Charlie – Spacer Woman [DE077]

November 10, 2014August 9, 2022 hipodromecharlie, dark entries editions, dark entries records, italo-disco, re-release, reissueLeave a comment

It would be fair to say that Charlie’s “Spacer Woman” is one of the better-known Italo-disco anthems, which makes it all the more surprising that Dark Entries has chosen to reissue it. This is not a criticism, though; they’ve given Maurice Cavalieri and Giorgio Stefani’s original the remaster treatment, and it sounds even more alien, exciting and oddball as it did back in 1983. The original vocal version – all woozy synths, throbbing arpeggios, wonky beats and typically eccentric vocals – is backed by the Instrumental version, which is the preferred mix of choice for many Italo DJs. If it’s not in your collection already, it should be.

VA – Bay Area Retrogade Vol.1 & 2 [DE075]

October 30, 2014November 5, 2021 hipodromecd, compilation, dark entries records, factrix, human being men, los microwaves, new wave, nominal state, post punk, quiet room, synth pop, the units, timmy spence, tuxedomoonLeave a comment

VARIOUS - BART: Bay Area Retrograde Vol 1 & 2

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.

Kirlian Camera – Uno LP [DE073]

September 10, 2014March 24, 2023 hipodromealbum, angelo bergamini, dark entries records, fabrizio chiari, giorgio vecchi, kirlian camera, minimal synth, simona buja, synth popLeave a comment

Dark Entries is proud to release Uno, a collection of early recordings from seminal Italian electronic act Kirlian Camera. Keyboardist/vocalist Angelo Bergamini founded the project in Parma in 1979, initially naming it Suicide Commando, before discovering another project using the same name. By 1980, Angelo had recruited singer Simona Buja, keyboardist Fabrizio Chiari and bassist Mauro Montacchini. Their demo cassette, Dawn, attracted the attention of Italian Records, a popular independent label. The following year, Mauro left the band and was replaced by Giorgio Vecchi, and the band recorded their first mini-LP, Kirlian Camera. Uno compiles the 4 songs from the mini-LP on Side A and the 6 songs from the demo cassette on Side B. Also included is the bonus track Minitech, originally released in 1981 on flexi-disc. Kirlian Cameras clean, minimalist new wave is marked by strong haunting melodies, slow moving synth washes, and stark, dramatic vocals.

impLOG – Holland Tunnel Dive [DE074]

September 10, 2014July 17, 2024 hipodromedark entries records, don christensen, electro, implog, industrial, re-release, reissueLeave a comment

impLOG was the solo project of Don Christensen after leaving New York No Wave group The Contortions in 1979. He began making music using found sounds, a Univox drum machine, guitar stomp boxes, Casio keyboards and percussion instruments. Holland Tunnel Dive is a monotone lament, with a narrator reciting a list of all that is missing in his life along to a sparse, mechanical beat. A variable speed Milwaukee drill creeps its way into the song, eventually reaching cacophonous levels. After four minutes of industrial motorik, an upbeat saxophone riff breaks out unexpectedly, unsettling the listener even further. On the B-side is a deranged version of the Lieber and Stoller show tune On Broadway, featuring lead guitar by Jody Harris of the Contortions. The record perfectly captures the dark and seedy vibe of downtown New York in the early 80’s.

Opera Multi Steel – Opera Multi Steel EP [DE067]

August 20, 2014July 17, 2024 hipodromedark entries records, franck lopez, new wave, opera multi steel, synth popLeave a comment

Opera Multi Steel was born during the winter of 1983 in Bourges, a city in the center of France. The band started off as a trio with Franck Lopez (Vocals, Keyboards, Guitars), his brother Patrick L. Robin (Vocals, Percussion) and Catherine M. Marie (Keyboards, Vocals). They began to record demos utilizing a Elex Keyboard, Casio VL-Tone, Roland TR-606 drum machine, guitars and pedals. Layering organ-like keyboards over drum machine snares and a woodwind recorder, they created a unique style of Medieval or Baroque synth pop. The result was a 4-song debut, eponymous EP, released in 1984 on their own label Orcadia Machina. The songs range from fast and bright, New Wave influenced by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark’s “Electricity” and slower, brooding Darkwave ballads like “17 Seconds” “Faith” era Cure. All songs were sung in French with lyrics about feeling of nihilism, disgust with life and escaping to a botanical garden in search of redemption. It was a pre-cursor to their darker and classic French coldwave sounds of their debut album “Catherdrale” released the following year.

