A nocturnal ride through the magnetic waves of an imaginary club that never sleeps, where groove becomes ritual and the dancefloor an extension of the body. Francisco & Cosmo Dance – aka Francesco De Bellis and Cosimo Mandorino – orchestrate a mechanical and naif dance between man and machine, where synths chase each other and drum machines dictate tight, unrelenting beats. “Go Go Dance” is a concentrated dose of analog groove, electronic funk, no-wave pulses, and retro-futurism.
A dark Italo compilation not for the faint of heart with the mystery, murder and madness of all that is Giallo. Serving as a soundtrack to a fictitious film Luna Rossa Johnny Jewel of Italians Do It Better fame laces the opening with the breathy arsenic laced ”Flesh” as Simple Symmetry’s ”Il Gatto Nero delivers a disco banger that even samples a cat’s heartbeat. Legowelt creeps into lens with ”Oberalp Catarsi under his Occult Orientated Crime moniker. Other suspects include Prefuse 73, Antoni Maovvi, Umberto, Makeup And Vanity Set and Om & Grails member Emil Amos. Lucky dip vinyl with base transparent blood base edition with a red moon marbled rare version.
The late great Ron Hardy had as much influence on DJing and club culture as anyone before or since. It’s not just what he played, but how he played it that set the standard from his legendary residency at the Music Box – not least the fact that he often had the highs squealing out of his system because they were the frequencies that had most impact on him while he was high on heroin. His productions all reflect his approach in the booth, and this latest collection of classics is back with rising disco, rawness, low-slung funk and high-speed, feel-good disco bliss. This release features four monstruous edits straight from the basement.
Franz Scala, head of Slow Motion Records and Italo Pioneer, launches his Cafe Futuro LP with the new-beat, instant classic “Saxon Rebel”. Cafe Futuro, once the homebase meeting point for the true italo music soul of Neukölln now encapsules an album that is both forward thinking and filled with italian dance wave nostalgia that is the very proper will of Franz Scala. The single features striking vocals from Local Suicide and embodies Scala’s forward-thinking, proto-house nature. It includes both vocal and instrumental versions. With its refined flashes of the past combined with intense dancefloor energy, “Saxon Rebel” showcases the strengths of true IDW fashion.
Kid Machine returns with his 7th album and features ten spaced out, robotic Italo-Disco / Electro dancefloor destroyers covering various cosmic vibes. Expect the usual catchy melodies, big slamming beats, chugging basslines, sci fi sounds and vocoders.
What do you get if you put two synthesizer sorcerers in the same room? In the case of Skatebård and Lauer, the answer is Trollkraft. Between them, the Norwegian-German partnership have hundreds of releases, run record labels and have wowed crowds across the globe. In short, the two tracks of Trollkraft are the product of some serious electronic talent. Rich and textured drum layers give way to strings and a vibrating bass for the title piece. Twists and turns abound, elements of disco and house brush shoulders with indie and italo as the pair tear down genre divisions. A 90s heyday influence that runs through both offerings, with “One Night In Geilo” taking its cue from house rhythms and a two-stepping melody adopted from that emblematic decade. Reimagining rave in their own effervescent and playful style, these strobe and fog veterans serve up a fat slice of glow-stick elation. Strings weave high into the dawning sky, bongos and toms reveling next incandescent synthines with just a touch of trance thrown in to add spice to this heady and euphoric mix.
Original Chicago house music hero Ron Hardy used to make and break tracks with ease. Decades on, we’re still getting treated to them with this ongoing series and the latest opens up with a familiar sound. ‘Love’ is fairly stripped of its original vocals and is a casuistic, textured and intense electronic disco cut for peak times. ‘The Night’ slows down with some freaky vocals and heavy dub disco drums then ‘1-5-1’ brings some jacked up acid house with monstrous 303 lines ripping up the groove and ice cold hi-hats keeping time. ‘The Bass’ is a raw drum track with moody Windy City vocals and dark energy.
Four monstrous tracks straight from the basement featuring one of the original house music creator Ron Hardy.
Slow Motion affiliate Radondo returns to the “A UFO” free edit series with his high-octane rework of Mac Jr.’s “Elephant Song.” The vibrant energy of the original track is enhanced by Radondo’s signature percussive instrumentation and metallic flair. By sacrificing the original vocals, he creates a version that focuses more on the instrumental elements, capturing the captivating, energetic essence of the 1984 ZYX gem.
