Umo Vogue – Just My Love EP [DE217]

August 20, 2018July 17, 2024 hipodromedark entries records, italo-disco, re-release, reissue, synth pop, umo vogueLeave a comment

Umo Vogue formed in Bristol by Stig Manley, Russ Crook and Neil Deamer who were in Bath based ska rock outfit ‘The AT’s’, along with Bristol based singer Debbie Marlow. Neil’s Brother Clive joined the band bringing a fantastic new dynamic to the band on drums, percussion and heavy artillery. The band name is a deliberate misspelling of the ultra-chic Italian fashion magazine ‘L’Uomo Vogue’. After winning the Bristol ‘Battle of the Bands’ in 1982 they were signed to Phonogram and dropped a few months later. They then signed to EMI in ’83 and released their first single ‘Just My Love’ released in early 1984. The second single was ‘Make It Real’ and was never released as the band were culled from the EMI roster in late ’84. For this reissue of their debut single we’ve added 3 bonus tracks, a demo of “Just My Love”, the unreleased follow single “Make It Real” and a bedroom demo “Erotica.” Each song displays ridiculously catchy melodies and innovative electronic rhythms. The drum tracks, a combination of rhythm machines and hand percussion, were mixed down from the 4-track tape used as backing on stage, with the rich slap bass and Roland SH09 synths weaves fluid lead lines in between the harmony vocals.

Colin Potter – The Where House [DE214]

June 26, 2018June 25, 2018 hipodromealbum, colin potter, dark entries records, electro, integrated circuit recordings, minimal synth, re-release, reissue, synth waveLeave a comment

Colin Potter is a sound engineer and musician currently based in London. He has worked within the fields of electronic and experimental music for over 35 years. He started the esteemed ICR (Integrated Circuit Recordings) label in 1981 releasing a clutch of wonderful home recordings of his own, over half a dozen small run cassette only releases. ‘The Where House?’ was recorded in 1981 at IC Studio, a converted wash house in Sutton on the Forest in North Yorkshire. The album was self-released on cassette that same year via ICR. This expanded double LP edition features all 13 tracks from the original tape on vinyl for the first time plus 4 bonus tracks. ‘The Where House?’ is a prime example of early UK post-punk/industrial electronic music.

Inhalt – Commerce [DE213]

June 26, 2018June 25, 2018 hipodromedark entries records, electro, inhalt, matia simovich, philip winiger, steven campodonico, synth pop, synth waveLeave a comment

Dark Entries is proud to release ‘Commerce’, the third EP from San Francisco-based trio Inhalt, German for “content”. ‘Commerce’ is a close examination of the self destructive tendency of the ego in relation to the allure of negativity and mass tragedy. The EP details the psychopathy of relentless thirst mandated by neo-liberalism and traverses through the adoption of social and economic technologies that strengthen domination vis a vis self enslavement to disempowerment. Employing the best of both modern and vintage techniques, the four songs on the EP utilize dense production, big snares, and powerful German vocals from Philip.

Miss Kittin & The Hacker – Lost Tracks Vol. 2 [DE216]

June 22, 2018June 20, 2018 hipodromedark entries records, electro, michel amato, miss kittin, synth pop, the hackerLeave a comment

Miss Kittin & The Hacker are the electro duo of Caroline Hervé and Michel Amato from Grenoble, France. The pair met during the early 90s at a rave and soon after bought turntables and began DJing. In 1996, they started writing music heavily influenced by 1980s synthpop and post-punk bands, as well as Italo Disco. Lost Tracks Vol. 2′ contains 4 previously unreleased demos recorded between 1997 and 1999. The duo fused 80’s European New Wave/Italo Disco with 90’s Detroit Electro, by utilizing verse-chorus structures, they playfully shook up the loop based hard techno and electro that was popular at the time. The songs are direct, spontaneous, seemingly improvised in places. Miss Kittin sings about falling in love in the new millennium, snuff movies and controlling the unknown trip to death, all in her cheekily derisive French accent.

VA – Outer Himmalayan Presents [DE205]

May 16, 2018May 15, 2018 hipodromedark entries records, industrial, minimal synth, outer himmalayan records, post punk, s-haters, sacred bones records, soft drinks, the magitsLeave a comment

Dark Entries and Sacred Bones team up to release the early discography of UK synth-punk and Deathrock label Outer Himmalayan Records. Between 1979 and 1982, Nick Blinko and Martin Cooper’s Outer Himmalayan Records released 7-inches by three short-lived bands – The Magits, Soft Drinks, and S-Haters – who would nonetheless cast a massive shadow on the UK’s burgeoning post-punk/anarcho punk scene. Outer Himmalayan Presents collects all of the music found on those original records, along with rare and unreleased tracks by all three bands. It’s a snapshot of a period of frenzied creativity by some of the UK’s most thrilling experimental punks.

