Recorded live at Hell on Earth (Winter Dance II), in Adelaide on 12th August 2023
Hysteric – Halloween A Parigi 2023 (Hell On Earth)
bordello a parigi
Andy Romano – Monday [BAP190]
Rome’s Andy Romano joins the Bordello family with his long-awaited debut release. These tracks were shelved for more than 10 years and floating around between a handful of DJ’s after Andrea Confrancesco chose a different path in his creative career by becoming a professional illustrator. The A-side makes space for the almost 10 minutes long monster anthem “Monday”. A killer composition in typical Romano fashion and on repeat at the Bordello HQ for many years. The flipside starts with the very catchy love ballad “Loredane” featuring the master himself on vocals, followed by the galactic journey “Cyber Black Spaceship”.
Machinegewehr – Life EP [BAP191]
Since 2014, Silas Schletterer has been part of the Bordello A Parigi family. Under his Machinegewehr guise, the Rotterdam artist released three show-stopping synth centred records. 2023 sees him put out his fourth, Life. Burbling arpeggios, a signature of his sound, are present for “Sans.” Clever inviting melodies, another feature of Schletterer’s style, mix beautifully with clean percussion and samples for a definite dancefloor favourite. The title work follows. Measured and meditative, “Life” employs a familiar sound palette with very different outcomes. The pulsations, the throb, of Machinegewehr is there, but there is a considered melancholy that brins a bittersweet balance to the piece. Steady kicks and vocal snippets introduce “Pills.” Shifting melodies, piano stabs, driving rhythms and spoken word come together to create a heady brew of sheer pleasure. Vocals are central in the closer. “Neurons” narrates a fantastical story of subdued sci-fi sorrows and wistful yearning, all to a silken synth-pop soundtrack. A welcome return from a multifaceted musician.
Alan Strani – Apocalypso Remixes EP [BAP187]
Alan Strani returns to Bordello with a remix package of his album title track ‘Apocalypso’ featuring I:Cube, Lauer, In Flagranti and himself on remix duties.
Loud-E – Bordello Radio #126
Ricardo Baez – On And On EP [BAP185]
Ricardo Baez draws on many influences. Electro, house, synth-pop and italo are pillars of the Italian artist’s unique style. The Florence based musician arrives at the Bordello with ‘On and On’. Featuring Curses, the opener is a floor-filler. Known for his EBM-stained wave works, this vocal mix is a late night Summer romp. Crisp percussion and warm bass lines usher in addictive hooks and throaty vocals from Luca Venezia. The original version follows. Lyrics are stripped back allowing the upbeat synth play to take the limelight. Cascading notes announce the flip. “Sfida Notturna” is built on delicate drum patterns and arc of string before breaking to a heady dawn. “Dietro L’orizzonte” brings the curtain down. Toms and cinematic synthlines introduce rasping rhythms and vocoder samples. The piece is perfectly measured, fragile keys ascend next cymbal crashes and computer voice. Sumptuous sounds from the north of Italy.
Panthera – Synthesizer Hits II [BAP182]
Panthera returns to Bordello, their identity still shrouded in secrecy. Following on from the four tracks of Synthesizer Hits, this unknown entity is back with a further quarter for Synthesizer Hits Vol. 2. Rich melodies and pulsing percussion characterise the infectious “Demon”. Key shifts and samples linger as textured toms and crisp snares keep the energy high. The tempo lowers for the considered “Stallion”. Bright and hopeful bars ascend before breaking to shimmering dawn. The juddering arpeggios and drum rolls of “Newlook” draw us back to the dancefloor. Melodies glow overhead in this celestial composition. The finale is steeped in the unforgettable tradition of italo. A heartwarming tribute to spaghetti dance, Panthera delivers an addictive rift, sparking synthwork and rhythms that are crisp.
Martin Matiske – Dimension Phantasy EP [BAP183]
Martin Matiske returns to Bordello A Parigi with a track that first appeared over a decade ago. Released on his first album on Stilleben, “Dimension Phantasy” has been dusted down and given a new lease of life. This extended version bubbles with the same energy as the original. Steady kicks give way to scaling chords as a racing piece of future gazing brilliance takes hold. Melodies are addictive, yet cold, with a common ground between disco and electro being forged. Sharing the 12” real estate are two good friends, each offering their own remix, Captain Mustache and Play Paul.
Donald Dust – Nausea EP [BAP181]
Having featured on the Riviera Disco compilation series it’s time that Donald Dust returns to Bordello. This time the Scottish artist is back with a five track EP in the form of Nausea. Bending ideas and styles, the Edinburgh producer serves up a sample strewn, italo-infected grenade. Clean chords and percussion are sullied by hoarse vocals as arpeggiators grind and growl.
VA – Buone Vacanze Vol. 2 EP [BAP180]
Bordello Travels presents the second volume of ‘Buone Vacanze’ with your tour guides Ali Renault, Señor Chugger, Back From The Wave & Umatik and CT Kidobo.
Antoni Maiovvi – Birds Of Paradise EP [BAP178]
It’s been nine years since Antoni Maiovvi released Trauma on Bordello A Parigi and now, he returns with “Birds of Paradise”, his latest musical incarnation. This avian themed four tracker is beyond anything you’ve heard from this synthesizer wizard. Complex, deep and layered, the EP is testament to a talent rarely heard.
