The Berlin-based musical polymath SIRS (Sounds in Real Stereo) returns to his own Sirsounds Records imprint serving up more sumptuous original compositions on the searingly good ‘The East Is Near EP.’ SIRS has elegantly produced and cleverly arranged spicy and exotic cuts for different moments of the dance, however they all have something in common – an Eastern touch.
Tema di Susie’ is one of the main themes from the soundtrack composed by Alessandro Alessandroni for the 1976 Italian noir ‘Sangue di sbirro’, known in English as ‘Blood and Bullets’. At once sweet and sentimental, haunting and melancholic, ‘Tema di Susie’ stands out from the other tracks in the film, which are more action oriented. Like the rest of the score, however, it exemplifies the way in which, during the ’70s, Italian film composers created their own version of the sound of American blaxploitation cinema, with its groovy blend of funk, jazz, and soul. Neapolitan duo Fratelli Malibu have taken Alessandroni’s melodic theme and woven it into a mesmerizing tapestry of rhythmic beats, world percussion and ethereal atmospheres. Drawing inspiration from funk/Afrobeat, synth-pop and Italo-disco, they’ve conjured a psychedelic-tinged, afro-cosmic groove that’s bound to transport you to another dimension. On the B-side we have a vocal retouch version, courtesy of the Italian funk/soul collective Banda Maje. Their vocalists, Chiara Della Monica and Cristina Cafiero, elegantly infuse cinematic and Balearic vibes into the mix, paying a wonderful homage to Fratelli Malibu’s exquisite arrangement.
South African production duo of Emil Zoghby and John Galanakis were responsible for a string of high-quality disco singles in the early 80s, typically cover versions of international hits — Klein & MBO’s ‘The Big Apple’, Sly & the Family Stone’s ‘Family Affair’ & David Joseph’s ‘You Can’t Hide (Your Love From Me)’ — backed with their own compositions. When Starlight hit the market with an album in 1983, it featured only one cover, the local hit ‘Picnic’, along with five of the duo’s original compositions, including their similarly styled response, ‘Picnicing’, which replaces the original’s sax with spaced-out synth stabs. Then there’s ‘Jah Jah Love’, an ecstatic disco sermon of dancefloor dynamite weighing in at over eight and a half minutes. Other tracks on this landmark album — ‘Let’s Go Dancing (Boogie Boogie)’, ‘Keep On Moving’ and an eponymous instrumental — offer a similar fusion of classic disco with newer Italo and proto-house influences: machine music with a human touch. Remastered from the original master tapes and reissued for the first time, Starlight is available on vinyl and digital platforms, 40 years after its initial release, via Afrosynth Records.
Recorded live at Hell on Earth (Winter Dance II), in Adelaide on 12th August 2023
Antoni Maiovvi has made a name for himself for 15 years with a multitude of releases on Tusk Wax, Vivod, Omnidisc, Giallo Disco, Italo Moderni or even Bordello a Parigi. Emeritus producer, influenced by obscure disco, synth disco or italo disco, his sound is definitely analog. His magnificent EP is a concentrate of all his influences and more. This is his debut for Skylax’ sub-label dedicated to this specific genre, Cosmic Club.
Alan Strani returns to Bordello with a remix package of his album title track ‘Apocalypso’ featuring I:Cube, Lauer, In Flagranti and himself on remix duties.
First 7” release from Dressel Amorosi, the duo of Federico Amorosi (bass) and Valerio Lombardozzi (keys, synth & programming). Halfway between cosmic-funk and Italo-disco, the two tracks on this release are infused with the fusion- and electronic-oriented spirit of late ’70s and early ’80s Italian soundtracks and library music. “Synthporn”, on side A, is a midtempo instrumental with a voluptuous electronic feel, a mixture of glamour and retrofuturism driven by Amorosi’s pulsating bass and Lombardozzi’s elegant oscillators. “Cargo”, on the flip side, brings infectious ’80s dance vibes to the table with a warm slice of synth-pop that can fit any scenario and filmic mood, from action to comedy.
MEGABREAKZ is the brainchild of the collaboration between Oráculo Records, M.U.S.A. and Ombra Festival. It’s born to be a tribute to the iconic Valencia sound of the late 80s, when the city was a global epicenter of dance music, avant-garde exploration and cutting-edge creativity. First part comes from Robert Cosmic, 80% Baul, Eddie Gotelé and Synths Versus Me.
NYC Records presents “Percussion in Space, Part 2” from Kozmik Funk, a fresh trio of drum-focused rollers that keep the beats front and centre and weave subtle threads of synth around them for a heads-down experience that will delight DJs and dancers alike. Space Disco/Nu Disco/Deep House heaven.
