Emotional Rescue’s killer Bob Chance 7″ makes a welcome return sporting some new blue artwork. Two versions are included: the original 7″ version, driven along by a razor-sharp guitar riff and sweetly lamenting lyrics, topped off with weird cosmic synths and galloping rhythm. However, the real gem is the edit entitled “Wild It’s Broken” which sharpens the focus of the guitar and adds some serious kick to the drums to create a beefy counterpart to the new age original.
Philippe Krootchey was a musician, DJ, radio and television host born in Versailles, France in 1954. In 1984 Krootchey released his debut single Qu’est c’qu’il a (d’plus que moi ce négro là)’ on disco label Casablanca Records. Subsequently the single was re-released the same year but sung in English as Whatazzy’. For this release he teamed up with former Love International bandmate Fred Versailles, who shared his love for Kraftwerk and Yellow Magic Orchestra as well as glam rock and 70’s black American soul music. Fred remembers, The idea was to send a message about racism against black people with a humorous tone. The French title translates to What has this nigger got, that I do not have’ Reversing the racial scales, Philippe (who is black) would get the girls and the fame, making white people jealous. It was Philippe’s tactful way to joke about racism he had experienced and overcame.’ The result is a slick synthetic funk and electro boogie reminiscent of Grandmaster Flash and Afrika Bambata. Philippe rap and subverting racism at the same time. On the B-side is Voodoo’ a slowed down instrumental dub version that stretches out the original to over 7-minutes. Sadly on September 2, 2004 Philippe Krootchey died of a cerebral aneurysm, just short of celebrating his 50th birthday.
Berceuse Heroique pluck four percivals from Dutch disco DJ supremo, Loud-E’s Loudiefied [2008] album of edits, plonking them on one fine 12” for DJ use and exercise. You get four choice picks, a symphonic strut, a belting Afro-psych bit, some electrified rutting gear and a killer slow-mo stroke to close.
Shara Music presents “Acid Last” from Owen Ezard, owner of Shara Music, an EP that comes with 4 very effective cuts of slow vibes. As appetizer presents “First reload” a cover letter to open the appetite giving some clues of the tracks that follow …. acid at soft speed to start the walk by enveloping sounds that take us to the second proposal,”Acid Last ” where Owen develops an acidic sequence that evolves until getting into his spiral. And with some more bpms comes the wonderful remix by our beloved favorite Italian, Fabrizio Mammarella. the main course shines with percussions influence of Alien Alien, mysterious synthesizers taken from outer space and cosmic sound that will make lose your head … Last but not least comes “Break & Slow” with your hypnotic voices will guide you towards the exit of this labyrinth of Eclectic sounds that surely will not leave you indifferent …
Timothy J. Fairplay is revisiting Hoga Nord Rekords to release the 12inch EP Mindfighter: photosensitive electronic music from one of the pillars of the modern meaningful dance music scene. Together with Scott Frasier, T.J.F. is running the record label ‘Crimes Of The Future’ and he is also known as one half of The Asphodells together with Andrew Weatherall. This is his second release on Hoga Nord Rekords and his first EP on the label.
Some things are just too good to be hidden from view. That’s certainly the case with Things To Think About, the first album from Dutch electronic music legend Steve Rachmad’s lesser-known Sterac Electronics project. It’s a while, though, since the public has been treated to a heavy dose of Sterac Electronics material. He first established the alias at the turn of the millennium, primarily as an outlet for hardware-driven electro music shot through with funk and soul. Recently, Rachmad and Tom Trago decided to revisit the Sterac Electronics archive, discovering a killer collection of cuts created at different points over the course of the last 15 years. Now 9 of those spellbinding hardware jams have been gathered together for the first time on Things To Think About, a warm, rich and evocative collection of electro-fuelled workouts that giddily pay tribute to the music of Rachmad’s youth.
Submitted to the IntergalacticFM Demo Contest in 2010, Space Cat, was a hit for all that tuned in and a personal favourite of I-F who jammed it plenty on his Bottomless Pit show. A vinyl release looked promising but never came to fruition for unknown reasons. Several rumors swirled and cryptic messages posted to the internet before Yellow Beach Balls all but disappeared. Almost 7 years to the date of the demo contest and we still don’t know the story behind Yellow Beach Balls, but we do get the release of the Space Cat EP including 3 lo-fi synth-pop tracks to join the aforementioned title-track.
Argentinian disco maestro Ric Piccolo with four slamming cuts on the sixth Violette Szabo release.
The return of Timothy J Fairplay sees tracks from his 2 EPs on Emotional Response remixed on one special release. Four favourite producers chosen to bring new dimensions to his brooding, shuffling electronics, featuring Scientific Dreamz Of U, Alessandro Parisi, Perseus Trax and Antenna.
