VA – Italian Dance Wave Sette [SLOMO042]

June 3, 2019December 8, 2019 hipodromealtieri, disco, electro, house, jose manuel, lukebox, robotalco, slow motion recordsLeave a comment

Summer is coming sooner this year, and you can tell from the heat of the two latest releases from Slow Motion. The first of the two, “Italian Dance Wave Disco Sette”, is here to delight you: starting from a half Italo and half Asian influenced Altieri track, killing it with a dancefloor belter that will make you sweat the night away, raving sensations guaranteed. Lukebox (Fabrizio Mammarella and Umberto Saba from the duo Loudtone) will serve you a slightly more downtempo, modular, weirdo beast that will make your head bang without you even notice: banger. Back on your turntables, is also Robotalco who is providing some proto-house extravaganza and adding some charme to the dirty, chunky beats of the compilation. Last but not least, José Manuel, delivering a touch of biting deep house and electro tribal feels to close the gap, and make us scream “hell yes”.

Mappa Mundi – Mosaics [DRIVE006]

June 3, 2019September 14, 2023 hipodromedisco, downtempo, jan van den bergh, mappa mundi, midnight drive, new beat, pieter kuyl, re-release, reissue, usa import musicLeave a comment

Mappa Mundi’s sole release ‘Musaics’ was released in 1990, riding on the wave of early trance and ambient house sounds and exploring the same sonic terrain and worlds as The Orb, The KLF, Sun Electric and other like minded outfits. A wonderful swirling collage or mosaic of breakbeats, samples and new-age synth stylings, ‘Musaics’ is indeed a real trip. A spontaneous late night studio concoction borne of endless takes and experimentation between Pieter Kuyl and Jan Van Den Bergh who both display a deep knowledge and a shared love of different sounds from around the world. The end result is a meditative, sprawling journey that touches on many different styles from languid widescreen techno to frantic drum machine driven machine-funk, all while retaining a feeling of post-rave atmospherics and psychedelia. This is a very special record indeed, and is somewhat of a lost gem from a very fertile and interesting period in sample based music. Undoubtedly the perfect soundtrack to numerous late nights and early mornings to come

Cosmo Vitelli – Holiday in Panikstrasse Part 1 [MALKATUTILP005A]

June 3, 2019February 3, 2020 hipodromecosmo vitelli, disco, fantastic twins, malka tuti, sebastian lee philipp, synth popLeave a comment

With his upcoming two-part LP on Malka Tuti, Cosmo Vitelli brings forward his more diverse and somehow mature musical side, combining elements of post-punk, krautrock, electronica and pop on this first of 2 four-track records. The songs on the LP transcend style and genre. They manage to hold and playfully sustain an idea that echoes throughout them all – a musical “saying” as well as a personal life experience, and they reflect Cosmo’s prolific studio work of the past 2 years since he moved to Berlin.

Jex Opolis – Earth Boy [DKMNTL064]

May 29, 2019May 29, 2019 hipodromedekmantel records, disco, electro, house, jex opolisLeave a comment

Dekmantel welcomes the good time vibes of Canadian selector, and retrotastic, vibe-poppin’ producer Jex Opolis. Cult figure, obsessive Discog-er and Good Timin’ boss, the Brooklyn-based, Canadian has etched out a global reputation with his exotic taste of lo-fi, party productions, with this – his Dekmantel debut – not straying far from the formula Electro, disco-chic, doused in gooey pop, sultry silk, and retro synth-boogie.

Ziggy – BAH 050 [BAH050]

May 29, 2019May 31, 2019 hipodromebahnsteig 23, disco, new beat, synth wave, ziggy, ziggy sternenstaubLeave a comment

Here it is! The final Bahnsteig 23 release is coming from head honcho Ziggy SternenStaub.

TodoTodo – Digital Dancer / Autogas [FRV030]

May 29, 2019May 29, 2019 hipodromedisco, domestica records, edits, electro, frigio records, juanpablo, luis costa, synth pop, todotodoLeave a comment

Almost forty years later, Frigio is bringing some of their music to a fresh audience, the pioneer proto-techno Spanish band TodoTodo and featuring original music plus killer edits by Juanpablo & Luis Costa. Juanpablo with his extended edit of “Digital Dancer.” A steady kick tethers a tripping mechanical melody, a melody that bubbles and simmers as toms, horns and daring funk collide for this seven minute odyssey into the world of Iberian underground synth. The original version from 81 closes the A, a brief and brilliant piece of proto-techno. The flip is introduced by Catalan Dj, journalist and author of ‘Bacalao’ Historia Oral de la Musica de Baile en Valencia, Luis Costa. Costa re-imagines “Autogas” with his Tool Edit, reshaping the off-kilter keys and future highways and byways of the original. The finale is a true treasure from the annals of time. A live version of “Autogas” from the legendary Rock’Ola club in Madrid, an unreleased work that is as audacious and bold as it was when it was first performed in 1981.