Instant Music – Instant Music LP [DE201]

April 17, 2018April 17, 2018 hipodromealbum, bernd schöll, dark entries records, instant music, marion siekmann, mike hauer, minimal synth, synth popLeave a comment

Instant is the trio of Bernd Schöll (Bass, Vocals, Rhythm), Mike Hauer (Guitar, Synth, Percussion), and Marion Siekmann (Vocals) from Munich, Germany. They formed in 1980 after meeting through mutual friends attending the local art and graphic design school. The trio were dissatisfied with their surrounding musical environment. They set out to create their own brand of Neue Deutsche Welle fusing Dada, disco, and Krautrock. Over the course of 2 weeks in Summer 1980 the band teamed up with local producer Mario Strack to record 6 songs. These would make up their debut eponymous album that was originally self-released on 10” vinyl in 1981. They utilized a simple set up of guitar, bass, and keyboards, plus the BOSS DR-55 Dr. Rhythm drum machine. Metal scraps clanging appear on the tracks “Do Not” and “Optimate Minimum”, and a washing machine was sampled on the track “Joyboy”, which features Marion reading from the appliance’s instruction manual. The A-side features 4 tracks in 11 minute, while the B-side hosts 2 songs in the same stretch of time. “Charade” features no wave saxophone accompaniment from Kai Taschner of Munich New Wave band Luna Set. Marion’s vocals are between Nico’s Teutonic chill and Alison Statton’s (Young Marble Giants) playfulness, while Bernd takes a monotone approach. Lyrics for “My Boy” and “Everybody’s Gotta Mutate” were adapted from ‘Rotwang’, a fragmented novel written by Tim Hildebrandt, one of the brothers famous for illustrating the works of Tolkien.

DsorDNE – È Un Sole LP [DE206]

March 28, 2018March 27, 2018 hipodromealbum, dark entries records, dsordne, experimental, hax, marco milanesio, re-release, reissue, synth pop, synth waveLeave a comment

DsorDNE (pronounced Disordine) is a project from Torino, Italy that evolved as group out of the electronic experimental post punk project Novostj in 1987. At the core of DsorDNE is Marco Milanesio, musical engineer and co-founder of the HAX record label, joined by a revolving cast of musicians. Their spectrum ranged from experimental to structured electro-poetry and Soundtrack like instrumental electronic music. In 1987 they released their first track on a split-single with The Legendary Pink Dots. Between 1987 and 1994 they released 6 full length albums, 3 split-EPs and appeared on various cassette compilations. Ã Un Sole (Itâs a Sun) was the groupâs only vinyl full length originally released in 1990 on HAX. Itâs 8 tracks of electro-beat poetry and experimentation recorded between July 1989 and January 1990 by Marco Milanesio (music) and Roberta Ongaro (vocals) with guests Claudio Burdese (guitar), Danilo Beltrame (guitar) and Cristiana Bauducco (vocals). The album is broken up into two distinct halves. Side A contains four chunks of hard hitting, percussive patterns and rushing bass sequences. Dark, moody female vocals force their monologues through the machinery in their native Italian tongue. The traditional song structure is carefully avoided by giving lyrics equal opportunities be they recited, half-sung, whispered or spoken. Side B displays moodier moments, less savage attacks and subtler sensuality, veering towards the more melodic and existential.

Bézier – Parler Musique [DE200]

March 7, 2018March 6, 2018 hipodromealbum, bezier, dark entries records, minimal synth, robert yang, synth pop, synth waveLeave a comment

Dark Entries release the debut album from Bézier titled ‘Parler Musique’. Bézier is Taiwanese-American musician Robert Yang who is also part of the Honey Soundsystem crew. A multi-instrumentalist, Robert grew up in Southern California then planted his roots in San Francisco in 2005. Over the years in SF he has built an impressive analog synth-based studio, which also serves as the creative hub for his riveting live performances. Parler Musique clocks in at over 52 minutes with 8 tracks are spread across four sides for maximum loudness. The album title is a French transliteration on the phrase “Parlor Music” and is evening music for a meeting of minds in a drawing room or a literary salon. To ‘talk about music’, the actual translation of the title, the album is a hotbed of ideas. Different genres are crisscrossed: punk, synthpop, jungle, new romantic, industrial and new wave. Airy melodies, surging arpeggios and symphonic breakdowns counterpoint cold digital drum sounds to convey beauty within inescapable and impending daily processes.

