OB Ignitt / Luke Hess – Star Gazing [OBONIT004]

Considering the spacey title, artwork and long-standing Detroit credentials of both Luke Hess and Omar-S collaborator Ob Ignitt, you’d expect these two tracks to be on the intergalactic side. The duo kicks things off with “Jefferson Reserve”, a tactile, floor-friendly chunk of energetic deep house blessed with classic electrofunk bass, deep space pads, and the kind of glistening, far-out synthesizer melodies you’d expect to hear the Cantina Band play in one of the Star Wars movies. They move further towards techno territory on flipside “Calm of Night”, where warring lasers fizz between the speakers whilst progressive house-influenced chords and rhythms propel the track forwards at the speed of light.

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OB Ignitt / Luke Hess – Star Gazing [OBONIT004]

Massimiliano Pagliara – Connection Lost Part 1 [UV034]

Synth wizard and disco don Massimiliano Pagliara is the latest addition to Uncanny Valley’s roster. From the first bass drum it is clear that “Connection Lost” pulls out all the stops. There is an urgency in its drumming and synth work that shouts “dance floor anthem” right from the get-go. “I Am Running All My Drum Machines At Once And Dancing” plays out like a percussive orgasm triggering pretty much all the drum sounds you could imagine. On the sleazy Disco affair that is “Don’t Give Up On Love” Massimiliano gets vocal support from Sigrid Elliott. This is a oh-so-sexy alliance that would have shined bright even in the heydays of Boogie. Finally, “I Enjoy Myself While I Am Here” shows off once again that when Massimiliano Pagliara is at the keys he creates glorious vibes like nobody else.

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Massimiliano Pagliara – Connection Lost Part 1 [UV034]

VA – RDY #25 (Ron Hardy Edits) [RDY025]

All three tracks here are on a stretched-out, dubbed-out electronic disco tip, beginning with what appears to be Hardy’s reel-to-reel extension of Disco Dream & The Androids’ quirky 1979, Moroder-ish arpeggio-jam “Dream Machine”. Flip for an all-instrumental dub take on Craig Peyton’s decidedly wonky, electro-disco cover of “Be Thankful For What You’ve Got” and “116 BPM Trax”, an un-credited, boogie-era, proto-house jam full of bubbling electronics, cheeky synthesizer riffs and clanking drum machine hits.

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VA – RDY #25 (Ron Hardy Edits) [RDY025]

The Pilotwings ‎– Molitor 71 [BFDM005]

The Pilotwings are back on Brothers From Different Mothers with another ode to rurality and old-fashioned analogue. Including 4 tracks, Molitor 71 goes deeper into retrofuturist nostalgia and bucolic
mood.

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The Pilotwings ‎– Molitor 71 [BFDM005]

VA – Nemas Problemas Vol.1 [PTP002]

Nemas Problemas are a crate-digging crew linked to Malmo’s Wildlife Records. Here, they make their first appearance on Passport To Paradise, editing up a quartet of suitably obscure tracks found on various dusty-fingered record hunting trips. Rizzolo DJ kicks things off with “Ride To Paradise”, a suitably rolling, dancefloor-friendly version of a stoner rock/cosmic disco gem, before Kool DJ Dust raises the pressure further with the vocoder-laden electrofunk jam “A Brew With My Crew”. Flip for Rastanils lo-fi, synth-laden disco delight “Darling”, and arguably the highlight of the entire EP, The Keeper’s deliciously Balearic, melody-rich jazz-funk chugger “Quivering Crevice”.

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VA – Nemas Problemas Vol.1 [PTP002]

Megadon Betamax – He Can’t Love You [TBE702]

A tri-continental modern funk teamup with Tug Boatmen joining Megadon to rerub 2 of his deepest cuts. The A-side is a funky boogie classic with a Cylon-esque robotic vocal. B/w ”Don’t Ask” a floor filling modern disco knockout-one of TZ’s personal secret weapons.

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Megadon Betamax – He Can’t Love You [TBE702]

Spatial Relation – Beyond The Zero [PM011]

Peripheral Minimal presents Beyond the Zero, the debut album by Brooklyn-based duo Spatial Relation. The eight songs that make up Beyond the Zero were produced, recorded, and mixed in the band’s home studio from 2012 to 2014. With influences ranging from 1980s minimal synth to Skam-styled IDM, Spatial Relation’s music draws equally from the early pop work of Depeche Mode and the later electro sounds of Dopplereffekt. Emphasizing hard beats, thick basslines, and hypnotic arpeggios, the minimalist arrangements onBeyond the Zero are geared for maximum effect. Created with a carefully chosen selection of analog electronic instruments, the album pairs the overtly synthetic sounds of hardware with human vocal experimentation.

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Spatial Relation – Beyond The Zero [PM011]

Europ Europ – Much More Ordinary [PETITENFANT011]

After years of silence, the ”Petit Enfant” series which focuses on all things synth pop is back. Europ Europ never sounded so rhythmic before, but their typical (post)-industrial style is also there of course, resulting in two tracks of weird post-industrial disco.

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Europ Europ – Much More Ordinary [PETITENFANT011]

Unknown – Unknown [EST83-04]

A lost relic from the 80’s Detroit underground. This ”demo” recording is from a cassette found in a dusty box of donations left at a second hand shop. There is no info as to who, when or where this was recorded. What is it? Post Punk? Disco (Not) Disco? Sleaze Wave? or Mutant Surf? It doesn’t matter because its fucking incredible whatever you want to call it! A glimpse into what could/should have been a very important band had they gone further than this one track demo. 7” with original mix and an edit from FIT on the flip. Artwork by Stallone The Reducer. Made in collaboration with Lo and Behold Records in Hamtramck, MI. 200 copies for the world.

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Unknown – Unknown [EST83-04]

TWINS – Standard Of Truth [COTF010]

Crimes Of The Future rounds off the year in fine style with an absolutely essential EP from TWINS. Three moody US house cuts straught out of Atlanta and a sublime deep remix from label boss Scott Fraser.

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TWINS – Standard Of Truth [COTF010]

Clarence G – Hyperspace Sound Lab [CAL006]

Before his untimely death in 2002, Drexciya member James Stinson recorded a number of killer solo records. Hyperspace Soundlab, initially released in 1991 and credited to Clarence G, is undoubtedly one of his best. It’s long been something of an in-demand gem, with copies changing hands for several hundred pounds. Here, Clone have done us all a favour and given it a much-needed reissue via their Aqualung series dedicated to all things Drexciyan. As you’d perhaps expect, all four tracks explore the Detroit elecro sound Stinson did much to develop, with the producer adding his own rap vocals to the killer “Clarence G’s Club”, and the ghetto-influenced bounce of “Cause I Said It Right”. Elsewhere, “Turbine” is an exercise in industrial-tinged drum machine abuse, while “Data Transfer” sees Stinson doffing a cap to classic Chicago acid.

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Clarence G – Hyperspace Sound Lab [CAL006]