VA – Elsewhere LVI [ERS042]

May 25, 2019June 29, 2022 hipodromeanatolian weapons, claude de tapol, compilation, disco, electro, elsewhere, emotional response, emotional response recordings, experimental, infuso giallo, lamusa ii, new beat, sofa, sofa elsewhere, synth wave, t-woc, tolouse low trax, velvet cLeave a comment

Emotional Response presents Elsewhere LVI. the 4th of soFa’s compilation series. This double LP takes us to the darker side of the elsewhere ouvre, via another 12 artist / 12 track travelogue. With certain future-retro feelings, this is club music for the open minded. An album that roams from dreamy ambient territories to rhythmic patterns – internationalism for the adventurous DJ. Rusty slow-mo bangers and post-industrial synth-wave kidnap the listener to a dystopic and shady wasteland. Elements of ethnic folk, vintage vocoders and Gamelan samples all united on one homogeneous selection. With artists now known to welcoming new brethren, this is an audio trip to leave reality behind. Exotic, hypnotic, tactile, trance-inducing meditations, washed down with a spoonful of magic.

Job Jobse – Dekmantel Podcast 231

May 24, 2019May 22, 2019 hipodromedekmantel records, disco, electro, house, job jobse, new beatLeave a comment

Giovanni Damico – The Boogie Tracks [SC1215]

May 18, 2019April 13, 2022 hipodromealbum, disco, funk, giovanni damico, star creatureLeave a comment

Star Creature continuing it’s pursuit of bold LP’s, this time teaming up with Italian disco don, Giovanni Damico. With recent major dance floor releases on Lumberjacks In Hell & Kalakuta Soul, Damico shifts gears to his Italian roots to give us a modern funk twist on Italo & space time boogie.

JD Twitch – A7 Edits Volume 2 [A7E002]

May 18, 2019May 16, 2019 hipodromea7 edits, african, disco, edits, jd twitch, m'bamina, tala a.m.Leave a comment

A7 Edits is back with its second installment from JD Twitch (Optimo). Volume 2 offers two edits alongside their sought after original counterparts from Africa Seven favourites’ M’Bamina and Tala AM.

Ali Renault @ Hot Pony, Sameheads (Berlin) 23.03.2019

May 3, 2019April 26, 2019 hipodromeali renault, disco, electro, hot pony, italo-disco, sameheadsLeave a comment

Tiger & Woods – A.O.D. [RBLP13]

April 25, 2019April 26, 2019 hipodromealbum, disco, house, marco passarani, running back, tiger & woods, valerio delphiLeave a comment

What once started as an anonymous underground project with stamped white labels and a clever take on sampling, has since then unfolded to be one of the longest-running and most successful teams in current dance music. Nurtured by the sounds of the past and blessed with the techniques of today, the music of Tiger & Woods always kept evolving in and around the tropes of disco, house and boogie. Celebrating the 10th anniversary this year, Marco Passarani and Valerio Delphi managed to arrive at album number three. A.O.D. (adult oriented dance) is inspired by the faded buildings and images of discotheques on the Italian countryside, the romantic start and bittersweet endings of summer, beach life and the excitement of travelling through the landscape to get to aforementioned temples of dance and subsequently the morning after. Except for the 100% sample-free 1:00 am, everything on A.O.D. is based on a quiver of cleared samples from the Roman institution that is Claudio Donato and his Full Time and Goodymusic emporium. In Tiger & Woods hometown Rome, the often very electronic and futuristic sound of Italo Disco had a different twist. Much more boogie-based and influenced by the song-writing styles of New York City’s dance scene, it played in a league of its own. Tiger & Woods use these materials to take them apart, out of context and into contrasting areas. Molding something completely new, one gets fooled to recognize Sade songs that aren’t, pop music instrumentals and a reprise of memories that never existed. A ride through ones brain in a convertible with an Italian FM radio station playing in the background. Or to use less stiff poetry: a chill out album you can dance to or a dance album you can chill out to.

Khidja – In The Middle Of The Night [DFA2635]

April 25, 2019November 2, 2020 hipodromeandrei rusu, dfa records, disco, electro, experimental, florentin tudor, house, khidja, romanianLeave a comment

Romanian production duo Khidja present their first EP for DFA. With four tracks of inner city insomnia, The Middle Of The Night soundtracks the realm between being half awake and asleep. With jagged and pulsating synths and dubbed out howling vocals, we are left disorientated in the underground tunnels that connect the clubs of Bucharest, London, and Berlin. Summoning the spirits of Kraftwerk and John Carpenter, they cast a spell on the dancefloor that is a perfect addition to the ever-evolving DFA roster.