Mono Band – Ghost Town [DE203]

March 2, 2018March 1, 2018 hipodromedark entries editions, dark entries records, discomagic records, fantenax, italo-disco, luigi venegoni, massimo fantinatiti, mono band, re-release, reissue, rene ‘d’herin, svengileLeave a comment

Dark Entries Editions reissues “Ghost Town” the 1984 debut 12” single by Mono Band from Italy. The project was conceived by producer Rene ‘D’Herin and Massimo Fantinatiti aka Fantenax and tey teamed up with songwriter and guitarist Luigi Venegoni aka Svengile. Treading the lines between Italo Disco and the darker side of New Wave, the trio crafted a mysterious sound. Melancholic arpeggiators, a throbbing baseline, stuttering samples, and the classic Linn drum machine run throughout the track. The song was recorded in a few days at Dynamo Sound Studio in Turin and originally released on the popular Discomagic Records. This reissue includes the original vocal version, backed with a longer dubbed out instrumental “Ghost Version” on the B-side.

Fockewulf 190 – Body Heat [DE202]

February 16, 2018February 15, 2018 hipodromedark entries records, fockewulf 190, italo-disco, re-release, reissue, synth popLeave a comment

Dark Entries continues to license and reissue some of the greatest – not to mention hardest to find – Italo-disco ever made. This 1984 single from Italo-disco duo Fokewulf 190 is a great example. In many ways, it’s atypical of Italo-disco, eschewing the style’s usual arpeggio basslines in favour of a bubbly synth groove inspired by electrofunk, onto which is layered stylish, new wave influenced synthesizer melodies, atmospheric chords, snaking synth-saxophone and a highly accented vocal – originally un-credited – from future Italian synth-pop star Fred Ventura, who was then in the early stages of his career. Naturally, the headline vocal version comes accompanied by a fine instrumental, which is more like a delay-laden club dub in feel.

Intense Molecular Activity – I. M. A. [DE198]

January 30, 2018January 29, 2018 hipodromealbum, andy blinx, dark entries records, don hunerberg, electro, experimental, i.m.a., intense molecular activity, post punk, re-release, reissue, synth popLeave a comment

IMA (Intense Molecular Activity) is the duo of Don Hunerberg (synthesizers) and Andy Blinx (drums and percussion). Based in New York City and active between 1979 and 1982. Don, a studio Sound / music engineer and musician, Andy an electronic clothing designer, drummer and sound reinforcement engineer at downtown clubs like Max’s Kansas City, Mudd Club and CBGB. In between doing sessions at Radio City Music Hall Studios for groups such as Ramones, Richard Hell, Sonic Youth, Liquid Liquid, John Zorn, Glenn Branca and many others, IMA took advantage of off hours to create their own music. As far as influences go, Don’s background was in electronic music and Andy’s in prog rock. To produce the songs, Don used his own method of creating patterns from 2-track tape loops and then edited them together on to a 24-track recorder adding more tracks of overdubs, In a very similar way that sequencers are used today. By 1980 the duo honed their own unique sound and version of Post Punk and No-Wave with the tools of the trade of the early 80s. Situated above the proscenium of the Radio City Music Hall stage, the studio was outfitted with a variety of orchestral instruments (timpani, bells, xylophone, etc). They self-released a 4-song EP titled “IMA” on an 8” flexi-disc which was distributed by Ed Bahlman of 99 Records. The music bridges the wild psychedelic-rock of the 60s, the synth-punk of the late-70s and the elaborate constructions of progressive-rock. There are nods to the freak-outs of Chrome and the super neurosis of Suicide, but IMA takes a more clinical approach which also takes notice of Hawkwind and Pink Floyd’s interstellar overdrive.

