“A free compilation from the Pinkman HQ to thank you ALL for the support over the last two years. And keep an eye out on Pinkman in 2015, lot’s of good things will come!”
compilation
VA – The House That Jackmaster Hater Built [STILLMDCD012]
Jerome Derradji is gaining something of a reputation as one of Chicago’s premier house archivists, having previously released compilations celebrating some of the Windy City’s most influential – but previously overlooked – labels. Here he’s teamed up with KStarke Records boss Kevin Starke to deliver a two-track set largely made up of material found on tapes that were once traded between Frankie Knuckles, Ron Hardy and other legendary Chicago DJs. Confusingly much of the material credited to Jackmaster Hater is of unknown origin, while there plenty of other unearthed gems with little or no information. Thankfully, the material – largely mid-to-late ’80s jack and early acid, with a sprinkling of deep house and Italo-influenced fare – is uniformly excellent, making it a “must buy” for anyone with a passion for early house music.
VA – Aphelion [TOKEN48LP]
If you are looking for a massive slab of techno, you won’t find anything released this week that’s as hefty as Aphelion. A triple vinyl box set from Belgian label Token, Aphelion is essentially a primer for the best in contemporary techno, featuring contributions from Surgeon, Rodhad, James Ruskin, Karenn and Planetary Assault System alongside some label regulars. You will have probably already heard “Fixed Action Pattern” from Surgeon, it’s possibly one of this year’s finest techno 12″s, but it’s got some stiff competition here with Ruskin in particularly funked up form on “No Trace”.
VA – Bay Area Retrogade Vol.1 & 2 [DE075]
Dark Entries have combined Bay Area Retrograde (BART) Volume 1 and 2 on a single CD. BART is Dark Entries compilation of underground music from San Francisco (and the greater Bay Area) made between 1978-1988. Towards the end of the 70s, San Francisco’s experimental music scene clashed with the aftermath of punk and gave birth to a vibrant underground. By the early to mid 80s the DIY music scene of the Bay Area was a hotbed for experimental and quirky new wave, post punk, and synthpop, quite similar to New York’s No Wave scene and Berlin’s Neue Deutsche Welle. This compilation connects the (transit) lines between these varied musical offerings and tells the secret story of eleven forgotten Bay Area bands. BART Volume 1 features a Korg-heavy assault from Danvilles utterly obscure Nominal State; two little-known left-field electronic dance gems from Batang Frisco and Quiet Room; Berkeleys answer to darkwave, Necropolis of Love; a synth-driven drama fest from drag performance troupe Wasp Women; quirky lo-fi gothic pop from one man band Distant Thunder; a gay Hi-NRG anthem delivered by Danny Boy and the Serious Party Gods; two lesser know gems from SF synth legends Voice Farm and Los Microwaves; and the futuristic pulsing synth-punk of Standard of Living and the Units. BART Volume 2 features slow, dystopian horror from pioneering industrial group Factrix; crushing, motorik noise from acid punks Chrome; amphetamine-driven synth punk from Red Asphalt; an early demo, never released on vinyl, from legendary post punk band Tuxedoomon; chilling atmospheric drone from Ki Di Me; leftfield new wave from Indoor Life featuring Patrick Cowley on synths; Los Microwaves more sinister side project Baby Buddha; gay drag icon Timmy Spence delivering an unknown camp classic, a pure instrumental electro-pop workout from Human Being Men; TR-808 fueled synth pop from Menlo Park duo Wonders of Science, and a poetic yet somber and haunting song from the mysterious Zru Vogue.
VA – Under The Influence Vol.4 [ZEDDCD032]
Given the infamous depth of Nick The Record’s vinyl collection, you’d expect this contribution to Z Records’ excellent Under The Influence series to be packed to the rafters with unheralded gems. Predictably, it is, delivering 22 cuts that should be thrillingly new to all but the most dusty-fingered collectors. Picking out highlights from such an excellent and in-depth collection is tough, but try the steel drums-laden celebration of Boogsie’s “Can’t You See Me”, the synth-laden jazz-funk badness of “Keep Your Shoes” by MC and His Great Googa-Moogas, and the fizzing, melody-rich 808 electro of Ronnie Jones “Video Games”. If that’s not enough there’s also a swathe of DJ-friendly re-edits from Nick himself.
