New Detroit group Tranzistors pay tribute to Warhol, Studio 54, and Xanadu on their new single “Zanadu.” Three versions remixed by night club luminaries: San Serac (Environ), 100 Limosines (Detroit), and Jackie O’Body’s School of Dance (aka Samuel Consiglio, ex-Adult + Tamion 12″ Inch). Take off your shirts and start dancin’.
The inherent romanticism of Italo Disco has always lent the genre a more esoteric edge, and with this Cyber Dance release, Antoni Maiovvi seems intent on creating a narrative that cannot be contained by a simple dance track. This is not to say that both “Impulse” and “Requiem for Clarence Boddiker” are not suited to club play. They both pound down with that staccato urgency, and equally rise and fall through moments of intensity and serenity. It’s just that, at 12 and 11 minutes respectively, both sides of this record have ample room in which to tell a more involved story.
Discos Capablanca is back… and you know its hot when they drop it! Two excellent edits from CVLT, somewhere between wave / cosmic / flamenco / psych blues.
Surahn is the newest signing to DFA Records and he made his debut with his self titled EP. The single “Watching The World” was rearranged by the Norwegian disco legend Prins Thomas. Mr. Thomas takes the song and flips it into one of the best, most delightful arpeggiated disco-pop 12″ singles DFA has had the privilege of releasing.
Medical Records presents the groundbreaking electronic classic “Explorer” and its sister LP “Yellow Power” by Tony Carey. (a keyboard whiz from California) In the mid-late 1970’s, he moved to Germany and began working in Peter Hauke’s studio. Here a reissue of the highly-sought after “Explorer” LP along with “Yellow Power” as a 2LP package. Rumor has it that “Explorer” was intended to be demos for the “Yellow Power”. Eventually both of these brilliant LPs were released on X Records in 1982. “Explorer” is the more stripped down almost proto-techno meets synthed out Italo disco while “Yellow Power” has a more polished, well-rounded and produced sound with a different array of instrumentation and alteration in mood. The tracks on “Yellow Power” seem to convey a futuristic sci-fi Japanese motif which possibly explains the beautiful airbrushed samurai warrior on the original cover. Some tracks have sparse vocal samples such as on the lovely “Peking Duck” and “Queen of Scots”.
The Hunger (1983) directed by the recently deceased Tony Scott and starring David Bowie, Susan Sarandon and Catherine Deneuve has been the inspiration that Alek has served to make this album. On side A, I Love You Forever, a theme to the purest style Italo where rhythms coalesce with the power of the vocoder and melodies you trap to melt in the bass line. In this same face remixes of high-level made by two of the producers who admire and which stands out the Synth Alien vocoders or the incredible Kid Machine solo, and how they have adapted the original song to your own style. On the b-side, far more serious, in which the concept of the album is more evident, presents three tracks filled with impossible arpeggios, analog warmth and layers of melodies full of feelings in which Alek Stark demonstrates his Italo disco love.
Hot release from this New York Low Life Inc label. Dust drops two killer Italo disco tracks named Past Future and Dark Pleasure. As bonus a cover version of Phuture’s Your Only Friend. ‘Past Future’, a dark tale of esoteric disco disquietude starring the cosmic diva Angela Chambers on Side A and Seoul/Brooklyn based Greem Jellyfish with a cover of Phuture’s ‘Your Only Friend’ on the flip!
Robbie M, from the Midnight Express Show Band “Danger Zone” fame, finally releases tracks from his extensive RAM MUSIC PRODUCTIONS catalog. 10 titles total featuring 5 lost instrumental synth funk riders, and 5 classic club multi-tracks. Over 40 minutes to smooth your evening, lay back on and vibe. Robbie’s mood is infectious and delivers with every chord and melody. Prepare yourself for “Let’s Groove”.
Synth funk album by Atlanta Georgia artist Moon B released on Peoples Potential Unlimited. There’s a strong boogie presence across the 11 untitled tracks, but it doesn’t stop at your usual sleazy fare. There are also plaintive moments of refined introspection, and a constant display of production skills, albeit draped in the crust and charm of those archaic music-making means. If you’re a fan of the likes of Dam-Funk and can’t enough of that heady 80s funk flex, then this record should have you bumping and grinding for months to come.
Massive 7″ with two cuts, based on seventies turkish samples and edited into the tracks with additional Moog.
Tornado Wallace with a new EP on ESP Institute. Tree killer tunes from starting with “BIT 1”, a hypnotic groove with a deep bass and slow arpeggiated synths. “Cloud Country” follows with a space-like electro vibe while the title track on the flip opts for a sweet atmospheric feel and more outer space attitude.
Pharaohs is a live band from Los Angeles including blossoming producers Suzanne Kraft, Ale Cohen and surfer/synth-geek, Sam Cooper. Side A leads with “Ahumbo” (named after Sam’s dream beach in Zanzibar), blending a dry and simplistic rhythm section with swelling synth chords, a cheeky vocal and a vibrant surf guitar. The title track “Island Time,” a bouncy jungle vibe with chant about tropical fruits, a reminder that its always Summer somewhere. Side B doles out “If It Ever Feels Right,” a percussive House jam that is literally a JAM.
Bohemian Groove are taking their inspiration from the infamous Bohemian Club, a conclave of powerful men who met annually at the Bohemian Grove campground in California to plan world-changing developments including the Manhattan Project. The three puppetmasters of the Groove make machine-based body music connecting the dots between house, techno, and something altogether uncategorizable. Now they are unleashing their first standalone dance manifesto in the form of the “High Jinks” / “Low Jinks” EP, with remixes by Gilb’r and Photonz.
A mix done 4 hands by Intergalactic Gary and D Cosmo to celebrate the upcoming party at Club Zukunft the 16th of February 2013.
Dj Kent aka The Backwoods on Jolly Jams with Breakthrough. On the flipside, for your extra dancing pleasure Dj Kaos take the song into new spacey places Chicago electrofunk excursions, with an hyponotic bassline and some killer synths.
Two discoid house cuts by Soundstream on his own label. On “Julie’s Theme”, there’s some unabashed delay rippling going on, but still that ever-loving disco groove sits underneath in the bassline on the one and the natural hand claps. On the flip, the disco is thoroughly loud and proud, with “Inferno” resplendent in searing Philly strings and slinky bass that was built for grooving.
The Hipodrome Of Music 