Calendar Crowd – Perfect Hideaway [DE199]

January 30, 2018January 29, 2018 hipodromealan heaton, calendar crowd, dark entries records, new wave, post punk, re-release, reissue, synth pop, terence tiernanLeave a comment

Calendar Crowd was the duo of Alan Heaton and Terence Tiernan who met in their hometown of Widnes, Cheshire as schoolboys and played together in various bands in the ‘70s. In the ‘80s they formed a 6-piece band called Room For Humans and recorded one single“Telephone Telephone / Girlfriend”. When the band split and Alan and Terence continued as Calendar Crowd in a more experimental direction. In 1982 they released their debut single “Perfect Hideaway/Perfect Hideaway Dub” on 7”. Guitarist David Knowles joined them as they toured the UK and recorded and released their follow up EP “Listen in to the Heart” in 1985. A reviewer at the time called Calendar Crowd “A Moody Merseyside trio with strong atmospheric tunes and haunting lyrics.” For this reissue we’ve compiled both singles on one EP featuring all four songs. Perfect Hideway is a evocative and dreamy, the music escorts you on a tour of icy landscapes, with Terrance’s deep, rich vocals guiding the way accented by bright brass stabs. Meanwhile the Dub has stripped back the vocals, added delayed samples and heavy pounding drums. On the B-side “Listen in to the Heart” and “Questions Answers” are darker electronic rhythm tracks with layers of ethereal keyboards and guitar melodies.

Solid Space – Space Museum [DE190]

January 6, 2018January 5, 2018 hipodromedan goldstein, dark entries records, matthew vosburgh, minimal synth, post punk, re-release, reissue, solid space, synth pop, synth waveLeave a comment

Dark Entries presents the first ever official vinyl reissue of Space Museum by Solid Space. Solid Space was the British duo of Dan Goldstein (keyboards, vocals) and Matthew ‘Maf’ Vosburgh (guitar, bass, keyboards, vocals) formed in 1980. Amongst collectors of post-punk era cassettes, Solid Space’s sole album, 1982’s Space Museum, has long been a sought-after item. While scarce and hard to find, the demand is largely down to the music contained within. Combining bright and spacey synthesizers with cheap drum machines, fuzzy guitars and vocals musing on science fiction and isolation, the British DIY duo created something surprisingly magical and alluring despite its lo-fi creation.

2017 Top 3 – Readers List

January 4, 2018January 10, 2018 hipodromeafrica seven records, axis records, casa voyager, dark entries records, dj stingray, dopplereffekt, electrix records, eli verveine, gerald donald, good plus, hivern discs, inga mauer, intergalactic gary, jay bliss, jeff mills, khidja, leisure system, les yeux orange, macadam mambo, michel amato, mule musiq, petre inspirescu, sherard ingram, stomping grounds, the hacker, the hipodrome of music, tresor records, umek, zeta reticula1 Comment

#VăVedemDinSibiu

It has been 4 years since I made the last ‘review of the year …’ or ‘best of … ‘ list and it was not planned for 2017, but looking back at last year somehow the music scene shifted in a good way. From the music point of view, I think we are living better times now, we can see a revival of the old school electro and acid house, afrobeat is still hot, EBM is going strong.

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Josh Cheon – Dark Entries: RA Label of the month

December 21, 2017December 21, 2017 hipodromedark entries records, electro, josh cheon, minimal synth, new beat, resident advisorLeave a comment

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Trisomie 21 – Chapters IV [DE195]

December 21, 2017December 21, 2017 hipodromealbum, dark entries records, hervé lomprez, minimal synth, phillipe lomprez, post punk, re-release, reissue, synth wave, trisomie 21Leave a comment

Trisomie 21 is a post punk band formed in 1981 by Phillipe Lomprez (vocals, drums) and Hervé Lomprez (guitar, electronics), two brothers from Abscon, in the North of France. They began composing songs at the age of 16 while studying at school. Their music consists of lush soundscapes that do not easily fit into any one category. Lyrics are sung in English because in the north of France the duo sought to contradict the trend at the time for everything to be sung in French. Since 1983 they’ve recorded 15 albums and appeared on numerous compilations and remain active to this day. For their fourth album the Lomprez brothers spent September and October of 1985 recording nine new compositions. In January 1986 ‘Chapter IV, Le Je-ne-sais quoi et le presque-rien’ was released by PIAS sub-label Scarface. The title came from a 1957 book by French philosopher and musicologist Vladimir Jankélévitch. The songs on the album, including the emblematic The Last Song’, were captivating, original and without concession. This record further opened the door to new opportunities, and the band’s music spread further internationally. Sadly some of the songs had phase related problems and caused partial cancelation playing back monophonically, so the band remixed and re-recorded the songs and reissued them on CD only in 1987.