VA – Africa Airways Five (Brace Brace Boogie 1976 – 1982) [ASVN050]

April 21, 2019August 30, 2023 hipodromeafrica seven records, african, compilation, disco, funk, outernationalLeave a comment

The skies are calling and its time to board our trusty jet for the 5th outing of Africa Seven’s premiere class compilation Africa Airways. For volume 5 its time to brace yourselves for 10 slices of Afro boogie goodness. There’s a slightly different feel to the latest instalment of the fantastic “Africa Airways” compilation series. While previous instalments have largely focused on heavy Afro-funk and Afro-soul, this fifth edition showcases material recorded during the disco and boogie era (1976-82). The ten included tracks are superb, with highlights including the fuzzy, Clavinet-driven thrills of “Sweet Sidney (Edit)” by Black Bells Group, the heavy grooves and dancing synth lines of Gyedu Blay Ambolley’s “Highlife”, the spacey Afro-boogie badness of Fotso’s “French Girl” and the flash-fried disco-funk celebration that is Jide Obe’s spacey, Moog-sporting “Too Young”. As the old cliche goes, this is all killer and no filler.

Unknown Artist – Tropical Jam [TJE-003]

April 21, 2019August 30, 2023 hipodromeafrican, daniel lupica, disco, edits, outernational, tropical jam, vakulaLeave a comment

It’s been a fair old while since we last heard from Tropical Jam, the sneaky re-edit imprint from Vakula and Aussie crate digger Daniel Lupica. Surprisingly, this is the duo’s first 10-inch missive of humid, floor-friendly revisions since the summer of 2018. They begin in a suitably sunny mood, offering up an on-point rearrangement of a cheery, sax-laden Afro-synth workout that sounds like it originated in the early 1980s. The A-side also boasts a second bubbly synth workout, possibly of a South African cut from the same period, where jaunty Clavinet lines and male/female vocals rise above a sparse but funky groove. Side B, meanwhile, contains a more Balearic-minded electronic cut rich in lo-fi drum machine beats, dreamy chords, chiming lead lines and glassy-eyed vocal snippets.

Kyoto / Zoe Sinatra – Venetian Blinds / Mais Qu’Est-Ce Que Tu Fumes [STR012-026]

April 15, 2019August 9, 2019 hipodromedisco, kyoto, stroom, synth pop, zoe sinatraLeave a comment

”Venetian Blinds, bound to be partly closed for eternity, Offer a glimpse into a miniature of trompe-l’oeil and deceitful appearances. Time sometimes lets truth leak. Due to some obscure little schemes your name was never mentioned: Belinda de Bruyn, you sung with a glacial voice, shaping fantasies with surgical mastery.You were young, inexperienced, and very angry and deceived – and Kyoto’s song became a lone pop hit that never reached the charts. In the paranoid era that bred it, it should have. It has to. Give this ode to consenting voyeurism a second chance. Get the one you love a bouquet of black painted roses, this record and a venomous kiss.”

Artrax – Intersections #73

April 10, 2019April 9, 2019 hipodromeartrax, disco, electro, intersections, noods radio, synth popLeave a comment

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Peter Yamson / Tala A.M. – Afro Funk & Disco Gems Volume Ten [MUKAT064]

April 7, 2019August 30, 2023 hipodromeafrican, disco, funk, mukatsuku records, outernational, peter yamson, tala a.m.Leave a comment

Volume Ten of the Mukatsuku label’s Afro Funk & Disco Gems series has two more tracks released for the first time on a 7 inch in their own right. First up is Peter Yamson’s 80’s afro boogie feelgood masterpiece ”Everybody Dance” taken from the Sun On Africa album (mispelt on discogs as Sun Of Africa by the way!) and licenced directly from the artist. Infectious chorus and funk groove with Roy Ayeresque vibes and punchy brass. On the flipside from 1981 we get Get Up Tchamassi from french African group Tala AM which is a funk drenched heavy slap bass boogie mostly instrumental affair with female vocals and great sax playing and catchy rhythm guitar.

Alessandro Alessandroni – Background Disco [FLIESDJ03]

April 7, 2019November 26, 2020 hipodromealessandro alessandroni, disco, four flies records, funk, jazzLeave a comment

Just say ‘Background Disco’ and you’re quickly reminded of the super-groovy sound that pervaded certain sequences of 1970’s Italian films, generally set in discos or clubs with a strong presence of music. Soul, disco, and funk tracks playing in the background, between a dance on the floor and a glass of J&B at the counter, that were supposed not to overcome the dialogues. Two of these jewels, signed by Alessandroni for the sexy comedy Frittata all’italiana (1976, Alfonso Brescia), are proposed in a new edit designed for the dancefloor.

Thomas Leer – Saving Drum / Tight As A Drum [ERC075]

April 1, 2019April 1, 2019 hipodromebullion, cherry red, disco, electro, emotional rescue, emotional response recordings, synth pop, thomas leerLeave a comment

Emotional Rescue announces an EP with two (un)classic songs from Thomas Leer, remastered, reappraised and reinterpreted with new versions by Bullion. The release starts with ‘Saving Grace’, a long famous cosmic classic, it’s mid-tempo, spacey, lifting repetition is the perfect soundtrack for trips straight to the stars. This is backed with ‘Tight As A Drum’, a quintessential Leer production, where Teutonic drums is overlaid with sequencers and synth tones to elevate the song to some kind of disorientating outer-dimensional dub, while his lucid, spoken word vocals instill degradation and reinvention. Bullion is offering his own take on these two songs. A revered artist in his own time, the warmth and depth of his versions takes the originals to his own inner world.