Mannequin Records is proud to present the 12” reissue of one of the rarest minimal synth singles ever released in UK, cradle of DIY post-punk and minimal synth bands.
Bionda e Lupo – Ton Rire EP [BAP053]
Past midnight. Empty streets. From an ill lit doorway a sound. A woman. Shadow. A scent. Drawn into one. Smoke and synthesizer music swirls. Bionda E Lupo. Crossing the threshold, tripping into twilight. Analogue emotion, styles twirled like garlands. Nervous shuffles and the touch of fingertips. Weaving, bodies twirl as morning shoulders into night. The realisation. The edge of eyes. Curl of lip. The click of heels with creak of floor. Feeling flows, ebbs, cascades and floods. Lipstick and heavy perfume. Two forms swimming in currents, bending to one another in the warm glow of aging speakers. Breath and pulse quicken. Electricity spiked with passion. The final embrace. Whispered promises. A kiss.
Gerald Donald Interview
Mat 101 – Archives 1999-2001 [CYBERDANCE019]
Italian arcade electro superstars Mat 101 are back with this LP of lost recordings from the vaults on Cyber Dance Records. Back in the late 90s when electro was first being resurrected and transformed into a more European dark psychedelic style Mat 101 were at the forefront of the revolution, taking inspiration from the pure electro sounds of the arcade games of their youth and representing the classic Italian sound in new and unexpectedly brilliant ways. Their legacy was immense, spawning Jollymusic, Pigna People, Raiders Of The Lost Arp and Francisco (among many other projects) and inspiring subsequent generations of electro wannabes with how to do it properly ever since. This LP brings together their lost recordings, some intended for a second LP that never was, along with live cuts and rarities as well as other unreleased material. However the album is in no way merely a random collection of lost bits and pieces – what is surprising is how fresh, finished and naturally flowing the record sounds, so much so that it really would have made a worthy follow up to their classic 1999 ‘Goodbye Mum!’ first album. The breadth of sound on the records, from the gently hypnotising strains of ‘Marble Madness’ and the blissful climax of ‘Gloria Gloria’ to the intense electro jamming of ‘Commando’ and the progressive rave monster ‘Toys Around’, is truly stunning. And with dancefloor anthems like ‘Falling Down Suite’ and ‘Musicadambiente’ thrown into the mix too the release is essential ammunition for both DJ activists and armchair-listeners alike.
Haron – District Iron [BAKK006]
Haron comes home with his District Iron EP including some heavy remix work by Jeremiah R. This platter is loaded with low, an ace dance floor destroyer, yet smooth and playful. Sparks start flying and neurons start frying.
Cignol – Untitled [LDRX003]
Lunar Disko returns with the third installment of the limited LDRX series. Dublin based artist Cignol debuts on Lunar Disko with four retro futuristic electro trax. Limited to 100 copies, screen printed and hand numbered sleeves.
De Ambassade – Wat Voel Je Nou [KH003]
In the grayness by concrete of the Amsterdam suburbs we find Pascal Pinkert (Dollkraut) working on his darker wave salvation, going by the moniker of De Ambassade. DIY in sound and design, the arrangement of De Ambassade catalogue blend perfectly on Knekelhuis Records. This debut EP forming an alliance between the past and the present deliver one take recordings, drowned in reverb, using preferably older recording methods. The result are poppy wave tracks that shiver your spine and let you chant along to lyrics from the dutch lowlands.
Vox Low – I Wanna See The Light [ALR028]
Awaiting VoX LoW EP finally out on Astro Lab Recordings, 3 originals tracks came with a Remix by Ivan Smagghe on the B side.
Crystal Soda Cream – Rationale Arbeitsschritte [KIM015]
Crystal Soda Cream will release their second studio-album Work and Velocity in April 2016 via Totally Wired Records. Rationale Arbeitsschritte is the album’s first single released as a 7“ on KIM Records.