Trisomie 21 – Wait & Dance LP [DE194]

December 19, 2017December 19, 2017 hipodromealbum, dark entries records, hervé lomprez, phillipe lomprez, post punk, re-release, reissue, synth wave, trisomie 21Leave a comment

Trisomie 21 is a post punk band formed in 1981 by Phillipe Lomprez (vocals, drums) and Hervé Lomprez (guitar, electronics), two brothers from Abscon, in the North of France. They began composing songs at the age of 16 while studying at school. Their music consists of lush soundscapes that do not easily fit into any one category. Lyrics are sung in English because in the north of France the duo sought to contradict the trend at the time for everything to be sung in French. Since 1983 they’ve recorded 15 albums and appeared on numerous compilations and remain active to this day.In Spring 1985 the group went back into the studio to record a new batch of songs. Trisomie 21’s notoriety had increased following two concerts in Belgium and the Brussels recording label Play It Again Sam decided to sign them. In September 1985 the 5-song mini-LP ‘Wait & Dance’ was released by PIAS sub-label Scarface. It contained the band’s first female guest vocals on two of the tracks. Sadly some of the songs had phase related problems and caused partial cancelation playing back monophonically, so the band remixed the songs and reissued them on CD only in 1987. We have added the 5 remixes as bonus tracks here presented for the first time ever on vinyl.

Trisomie 21 – Passions Divisées [DE193]

December 19, 2017December 19, 2017 hipodromealbum, dark entries records, hervé lomprez, phillipe lomprez, post punk, re-release, reissue, synth wave, trisomie 21Leave a comment

Trisomie 21 is a post punk band formed in 1981 by Phillipe Lomprez (vocals, drums) and Hervé Lomprez (guitar, electronics), two brothers from Abscon, in the North of France. They began composing songs at the age of 16 while studying at school. Their music consists of lush soundscapes that do not easily fit into any one category. Lyrics are sung in English because in the north of France the duo sought to contradict the trend at the time for everything to be sung in French. Since 1983 they’ve recorded 15 albums and appeared on numerous compilations and remain active to this day. After the success of the debut mini-LP the band returned to the studio and spent October 1983 to March 1984 recording their sophomore album. ‘Passions divisées’ was released by Stechak Products in October 1984. Pascal Tison was replaced by Laurent Dagnicourt on bass guitar. Featuring eight cold wave compositions including the instrumental funeral waltz La fête triste’. Songs cross genres, moving from post-punk to synthetic electronics.

E. Myers- Love / Hate [DE189]

December 12, 2017December 11, 2017 hipodromechicago house, dark entries records, e. myersLeave a comment

Contemporary producer E. Myers has self released four limited edition white label 12”s since 2015, whilst managing to remain low profile. Whoever they are, we guess they’re huge fans of late 1980s Chicago House, Shep Pettibone, Colourbox and most of our reissues. So much that they asked us to re-release their second 12” ‘Hate / Love’ from 2016 backed with new remix of “Hate” made for Dark Entries. “Love” kicks off the A-side “beats out a wood-cut tattoo of tuff drums rubbed with balloon-squeak synths to sound like Gesloten Cirkel meets Helena Hauff,” said Boomkat. “Hate” is a dreamy house number that ultilzes a Roland TR-707 drum machine with a rounded bassline, horns and strings that lift it into the stratosphere. For the new remix of “Hate” Myers subtly shifts the pace and deepens the groove, stretching out the song to over 7 minutes of dubbed out New Beat phantasia.

Trancesonic – New Crime LP [DE175]

November 9, 2017November 9, 2017 hipodromealbum, boris blank, carlos peron, dark entries records, disco, electro, synth wave, trancesonicLeave a comment

Tranceonic is the duo of Carlos Perón and Boris Blank of Yello who met in 1971 in their hometown of Zürich. From 1973 to 1976 they played in the New Wave group Urland. After the split of the group Perón founded the Tranceonic studio with his equipment in his private flat. Carlos invited Boris over to his studio and a concentrated work began. The idea was to make experimental new music with the hopes of having a hit in the United States. Everybody at this time was into punk, but Tranceonic loved industrial and electronic sounds. Their foresight and innovation created new ideas. Perón and Blank made electronic avant-garde music informed by the Berlin and Cologne schools. By 1978 the two had enough material to record an album and made a trip to San Francisco to visit Ralph Records. The Residents promised to release the music if the duo removed all the tape hiss, which never materialized. ‘New Crime’ is the first ever vinyl compilation of material produced, recorded, performed and mixed at Tranceonic Studio between 1976-1979.