Josh Cheon – Label of the Month Mix: Dark Entries

July 20, 2014July 18, 2014 hipodromedark entries records, dark wave, electro, interview, josh cheon, minimal synth, podcast, self titled mag, synth popLeave a comment

Continue reading “Josh Cheon – Label of the Month Mix: Dark Entries” →

Xymox – Subsequent Pleasures [DE072]

July 20, 2014July 17, 2024 hipodromeanka wolbert, dark entries records, dark wave, minimal synth, ronny moorings, xymoxLeave a comment

Xymox was founded in Nijmegen, a city in the east of the Netherlands in 1983 by Ronny Moorings (Vocals, Guitars, Synthesizers) and Anka Wolbert (Vocals, Bass). In April of that year Moorings bought a TEAC 144 four-track tape recorder and the duo moved to Amsterdam. They began to record songs utilizing a Yamaha CS-15, Korg MS-10 and MS-20, a BOSS Dr. Rhythm DR-550, guitar and effects pedals. They layered the drone-like tones of monophonic synthesizers alongside tape loops and rhythm tracks, then played guitar and bass, without the use of computers. The 5-song EP Subsequent Pleasures was released in 1984 and limited to 500 vinyl copies, and served as a precursor to the dark wave sounds they would champion on their self-titled debut on 4AD the following year. Also of note, the track Muscoviet Musquito, was later re-recorded for the compilation album Lonely Is An Eyesore released by 4AD in 1987.

Executive Slacks – Executive Slacks EP [DE071]

July 20, 2014July 17, 2024 hipodromealbert ganss, dark entries records, executive slacks, john young, matt marello, minimal synth, post punkLeave a comment

Executive Slacks was spawned in the humidity of post-industrial Philadelphia by three restless art students – Matt Marello, John Young and Albert Ganss. Starting out with performance art in subways, they soon took their angst-ridden act to galleries and night clubs. They recorded four songs in the fall of 1982 that became their self-titled EP released by local independent label Red Records in 1983. On their debut EP Matt Marello roars and churns out white-hot shards of guitar while John Young’s short-circuited noise machines and Albert Ganss’s industrial metal drums create dramatic body rhythms. The Slacks drew their influences from contemporaries like Cabaret Voltaire and Tuxedomoon, but also from extremes like disco and dadaism. Songs were created using heavily modified synthesizers and various percussive instruments: industrial steel drums, a filing cabinet, metal rods, and an African drum covered in antelope skin. Executive Slacks’ unique brew of primitive electronics, harsh guitars and aggressive vocals inspired many bands like Ministry, Front 242, Skinny Puppy.

Severed Heads – Dead Eyes Opened [DE070]

July 20, 2014September 25, 2024 hipodromedark entries records, minimal synth, severed heads, tom ellardLeave a comment

Severed Heads are one of the longest standing bands to have emerged from the Australian post-punk and experimental scene. They began in Sydney in 1979, and were an early outfit to incorporate elements of ‘industrial’ noise-generation, tape cutting & looping and electronic sound synthesis. As the project developed, song-structures and vocals were employed in a more-or-less recognizable mutant electro pop style. Dead Eyes Opened features samples from a radio program narrated by Edgar Lustgarten, a crime journalist from England, referencing a double murder case that occurred in 1924. The rhythms are made by a TR-808 drum machine and an SH-1 synthesizer. A KORG PolySix was used for strings and additional atmospheric elements. The lead solo was a Casiotone run through an Octaver foot pedal. On the B-side are two solo compositions Bullet and Mount that Ellard recorded at Terse Tapes in 1982.

Helen – Witch / Zanzibar [DE066]

July 9, 2014July 17, 2024 hipodromedark entries records, elena ferretti, helen, italo-disco, massimo noe, piero cairo, re-release, reissueLeave a comment

Dark Entries Editions reissue series continues with a double A-side of the first two Helen maxi singles, “Witch” and “Zanzibar”, as a 4-song EP. Helen was an Italo disco studio project that consisted of various producers, songwriters, and vocalists from Italy in the 1980s. The first line-up included popular Italo producers Piero Cairo and Massimo Noe, known for their work with Joe Yellow, Den Harrow, Pink Project, and Dharma to name a few. They were joined by prolific Italo session vocalist Elena Ferretti. “Witch” was originally released in 1983 on Out Records, a label distributed by Discomagic Records. Signature Linndrum and Simmons drums create the driving rhythm track while Elena’s powerful vocals tell the haunted tale of a witch and her magic. In 1985 the second incarnation of Helen recorded the song “Zanzibar”.