Ma Spaventi – Vicino Lontano LP [BAP167]
Ma Spaventi is a wonderfully versatile artist. Over his decade-long career, the Italian musician has turned his capable hand to everything from ambient to techno. Once again, he is expanding his sound palette and challenging expectations with “Vicino Lontano”.
Lords Of The Future – Terrestrial Exploration EP [BAP176]
In a future that is closer than it may seem, a vessel is sent back to earth, to find out what caused the final demise of human kind. Reporting and recording their findings, Lords of the Future are sending us tunes of sad robots, lonely algorithms and artificial intelligence in moral conflict with itself.
Elfenberg – Forever Alone EP [BAP174]
One of Stockholm’s finest exports, Elfenberg arrive at Bordello with four slices of synthesizer goodness. The duo open with “Forever Alone”. A cruising arpeggiator steers its way through glistening snares, rolling kicks and classic italo vocals. Night falls in the jungle “Conga Coronation”. The treetops bristle with birdsong, thickets of bongos, toms and rain sticks lead a path to dawning melodies. A wonderfully textured percussive piece, the track is intricately carved and demonstrates the diversity and depth of Elfenberg. The disco dipped futurism of “Sphere Of Missing Out” follows. Echoes of “Conga Coronation” rhythms are countered by beaming synth bars and vocoder lyrics with the Swedish pair pushing for the floor. “Cosmic Tribune” is the curtain close. Astral chords, spiralling key shifts and incising drums coalesce in this space inspired finale.
Aroy Dee & Spaventi – Sorrow [BAP168]
Bordello A Parigi’s latest release brings together two heavyweights for something particularly special. Aroy Dee, founder of M>O>S Recordings, has been at the coalface of machine music for more than twenty years; Marco Antonio Spaventi, an exceptional composer with over a decade’s experience. The pair offered the tear-stained vocoder ballad of “Desire” two years back, now they return for “Sorrow.” Crisp rhythms and considered synth scales form the bedrock from which J.C.’s emotion wrung lyrics ensnare. A tale of lovelorn pain, a psychological journey of lamentations and mistakes, the track adopts the heartache of wave romance and contrasts it with clean musical lines. The “Space Dub” of the flip transforms those powerful lyrics to give space for brightness to enter. Cascading chords and sunlight break through as arpeggio quivers introduce vocoder vocals in this superb re-interpretation that balances warmth with frigid shades.
Francisco & Malkuth / Rodion – Night Of The Creeps / Dimensione Terrore [BAP160]
Just in time for Hallween, ‘Night Of The Creeps’ is a fiery new disco single from Francisco and Malkuth that nods slyly to the 1986 cult comedy-horror movie of the same name, in which zombies, aliens and murderers all conspire to victimize their helpless captors. The track is a lo-fi electronic disco gut-puncher, replete with effortlessly processed vocals made to sound as demonic and low-pitched as LOTR’s Sauron. It speaks of nightmares, death, etc. On the B, Rodion serves up a nearly unclassifiable slice of horror acid, but to the trained ear it might be peggable somewhere between two interrelated styles, dungeon synth and EBM. Two absolute neck-biters from the Dutch camp, Bordello A Parigi.
VA – Diamonds In The Night Vol. 5 [BAP163]
Through darkness diamonds spread their richest light… Part five is here with Kiko & Endrik Schroeder from France, Club Mayz from Belgium, Martin Matiske from Germany and WLDV from Spain!
Daniel Monaco – Acid Maria [BAP166]
Following on from Tu Sei Pazza, Daniel Monaco returns to the Bordello with the bitter taste of the TB303 on his tongue. Acid Maria smoulders with the intensity of a Belgian new beat banger circa 1989. Smoky words whisper over rusted rhythms before the fog and strobe take hold. Cold strings haunt with snaking coils of 303 squawk growing ever bolder in this intense track. The flip is divided into two very different remixes. First up is Curses who approaches the piece in his own unique way. The fanfare and frigid lines of the original are expanded. Strings come care of guitars as a bright synth wave reimaging unfolds, a reimaging with one of the most daring breaks you are likely to ever hear. Younger Than Me close. This interpretation adds a fevered tone to the original. BPMs rise and pitches are pushed while chilly notes soon balloon into a frenzy to bring a full floor energy. Three tracks born to bring brimming basements into the beyond.
Palermo Disco Squad – After All These Tears EP [BAP164]
If you like your Italo-disco bright, full-throttle and peak-time ready, Thomas Blanckaert’s occasional work as Palermo Disco Squad (he’s better known for his rave-ready techno jams as Innershades) should be on your radar. It’s been four years since he last used the alias, but the project’s belated return to Bordello a Parigi is predictably triumphant. He sets his stall out with the freestyle and Bobby Orlando-influenced shimmer of ‘After All These Tears’, before opting for more chugging sequenced synth-bass and undulating lead lines on the slower ‘L’amice Geniale (theme)’. ‘Loupara’ sounds like a shinier, more sun-splashed ‘Please’-era Pet Shop Boys instrumental, while ‘The Return’ is a rushing, feel-good slab of freestyle/post-Italo fusion that’s as sunny and joyous as they come.
FAXE – Time For Changes EP [BAP171]
Bordello A Parigi announces the reissue of this italo club classic on 12″ vinyl. Written by Goomy aka Duke Lake aka Antonio Gabelli and produced by Alessandro Zanni and Stefano Cundari for the legendary Memory Records imprint back in 1983. This action-packed-track was one of those few italo disco productions that made it to the US airwaves with radio play on stations like WBMX.
The Hipodrome Of Music 