‘Fog’ is one of most obscure and dark italo instrumental works done in 1984 late at night in Riccardo Cioni’s garage/studio by his trusty Stephen Head experimenting on PPG Wave 2.2, Linn 9000 and Phophet 5. Mondo Groove release this 12″ 45rpm involving 4 key figures of analog electro: Morgan Geist, Tiger & Woods, N.O.I.A. and Daniele Baldelli & Marco Dionigi.
Slow Motion Records long-standing member and renowned, Italian Dance Wave selector Giulia Gutterer compiles a collection of tracks illustrating her distinctive taste. With Iconic releases from label heads Fabrizio Mammarella and Franz Scala, along with genre-solidifying productions from the likes of Ma Spaventi, Altieri, Francisco and Tjor.
The musical cosmos is set to bestow upon us a celestial gem that shall set dancefloors ablaze and hearts aflutter. It is none other than the enigmatic Marco Passarani aka David Woods of Tiger & Woods, the sonic alchemist who has been tantalizing our senses with his kaleidoscopic grooves. Imagine a voyage through a wormhole that transcends time and space, landing you smack dab in the midst of a euphoric dancefloor utopia. This upcoming opus, yet to be bestowed upon the masses, promises to be a magnum opus of cosmic proportions. David Woods has summoned their sonic forces to curate a soundscape that defies convention, much like a comet hurtling through the night sky, leaving trails of sonic stardust in its wake.
This compilation brings together for the first time diverse Peruvian musical groups that immersed themselves in dance music following the codes brought by the disco revolution. As a phenomenon of a new culture, the global dissemination of disco music had various variations and reformulations. The way it took root in Peru constitutes a fascinating yet underexplored history, despite the numerous recordings that came to light, mainly in the 1980s, running parallel to the boom of Peruvian tropical music, the emergence of a new pop rock scene, and the widespread use of synthesizers and electronic drums. And even though the groups were eclectic and moved across various musical genres, their dance music hits have now become cult pieces.
Mondo Groove is one of the leading purveys or disco, Italo and nu-disco and it has been for ages. This new and limited 12″ is packed with four hard to find gems from between the years of 1983 and 1988. They have all been taken from the original master tapes for this special reissue. Camomilla’s chugging and snappy ‘Queen Of The Night’ opens up with a squelchy arp and heavenly melodies, Noa-Noa gets more cosmic and De Dion offers the drama and neon colour of ‘Sexy Cola’ with a fine extended version while Sandy Samuel’s ‘I Like Sado Music’ is a loose limbed percussive workout.
Dan Lacksman is a Belgian electronic music pioneer who co-founded the Electro Pop Dance formation Telex and is credited for their classic ‘Moskow Diskow.’ He also worked under the Transvolta name but put out only one single, 1978’s impossibly hard-to-find classic ‘Disco Computer.’ Dan himself has carefully remastered the original for this special 12″ reissue. It’s still a retro-future sound all these years later with the signature talk box vocals and sleek drum machines under cosmic synths. On the flip is a long version of ‘You Are Disco’ which is a similar vibe but with a slightly more lively groove and vocal. Two serene dancefloor gems by any standards.
“Turkish Disco Folk – Volga Nehri” is a fantastic Turkish psychedelic disco folk track that sounds from the original 1970s. Funky sound with moog organ, bass guitar even fat synth bass riffs and double drum tunes. Carefully reworked from the master tape by Arşivplak, Olgay Neke and SIRS.
The Turkish-psych band Altın Gün return with a two-song summer remix single. The two tracks feature the remixing talents of Altın Gün band members Jasper Verhulst (bass) and Chris Bruining (percussion). Both Verhulst and Bruining are always searching for new ways of (re) creating music and these remixes were one way to discover new paths in the music they fashion as part of Altın Gün. Kalk Gidelim is a cumbia driven remix, inspired by the cumbia villera of Argentina, while Su Sızıyor is a digidub style remix with lots of King Tubby inspired reverbs and phasers.
Its been 8 years of underground raves in Berlin under the Malka Tuti umbrella. In order to celebrate it they unleash a series of digital releases titled Tanzers. The idea is to release one of these small compilations every few months, in order to share some secret weapons from those parties. This compilation presents fresh tracks by label alumni Plazmot, Yovav & Khidja, an unreleased remix by Odopt & Lipelis to a track from Linja’s debut album on the label from 2020 and the first entry on the label from UK artist Forever Sound.
The Hipodrome Of Music 