Art Fine – Dark Silence [DE065]

July 9, 2014July 17, 2024 hipodromeart fine, dark entries records, fabrice bellini, italo-disco, re-release, reissue, rush blakemannLeave a comment

Art Fine was the duo of Fabrice Bellini (electronics, vocals) and Rush Blakemann (guitar, synthesizer) from Tuin, Italy. They recorded their only single “Dark Silence” in November of 1984, which was released by Discomagic in 1985. Fabrice programmed the electronic drums using SCI Drumtraks and added extra tracks on the Simmons SDSV. Rush played electric guitar and the Yamaha piano notes at the start of the song. Guest musicians Silvano Borgatta and Riccardo RosaThe “da da da da da” voice effect was done by engineer Gigi Guerrieri, who cut and spliced a tape rather than using a sampler, which was too expensive at the time. “Dark Silence” tells the love story of beautiful girl who Fabrice saw many times but could not reach. He called her Dark Silence, for her dark hair and eyes and the silence unwanted between them. The B-side features a remixed version with extended breaks and dubbed out bass lines and vocals.

Peter Richards – Walking In The Neon [DE064]

July 9, 2014May 11, 2023 hipodromecelso valli, chuck rolando, dark entries records, franco rago, gigi farina, italo-disco, peter richard, re-release, reissue, walter beinatLeave a comment

Dark Entries Editions celebrates the 30th anniversary of the Italo Disco club hit “Walking In The Neon”. Peter Richard was the alias first adopted in 1979 by producer and vocalist Walter Beinat. His best known song was “Walking In The Neon”, released as a maxi-single on Italian label Good Vibes in 1985. For this single Richard teamed up with the production duo of Gigi Farina and Franco Rago, best known for their projects ‘Lectric Workers, Decadance, Expansives, and Wanexa. “Walking In The Neon” was written by Rago & Farina with help from Chuck Rolando, member of Italian disco group Passengers.The track’s arrangement was done by Italian disco pioneer Celso Valli who wrote club classics for Macho, Azoto, Passengers and Tantra, to name a few.

Sumerian Fleet – Just Pressure [DE068]

May 27, 2014May 3, 2022 hipodromealbum, alden tyrell, dark entries records, electro, ingmar pauli, jeroen warmenhoven, mr. pauli, saša rajković, sumerian fleet, synth wave, zarkoffLeave a comment

Sumerian Fleet aka Alden Tyrell and Mr Pauli with vocalist Zarkoff. Their debut eponymous EP was released on Clones West Coast series in 2010 and the Sturm Bricht Los EP came out in 2012 on the Creme Eclipse branch of Creme Organization. Sumerian Fleet is ready to release their first full length album Just Pressure all new material recorded between 2013 and 2014 as well as a remixed version of the title track from the Sturm Bricht Los EP. Just Pressure contains 80s Dark Wave/EBM inspired tracks with an industrial tinge. Citing inspiration from Fad Gadget, Front 242, Bauhaus and Sisters of Mercy, Sumerian Fleet deliver 9 songs of vintage dark electro. Their sound brings to mind rough 80s/90s Industrial dance with a Gothic tinge and a touch of bass guitar as the lead instrument. The band utilizes vintage analog gear like the Linn Drum, Roland TR-808, MiniMoog, Korg MS-20, and Roland Jupiter 8 . All songs were recorded at Mr Paulis studio in Den Haag and Alden Tyrells studio in Rotterdam. The album has been mastered for vinyl at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley by George Horn. Each LP is packaged in a custom-made jacket by our in-house designer Eloise Leigh, incorporating Mesopotamian pyramids and occult symbols, offset printed with gold ink at Stumptown Printers in Portland.

