music, acid, industrial and the subtle application of more traditional Persian musical forms.

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SARIN x Scarlit Port – Daevas [MTRONW009]

Morah – Bizarre Beauty [BDMS017]

New self-released album from Morah, producer, DJ and head of Phormix Records from Athens, Greece. ‘Bizarre Beauty’ consist of 10 tracks on cassette and digital and a limited vinyl EP on Filmmaker’s Body Musick. Ferocious beats and hits for corporal and metaphysical experience.

Morah – Bizarre Beauty [BDMS017]

Alpha Sect – Dark Rituals [SOIL016]

Hailing from Thessaloniki, Greece, Alpha Sect is a project of George McCall, which is focused breaking electro patterns and pumping body music with serious punk influences. Soil Records presents his new release “Dark Rituals” featuring 4 original tracks and remixes by Trenton Chase, Filmmaker, Sydney Valette, Opioid Slot Machine, R Gamble and Ne Re A.

vinyl / cassette

Alpha Sect – Dark Rituals [SOIL016]

Spammerheads – Bricks for Reconstruction [SOTA053]

Spammerheads is a Valencian duo formed by Ana Escudero and David Garrido. An audio-visual project forged in 2019 under the punk concept “do it yourself” in which both sound and graphic creation (videos and covers) have been developed by the duo. “Bricks for Reconstruction” is their new album released on cassette by Soil Records.

Spammerheads – Bricks for Reconstruction [SOTA053]

No More – Suicide Commando [STUTE002]

NO MORE - Suicide Commando

The year is 1981. The Kiel-based PostPunk / Wave underground outfit NO MORE releases their second ever single „Suicide Commando“ and their world changes forever. Well, not only their world – THE world. What began as an independently published 7“ single became a cult classic, a genre defining – and defying – song, an all-time dancefloor favorite of many, a timeless signature piece that escaped its original realm of PostPunk x Wave x Indie x Alternative to also become engrained in the DNA of modern electronic dancefloor culture most prominently in the beloved late 90s permutation presented by DJ Hell which became a classic in its own right. Now the year is 2021. Four decades have passed and NO MORE’s „Suicide Commando“ is back once again. And staying true to the underground blueprint this 40th anniversary re-release edition once again is put out on the circuit through a small independent label: the Intrauterin Recordings offspring El Caballo Semental.

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No More – Suicide Commando [STUTE002]