Strut reintroduces a sought after independent disco gem from the Topomic catalogue: Beckie Bell’s ‘In Need Of…’, reissued in full for the first time. Originally released in 1980, In Need Of… quickly became a cult classic of the French disco scene. After relocating from New York to Paris in the late 1970s, Bell carved out a unique space for her sound, blending the soulfulness of New York disco with the high energy sophistication of the European market. The full debut album features some of Bell’s earliest recordings, including the full length version of ‘Super Queen’ (1979) and ‘In The Right Place’ (1980), showcasing her commanding vocal delivery and distinct musical style.
GǼG is the production duo of Japan’s Keita Sano and Monkey Timers. Their unique, rabble rousing, sound is showcased here – assembled with the building blocks of disco but launched on a completely mind-warping course into territory anew. This 12 inch is heavy-duty weaponry with a sole purpose to rip at the very fabric that makes up the reality of dance floors – discotheque destruction guaranteed.
Brazilian artist Tjor returns to Wrong Era with his 5-track EP ‘Multiflex’. This release showcases his unique blend of brooding arrangements and hopeful, esoteric tones, highlighting his remarkable ability to continuously evolve sonically. Opening with a rich kick and harmonious pads, ‘Hyperdrive’ sets a robust tone and reinforces Tjor’s sonic charm. Swelling to an acidic echo of the purity of 1980s Chicago house, his innovative approach courses through the track.
Electronic music visionary Pye Corner Audio, a master of blending nostalgia with forward-thinking production, has carved out a unique niche in the electronic music landscape. Drawing inspiration from 1970s and 80s synthesizer music, Detroit techno, and cinematic soundtracks, his work often evokes a sense of eerie futurism. Lapsus Records present “Where Things Are Hollow: No Tomorrow”, a comprehensive box set revisiting and expanding his acclaimed Where Things Are Hollow series. This release includes the first two volumes – with volume 2 featuring an unreleased track – and two additional chapters that further enrich the series’ narrative. Once again, Pye Corner Audio delivers innovative soundscapes, drawing inspiration from ambient techno, cinematic electronica, and experimental slow disco. The third installment unveils a constellation of entirely new tracks, weaving the ambient, synthwave, and retro-futuristic textures that define Jenkins’ work. Meanwhile, Where Things Are Hollow 4 amplifies this narrative, incorporating reinterpretations by some of today’s most visionary artists: Alessandro Cortini, John Talabot, Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, Lord Of The Isles and Surgeons Girl
Mystic Jungle is back with a new album of free-spirited forays into solar-sonic fantasy. Dario di Pace’s third LP, ‘Sunset Breaker’, has been in gestation for a long while and reflects an arduous journey through studio closures and multiple recording locations. It also shows the stylistic variety that results when a set of songs develops over several years. Despite this difficult journey, Mystic Jungle has produced a rich and multi-colored display of sounds and styles, resulting in his most diverse and adventurous musical narrative thus far. Standout dance tracks like “Secrets” and “Some Lovin’” feature disco beats and body-moving grooves, with searing guitars, sultry saxophones, and layers of loved-up lyrics and call-and-response vocals that add to the magical motion. Meanwhile, “Innervision” and “Twilight” draw inspiration from lovers rock and neon new-wave dub pop, where yearning vocals, ecstatic pixie hooks, and liquid fuzz leads intertwine with fantasy synths and exotic string instruments from faraway lands. On sunbaked, stoner tracks like “The Road” and “Get Me Higher,” Mystic Jungle blends harmonizing passages of 60s psychedelia, radiant summer soul, and low-down zoner jamming.
Members Only presents the first volume of this new series called ‘4 The Ones Who Know’. These edits were done on the fly with a Zoom Drum and SP303 in 2011 at Music Box Lisbon & in Madrid for Red Bull Music Academy.
Members Only is back with the 15th volume of The Worst Edits featuring 5 previously unreleased edits pulled from the archives for experimental artistical purposes.
With the reissue of ”Magic” the circle of the works originally published by Eyes Records and composed in the earliest 80s by Celso Valli is completed: Future State, Blue Gas and now precisely Five Sinners. Best Record thus creates ”the triplet” of the Italo-Disco operas made by the immense musician from Bologna. This release includes also a new captivating version of ”Magic” skillfully remixed by the talented Italian-Australian DJ-producer Dave Mathmos.
Members Only is back with the 14th volume of The Worst Edits featuring 8 previously unreleased edits pulled from the archives for experimental artistical purposes.
The birthday candles are barely out, and Melodize is already back with their 18th release! Label boss Beartrax is in the driver’s seat, with remixes from Massimiliano Pagliara and Eliott Litrowski.
The Hipodrome Of Music 