RedRedRed – Pattern Completition [DE069]

May 21, 2014July 17, 2024 hipodromealbum, dark entries records, electro, industrial, michael wood, redredredLeave a comment

Dark Entries introduce the debut album by RedRedRed, a contemporary artist from San Francisco, Michael Wood. “Pattern Completion” was originally planned as a 4 song cassette EP that was only released digitally. The A side features remixed and remastered versions of the tracks from the EP. The B side consists of four unreleased tracks, two of which are instrumental. The material on “Pattern Completion” is strongly influenced by Michael’s former live/work studio space in the Bayview District of San Francisco, an area surrounded by recycling facilities and water treatment plants. The songs reflect this industrial atmosphere, stacking treated rhythm box patterns, quivering synthesizers, and mechanical vocals. “Pattern Completion” develops the strain of futuristic, mutant industrial pioneered by San Francisco groups like Tuxedomoon and Factrix, with RedRedRedadding his own brand of damaged angular rhythms.

Cute Heels – Spiritual [DE062]

April 24, 2014October 10, 2019 hipodromealbum, cute heels, dark entries records, electro, electronics, synth wave, victor lenisLeave a comment

Cute Heels is the solo project of Victor Lenis, a contemporary artist living in Brussels, Belgium. He grew up in Bogot, Columbia during the 1990s, surrounded by the radial punk scene. He has been working with many electronic projects since 2003. He manages the label Black Leather Records, which is also a regular party with live acts and DJ sets. Over the years, Victor’s passion and fascination for synthesizers and drum machines to produce and compose resulted in various digital-only releases as well as his first vinyl release, an EP on Gooiland Elektro. Cute Heels is ready to release their debut album ”Spiritual” of all new material written throughout 2013. ”Spiritual”, rides the line between cold electro-techno and left field electronic body music. Inspired by equal parts Liaisons Dangereuses and Drexciya, ”Spiritual” takes the listener on a journey over 8 tracks and 40 minutes of music. Cute Heels has been called ”the new blood and spirit for the next step in techno music” by electro/techno pioneer Juan Atkins. Listening to ”Spiritual” you can see why. The songs on this full length reveal a sublime influence from Detroit techno, early Chicago house and new wave. Advanced electronics for the dance floor, pumping and sophisticated.

Psyche – Re-Membering Dwayne LP [DE061LP]

March 14, 2014September 17, 2019 hipodromealbum, dark entries records, darrin huss, dwayne goettel, industrial, post punk, psyche, stephen huss, synth popLeave a comment

At the end of 1981, brothers Darrin and Stephen Huss and schoolmate Dwayne Goettel performed for the first time as Psyche in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Their live show was a combination of horror and electronics that was completely unprecedented in Western Canada. Although Goettel and the Huss brothers parted ways before Psyche was to release any material, the masters containing Dwayne Goettel’s performances were preserved in the band’s vaults. Now, 19 years after Goettel’s untimely passing in 1995, Dark Entries records presents ”Re-Membering Dwayne”, the original Psyche-Dwayne Goettel sessions. All tracks were recorded and mixed on 4-track during a single day in March of 1983. Psyche’s early material is visceral and abrasive, a far cry from the sleek, dark synthpop they’d later become known for. Psyche disquietingly conflate the organic and the mechanical, calling into question the limits of the human form. Each LP includes a 12-page booklet with excerpts from Darrin Huss’ diary, unpublished photos of Psyche with Dwayne, and an essay by Darrin reflecting on Psyche’s past and the Goettel legacy as well as lyrics. This collection is a glimpse at the early Canadian industrial scene and the roots of Skinny Puppy. Go take a walk in the past with an ear for the future; you just might learn something.

Lassigue Bendthaus – Matter [DE060LP]

March 14, 2014July 17, 2024 hipodromealbum, dark entries records, electro, german parade amoureuse, industrial, lassigue bendthaus, minimal synth, re-release, reissue, tobias freund, uwe schmidtLeave a comment

Lassigue Bendthaus is the electro-industrial project of Uwe Schmidt aka Atom or Seor Coconut from Germany. Uwe Schmidt began making music in the early 1980s, first playing drums, then switching to programming a drum computer after he had heard a Linn Drum on the radio. In 1986 he co-founded the cassette label N.G. Medien, on which his first musical work under the name Lassigue Bendthaus, ”The Engineer’s Love”, was released. Soon after, he started to work on what would become his first official record release, the album ”Matter”. The recordings and production began in 1986 and took almost 4 years, until the album finally came out in 1991 on the German Parade Amoureuse label. Musically somewhere between late ”Industrial” and ”Electronic Body Music”, yet already anticipating ”Acid” and ”Techno”, this production managed to cause quite a stir, due to its advanced production techniques. Songs pay strong homage to Kraftwerk, approaching the early industrial dance scene with a softer sequential approach than most of his contemporaries. ”Matter” is a hermetic reflection about the relationship between perception, nature, science, technology and labor. This reissue comprises the entire 1991 ”Matter” LP, as well a bonus 7” record containing 2 tracks never before released on vinyl.