Khidja are back on Malka Tuti and this combo cannot and will not dissappoint. They continue their current direction of leftfield-club music exploration, this time in the form of Microb, a track that is a wolrd of its own, fusioning heavy industrial vibes with their own take of “worldly music” to create this peak time dancefloor bonanza. On the flip side Salon Des Amateurs Tolouse Low Trax delievers two takes on the original track, stripped down and turned upside down, adding those Massive vocals. These takes are hypnotic as they are groovey and they complete a unique package for the modern dance floor explorers.
The second Driftmusic release coming from Antoni Maiovvi. Further explorations of the deepest roots of Avrokosm, where occult still means hidden. Three cuts of electronic will, from the primordial ooze with a desire to simply be. Out of the gate, crown of light, come on, come on, this is now. Twisted 808s, melodic tripmuzik seduction, like the flares of 1000 suns. Swim through space with us.
Originally released in 1986, “Alkaid” was the first solo release of DECA following his debut appearance on the cult various artists compilation “Angelo Segreti”. The original edition was published in a tiny edition on the independent Italian label Videoradio and to this day remains a rare and sought after album. Following Mothball and Bordello’s continued work with DECA, they make this diverse and fascinating collection of music available to a wider audience. On this instrumental LP we can hear elements of modern classical, synth-pop, dark ambient and even some middle eastern influence.
An update of Robot Jam’s music and riddim in a true Caribbean sense, Yonge Street is a freestyle remix and comes in the original’s Parts 1 & 2, plus a special Discomix by rising tape manipulator, Jonny 5. Following Robot Jam on Crosby Records, the Jacobs’ husband and wife team released a series of soca 12”s for Eddy Grant’s Ice Records in the following years. However, come 1988 and they decided to return to the electro flavours that had garnered considerable interest, reworking the Robot Jam tapes to create a new version for release on Straker’s Records in Brooklyn. Running for over 30 years from the early 70s to late 90s, Granville Straker’s label was a cornerstone of the soca scene releasing main stays, reggae stars and what have become highly sought rarities such as Yonge Street and The Rebles’ Sweetest Taboo. In Yonge Street again the cut-up samples are there, topped with a fresh bass line and Carl’s own rap attack. While Part 1 acts as straight up vocal version, Part 2 swerves towards scat-megamix stylings that work in their own right. However, as with the ”Disco Giant” series of 2015, this one-off return hands the tapes over for a modern reinterpretation. With acclaimed releases for Bahnsteig 23 and Power Cuts, plus an upcoming EP for Pleasure Wave, Jonny 5 has finally made the leap from respected CBS Forum oracle, DJ and collector with a penchant from dub to obscuro European cold wave and post punk oddities to finally sit in the producer’s chair. After sending the label a personal mix made for his own use, he was hauled in to the studio to officially cut, mix, arrange and dub a long-form Discomix in the truest sense that perfectly creates a dance floor retake that might well be heard from boat parties off the Dalmatian cost to the open air street parties of Sao Paulo and all over festivals across the green fields of Europe.
The fourth volume of the strictly for retro club use series Lineabeat sees two of our most prolific producers deliverer the goods on a double a-side release. A pair of slick electro-disco chuggers that blend the familiar with contemporary and will fit into a wide variety of DJ’s sets.
With Fly by Night Music now celebrating their fifth year of operation, Lorenzo has marked the occasion by assembling his biggest project to date – an impeccably curated collection of obscure Italian production music circa 1974 – 1985. The project, nearly a year in the making, has been very close to Lorenzo’s heart – beginning unexpectedly in the record fairs of Buenos Aires and leading him on several trips to Rome and Milan, tracking down the original musicians and licensors. ”In this compilation, I have tried to include some of the most interesting cuts I have collected over the years. Tracks like the entirely electronic ”Nitrogen” from Alberto Baldan Bembo’s ”Sound Orchestra” LP on Star Track Records, featuring a wild evolving bassline leading us through frantic rhythmic experimentations. ”In the Space”, by French born composer Albert Verrecchia and taken from Italian poliziesco drama ‘Il Tempo Degli Assasini’ (Season for Assasins), tells the tale of wistful longing, played out with serenity on strings and keys, but unexpected interruption from its stop-start arrangement brings an unforeseen tension into the mix… And how could I not include the wonderfully charming ”Screw Driver” by Fabio Fabor, from his collaborative album ”Superman” with a young Antonio Arena. Featuring an orchestra of beautifully programmed ARP and Oberheim sonorities alongside the Commodore 64 programmed graphical artwork by Antonio Arena himself.” The music itself was partly sourced from Lorenzo’s own collection, archived and then restored especially for this release. Where possible, tracks (such as ”Vision”, ”Nitrogen” and ”Blue Magnolia”) have been lifted directly from the original master tapes kindly lent by the repertoire owners. Every track, however, has been carefully restored, remastered and cut for vinyl by the cautious hands of Andreas [LUPO] Lubich at Calyx Mastering, Berlin.
A twelve-minute samba doido do-over by the Chicago house don, a long-time fan. ‘A toughened groove and gorgeous swirls of synth and pad embellishments, as Ron’s remix takes Azymuth’s futuristic disco even deeper.’