VA – WeMe10ans [WEME10ANS]
Though many of the artists that have featured on WeMe Records have released with other labels, it’s fair to say the Brussels operation still retains a unique identity that has set it apart over the past decade. That’s certainly the impression you get from this 13 track compilation, issued to celebrate WeMe Records surpassing the 10 year mark, and a release that neatly documents the label’s commitment to electro and more esoteric fare. Entitled WeMe10ans, the compilation is filled with exclusive material and finds electro mainstays Der Zyklus, DJ Stingray and Global Goon rubbing shoulders with composers such as Francois de Roubaix and Giles Lamb and the singular Leyland Kirby.
Light Sounds Dark – Light Sounds Dark [LSD013]
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.
VA – Underground Wave Volume 4 [WR008]
Compilation of old and new (mostly) Belgian & Dutch minimal synth tracks for the first time ever on vinyl.
VA – Terry Farley Presents Acid Thunder: More Definitive Acid & Deep House 1985-1991 [HURTXCD129]
Given the expansive nature of Terry Farley’s first celebration of early and classic house, 2013’s five-disc Acid Rain, you’d think he’d be running out of choices for this second, similarly epic selection. In fact, Acid Thunder is, if anything, a more pleasingly deep and in-depth collection. Whereas that first installment was heavy on relatively well-known classics, this follow-up digs deeper for inspiration. As a result, it’s packed with tracks that many house DJs simply won’t know, or have struggled to get hold of; not just stone cold classics such as Bobby Konders’ “Nervous Acid” or Hexx Complex’s “I Want You”, but genuinely overlooked material from the likes of Risque III, Peter Black and Jack James Rabbit. It’s something of a welcome history lesson, even for those with a good grasp of house music’s formative years.
VA – Rock The Box Vol.1 [HS004]
Those with a passion for ’80s electrofunk, boogie, synth jams, machine soul and proto-house should already be aware of Inskwel and Benny Badge’s Hot Shot label. The imprint specializes in delivering fresh music inspired by those sounds. Here, the Australian duo gathers together a superb selection of contemporary revivalist sounds from like-minded souls. Highlights are naturally plentiful, from the rubbery bass and vintage synths of First Touch’s “Sure Feels Good To Me” and Jupiter Gang’s bodypoppin’ electro workout “America”, to the deep proto-house of Paradise Box’s “Slave 2 Knowledge” and Inkswel’s acid-tinged midtempo deep house rework of High Accord’s “You Are (My Number One Priority)”.
Rick Wilhite – Vibes 2 [RHM010CD]
As a DJ and promoter Rick Wilhite has been holding it down for over twenty years. His ‘Vibes New & Rare music’ record store has been a main source for soulful electronic music in Detroit until its closure a few years back. The ‘Vibes New & Rare music’ compilation only features material that Rick Wilhite truly believes to represent the artists. After releasing Volume 1 in 2010, Wilhite now delivers the sequel, featuring pioneers and new talents alike from New York, Chicago and Detroit.
Marcel Dettmann – Fabric 77 [FABRIC153]
When it comes to DJing there aren’t many names as trusted as Marcel Dettmann to provide the essential mix, be it in CD or podcast format. To date he’s curated the second installment of Ostgut’s in-house Berghain mix series and the Conducted mix for Belgian label Music Man. So it’s about time Fabric invited the Berghain resident to participate in their own mix series, with this 77th edition providing a selection mostly based on unreleased MDR demo tracks that Dettmann’s been utilising in his sets for years. The result is a good primer for what to expect from his label in the future, with Answer Code Request, Norman Nodge, Ilian Taper Dario Zenker and French producer Marcelus amongst the high-profile names contributing unreleased productions.
VA – Let’s Go Into Space III [369.020SILVER]
The compilation series which collects the rarest and most obscure and cool disco collector items ever. Tracks by: OZO, Tonica & Dominante, Comet,…
VA – Paris Club Music Vol.2 [CCBLP003]
Last year saw French label ClekClekBoom cement its burgeoning reputation with a compilation showcasing the local talent it had been championing since starting up in 2011, including such luminaries in wild-card bass music as French Fries and The Town. There has been a swarm of left-leaning club bangers issued out since the first volume of Paris Club Music, and so it doesn’t feel rushed to be welcoming the second volume with a stack of choice cuts from the past twelve months. There’s a strong unified vibe to ClekClekBoom, from the tight but slippery electro of Manare to the off-kilter techno of NSDOS, while 50Weapons staple Bambounou sounds right at home with his primal and utterly head-spinning “Idem”.