Crash Course in Science – Signals From Pier Thirteen [DE059]

March 14, 2014September 16, 2019 hipodromecrash course in science, dale feliciello, dark entries records, electro, industrial, mallory yago, michael zodorozny, minimal synthLeave a comment

Crash Course in Science are a post punk band that formed in 1979 in Philadelphia.The band members, Dale Feliciello, Mallory Yago and Michael Zodorozny, met while attending art school. They began to experiment with crude electronics and off-beat writing. CCIS avoids conventional instrumentation by using toy instruments and kitchen appliances to augment the distorted guitar, drums and synthesized beats. Their first single, Cakes in the Home was released in 1979 and their 4-song 12” EP ”Signals From Pier Thirteen” in 1981. Pier 13 was an abandoned coal-loading pier along the Delaware River near where CCIS rehearsed. The band went there often and was inspired by the huge silent machinery, shapes, shadows, ghosts and debris. The songs ‘Cardboard Lamb’ and ‘Flying Turns’ quickly became club favorites during the early 80’s. This EP’s raw, percussive sound influenced both techno and industrial music in later years. CCIS feel a strong connection to Throbbing Gristle, although they consider themselves as working in a parallel universe rather than being influenced by them. Crash Course in Science go above and beyond what is considered ‘New Wave’ in attitude and sound.

Big Ben Tribe – Tarzan Loves The Summer Nights [DE057]

January 14, 2014June 25, 2019 hipodromebig ben tribe, clara moroni, dark entries records, italo-disco, renato posani, ricky persi, sefano previstiLeave a comment

Big Ben Tribe are a trio formed in Trieste, Italy in 1983, by Ricky Persi (bass), Stefano Previsti (computers and drum machine), Renato Posani (guitar & D.J). Their name is taken from the Disco Club ‘Big Ben’ in Trieste, the place where Renato Posani worked every night. ”Tarzan Loves The Summer Nights” was recorded in Milan in the Spring of 1983 and released on Gong Records in 1984. The band created their signature sound using a Mini Moog, Prophet 5, Korg Synthesizer, LinnDrum, Alembic Bass and Fender Stratocaster. Guest vocalist Clara Moroni softly sings about a romantic jungle dream adventure where she is living with the handsome and brave Tarzan. Strong LinnDrum percussion serves as a counterpoint to the infectious vocal melody and catchy synth hooks. The B-side features an instrumental version with extended breaks and dubbed out bass lines.

Lè Travo – Erring And Errant [DE056]

January 13, 2014July 17, 2024 hipodromealbum, cold wave, dark entries records, dark wave, lè travo, patrick bollen, post punk, synth popLeave a comment

Lè Travo is the brainchild of Patrick Bollen from Tienen, Belgium. As a teenager in the early 1980s, Patrick would visit ”DeAtelier”, the infamous coldwave/gothic club in Leuven. He would be inspired by Joy Division and other Factory releases, The Danse Society and Cocteau Twins. He gathered a some session musicians and a female backup vocalist. Eventually Patrick bought a Greengate DE-3 sampler, using the brains of an Apple 2E with a keyboard bolted onto it. He crafted loops made from a deconstructed upright piano, hitting the strings directly with a drum stick. Lè Travo made their first appearance on a split LP with Fred A in 1984. ”Erring and Errant” is their debut 7 song LP originally released in 1985. For the reissue 3 bonus songs from the split LP have been added. The songs are coldwave in the vein of Weimar Gesang, Opera Multi Steel, and Clan of Xymox. Guitar, bass and sample interplay with piano and synthesizers with dark and forbidding crescendos in the fast numbers, and elegaic melancholy in the slow tracks. The vocals are delivered with a sense of urgency, while the lyrics are inspired by avant-garde movements such as futurism and constructivism, as well as science fiction and existentialism.