Amin-Peck – Love Disgrace [BST-X006]
Amin Peck is an electronic studio project, contaminated by the New Wave from U.K. like most ’80s electronic bands. Amin-Peck walked a fine line between Disco and Minimal Wave throughout the course of the early 1980s, oftentimes incorporating shameless Pop melodies and Avant-garde leanings. Amin Peck were an italian band leaded by Giorgio Fioroni (aka George Fyron, arrangements, production, vocals) with Leonard Parker (arrangments, keyboards) and Max Marne (production). Incredible but true, Amin Peck started as ‘hard rock’ guitar band in the 70’s… and becoming one of the best examples of italo disco. This limited edition contains full-length versions plus uncut audio material (A2) tracked down during tape restoration. The first pressing coming from 1982 was pressed only on 7inch in U.K.
The Pilotwings – Une Nuit Au Boxboys [MMLP303]
New master piece by the two young guys from Lyon where the label is based. This time they’ve let all their great inspiration take over, to deliver a strong piece of Chicago oriented House with tribal and japanese influences, the 707 is never too far, and a sexy male voice brings you into the moist backroom of this club named ‘Boxboys’.
Borusiade – Jeopardy [COMEME031]
Miruna Boruzescu, DJ and producer from Bucharest, presents her first EP on Comeme. The film-score like house is filled with enormous drums and ever climbing synth arpeggios.
Benoit Gagnon & Massimiliano Pagliara – In Spirals [CORRESPONDANT040]
Opening track In Spirals is an unabashed ode to funked up baselines and sparkling Italo melodies. Agamous pulls us in to sensual acid territory by taking 808 beats and 303 beeps into unchartered sexy locales. Go South continues the sexed up and synthy motif, and throws some electricised jungle drumming into the mix, making this the most intense and darkest track on the EP. Don’t Push Me, begins its journey with a more grooving disco percussion line and then heaps on some Chicago pads, ultimately blossoming into a full blown hands-in-the-air synth-exercise.
VA – Sit On This [DB007]
Bastedos returns with more signature weirdo disco not disco (but disco) cut-up cuts. This time the painstaking editing comes from A.M., Last Waltz, and Bastedos themselves.
VA – Various III [030LP004]
The 030303 crew come with a brand new various artist package in a beautifully designed sleeve to celebrate their 10th anniversary. While not all featured artist are new to 030303, the label mainly sticks to what it does best: digging up exciting new names from the raving underground. The smooth electronic tracks on the comp hold the middle ground between acid, IDM, braindance, early 1990s 808 State-esque UK acid house and Detroit techno. Among the highlights are Echo 106’s eerie after hour acid jam ‘Phosphor’, ‘Damp Patch’ by Marco Bernardi which reminds us of classic Surgeon-style UK techno, Forma’s ‘Sailor” (reminiscent of Charanjit Singh’s ‘Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat’). Look no further if a versatile, subtle and beautiful acid compilation is what you’re after.
Lerosa – Il Nostro Tempo [SLOMO023]
Lerosa makes his debut release on Slow Motion with ‘Il Nostro Tempo’. Lerosa has crafted four tracks of wistful, propulsive dance music. The trance inducing chug of ‘Il Nostro Tempo’ and the bittersweet synths of ‘La Monarca’ take up side-a, a pair of contemporary club cuts oozing with emotional melodies and stripped back rhythms. On side-b the the skittish rhythms and wobbly arpeggiator of ‘Ninfa’ take you through to the early hours. ‘Pompeo’, perhaps the most emotional of four nostalgically sad club jams works just as effectively tugging your heartstrings on the headphones early in the morning as it does in a smoky club late at night.
Nick Anthony – Battle Of The Beats EP [RTG004]
Keita Sano – 気持ち [TCISM002]
Keita Sano with four machine driven workouts for Turbocapitalism.
A1 Old System 4:19 A2 The Inspiration 5:26 B1 I’ve Got Dreams 4:49 B2 We The People 5:59
RA.504 Gunnar Haslam
HBNG – Lace Up EP [TANSPLAN009]
Killer ep by these Stockholm audio warriors who smash out their 3rd release on the heavy hitting Tanstaafl. Raw analogue beats for sweating basements around the world.
The Hipodrome Of Music 