Ron Hardy – Muzic Box Classics #8 [MBC207]
Ron Hardy is the only man who can test Frankie Knuckles’ status as Godfather of Chicago House Music. Though he rarely recorded under his own name and left little evidence of his life, Hardy was the major name for Chicago’s dance music from the late 70s to the mid-80s. By 1974, he had already effected a continuous music mix with reel-to-reel machines plus a dual-turntable setup at the club Den One. Several years later, Hardy played with Knuckles at a club called the Warehouse and though he spent several years in Los Angeles, he later returned to Chicago to open his own club along with Robert Williams, the Muzic Box. While Knuckles was translating disco and the emerging house music to a straight, southside audience at the Power Plant, Hardy’s 72-hour mix sessions and flamboyant party lifestyle fit in well with the uptown, mostly gay audience at the Muzic Box. A roll-call of major Chicago producers including Marshall Jefferson, Larry Heard, Adonis, Phuture’s DJ Pierre and Chip E all debuted their compositions by pressing up acetates or reel-to-reel copies for Hardy to play during the mid-80s. This CD compilation brings together some of of the classic house and electro-dance tracks he played at the Muzic Box back in the day.
VA – Masse Box [MASSEBOX001]
May 2013 saw the premiere of the choreography ‘Masse’, a co-production between Berghain and the Staatsballett Berlin. A whole evening of contemporary dance which has been set up by three different choreographers is in need of three different sound producers. The painter Norbert Bisky has been chosen to create the stage design. At the core of the dance night lies a tryptichon made out of pure sound: the music of Henrik Schwarz, Marcel Dettmann & Frank Wiedemann and DIN aka Efdemin & Marcel Fengler was taken as the starting point for developing the choreographies.
VA – Far & Beyond: Selected by Dubbyman & Above Smoke [DEEPEX030-2]
Ten years of Deep Explorer… The celebration started with “The Capsule remixes 10” that was released 2 months ago, now is closed with this “Far & Beyond”, a double pack vinyl where the brothers and heads of the label (Dubbyman & Above Smoke) make their own selection of exclusive material into groove and dark deepest house tunes from artists worldwide.
VA- Volume Two [HHLTD010]
Felix K’s Hidden Hawaii comes correct with this immaculate sophomore volume. Delivered on beautiful hand-stamped green vinyl, it plunges deep into the furthest realms of drum & bass. From the precision fracturisms from Felix and Es Tereo’s “Spartan” to Dave O’s classical jungle homage “The Love Of Jah” via the infectiously funky clicks and whirrs of Muted’s “Empty Valley”, no sonic stone is left unturned as the Hidden Hawaii crew bombard you with their bass-bitten experiments. Pump up the volume.
V2 Schneider – Tape Works 1981-85 [VOD126]
The finest German Minimal / Synth from early 80’s NDW Underground by V2 Schneider. For this release Jurgen Schweighart, alias V2 Schneider, sat down, saved and listened to approximately 50 original master tapes, reels and cassettes from 1980 to 1985 including his official tape releases ”Vol. 1” (1981), ”Blues” (1982), ”Abgrund der Gefuhle” (1984), ”Nr.1 in Hong Kong” (1985), ”After A.I.D.S. Symphony” (1985) and many so far unreleased hidden treasures, demos and out-takes. At the request of VOD-Records, none of the tracks were remixed or edited and therefore kept in their authentic original and charming form.
LeLu/Lu’s – Operating On Specific Cues: Early Works 1982-86 [VOD125]
LeLu/Lu’s were an early to late 80’s electronic/synth-based project based around Deni (in the early 80’s known as Yo-Yo and nowadays known as Timekode). In 1985 they released a fantastic 12 song tape on Unlikely Records (URT91) called ”Operating on Specific Cues” which forms the basis of this 25 track 2 LP-release While the tape is still rather unknown to fans of synth music, the three 7”s released from 1985-87 (on Alain Neffe’s Insane Music as well as Possum and R&D Records), with the outstanding tracks ”Spaceman Bassman”, ”Africa” and ”Fragile Thing”, are better known to the minimal synth/wave community and collectors of 80’s wave and minimal synth vinyl.
The Hipodrome Of Music 