M&G – When I Let You Down [DE159]

M&G was the duo of Maurizio “Sangy” Sangineto and Mirko Galli from Vicenza, Italy. Sangy began his music career in 1979 with Italian disco group Firefly and recorded a solo album ”Steps” in 1980. Two years later he co-founded Italo-disco band The Creatures and synth-funk crossover act The Armed Gang. He met young DJ Mirko Galli at L’Altro Mondo Studios in Rimini. In 1986 the pair spent a few days at Sandy Dian’s Recording Studio working on what would become their sole 12” maxi single “When I Let You Down”/ “Boogie Tonight” released on Sensation Records.

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M&G – When I Let You Down [DE159]

VA – New York Disco: Danceteria 1981-85 [ZAUM27]

NEW YORK DISCO - Danceteria 1981-85

Fantastic 4 track EP of rare underground new wave disco tracks: John King ”Munich”, Klaus Schultz ”Macksy”, Escape from New York ”Save Our Love” and Wobble/Edge/Holger/Liebezeit ”Hold on to your dreams” produced by Francois Kevorkian. A must for fans of Italo, Krautrock, Moroder.

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VA – New York Disco: Danceteria 1981-85 [ZAUM27]

Marcello Giombini – Computer Disco [MGLP101]

GIOMBINI, Marcello - Computer Disco

One of the greatest euro synthi-disco album of early 80’s finally reprint by Mondo Groove Records. Original released in 1982, “Computer Disco” is the most Kraftwerk-ian italian production. Marcello Giombini was a pioneer of early sequencers and in this cult LP produced cheesey cosmic synth pop a little bit italo disco oriented. Every fan of 70/80’s synthesizer music and electronic djs should put in his collection if they not already possess the extremely rare original edition.

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Marcello Giombini – Computer Disco [MGLP101]

East Wall – Silence [DE145]

East Wall was an Italian electronic dark wave band started by Fabrizio Chiari (ex keyboardist of Kirlian Camera) and Wilma Notari in 1982. After a series of demos and live performances, the duo recruited Angelo Bergamini of Kirlian Camera to help with arrangement and synthesizers. They released their debut single ‘Eyes Of Glass’ in 1985 which had huge success in Germany, leading to a deal with ZYX. By 1991 the band consisted of Fabrizio Chiari (Synthesizer, Electronics, Keyboards), Tiziana Wells (Vocals, Synthesizer) and Angelo Bergamini (Synthesizer, Piano, Arrangement). At the beginning of the year, they recorded their next batch of songs at Prominence Studio in Cremona and A Love Sound Studio in Piacenza. “Silence” was self released by the band in 1991. The lead track ‘Silence’ was a left-over song by Kirlian Camera recorded in 1985 with vocals by Simona Buja under the alias Lorenza Larini. It was recorded largely using a variety of now-classic Roland, Yamaha, and Oberheim synthesizers. The album displays East Wall’s maturity and unique aesthetics, with instrumental pieces reminiscent of Angelo Badalamenti’ Twin Peaks score. Tiziana Wells sings with pure emotion, hypnotic at times, upbeat and carefree at others. Frankie Teardrop (of the Wierd party and the Systems of Romance blog) describes this album as “possibly the closest thing to darkwave freestyle that exists.’ We decided to expand the album, releasing it as a deluxe double LP cut louder at 45 RPM. We have also included an unreleased extended version of ‘Ice Of Fire’ and the bonus track ‘Intro’, found on the DAT tapes Fabrizio Chiari sent us.

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East Wall – Silence [DE145]

Casionova – Subspace Transmission 2 [MW011]

Continuing where ‘Subspace Transmission 1’ left off Casionova brings another triple-tracker 12″ of synth jams and dancefloor grooves ranging from the merciless bass-driven Mecha-disco assault of ‘Droids Night Out’ to the epic, booming and deep bass box-jam ‘Magic Touch’ and with the galloping, mystical and hypnotic ‘Necromancer’s Spell’ sandwiched in between – for those who like their electro-disco raw and relentless.

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Casionova – Subspace Transmission 2 [MW011]

Ali Renault – Altro Mondo [BAP066]

Ali Renault lands on Bordello A Parigi with a four tracker of leftfield electro pop. ‘Altro Mondo’ screams out of the traps, bulbous bass lines elbow sweetened chords and snapping beats. ‘Fume’ grows from the same soil. Analogue warmth is brushed, even bruised, by the crack and whip of rhythms; a touch of EBM bitterness blended with Italo hope. Nowhere is this more evident than in…’Nowhere’, a buckled dancefloor romp with the king of Milano, Fred Ventura, offering vocals. Uabos maintains the tension for the finale, uplifting house currents coursing through his remix of ‘Lenticular’.

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Ali Renault – Altro Mondo [BAP066]

Forklift & Saw – Regressive Disco [BAP068]

Andrea Pellegrinelli and Davide Brugola are two men born and bred in the traditions of italo and electro disco. The duo, as Forklift & Saw, release their debut 12″, Regression, as they melt past influences into the present. Meandering hooks, emotion soaked keys and snapping rhythms are at the centre of this Milan partnership’s music. Across four tracks the pair delivers crashing snares, starlit synths and rumbling arpeggiators. Infectious full bodied funk oozes from this fledgling outfit, crisp percussion supporting their night gazing melodies.

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Forklift & Saw – Regressive Disco [BAP068]

VA – RDY #33 (Ron Hardy Edits) [RDY033]

HARDY, Ron/PATRICK COWLEY/KING SPORTY & THE EXTRAS/STRAFE - RDY #33

Threemore edits from one of the original house music creator Ron Hardy. Patrick Cowley – Mind Warp, King Sporty & the ExTras – Haven’t Been Funked Enough, Strafe – Set It Off (instrumental).

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VA – RDY #33 (Ron Hardy Edits) [RDY033]

Expansives – Life With You [DE131]

Gianluigi “Gigi” Farina and Francesco Rago are to be counted among Italo disco’s true originators. Operating as a duo under many monikers, they brought us masterpieces such as Wanexa’s “The Man From Colours”, ‘Lectric Workers’ “Robot Is Systematic”, and Decadance’s “On And On”. Their sound is propulsive and ethereal in equal measure – dense, psychedelic, and tinged with melancholy. Their first composition was under the name Expansives. “Life With You” was recorded in Milan in 1981 and released on Leader Records in 1982, and features then 16-year old Xenia Monneret on lyric-writing duties. They wanted to incorporate a more electronic sound to break the classic disco mold, and in the process, they created an early, raw example of what would come to be known as Italo Disco. A thumping bass synth and processed drums set the groove, while Francesco sings of his loneliness. Tension is released when he later breaks into a Bee Gees-esque falsetto, but in the context of such an unusual song, the uncanny becomes familiar, the familiar becomes uncanny. Unfortunately they were not able to afford a professional recording studio and had to re-record each take over the same reel of tape. This caused a subtle surface noise buzz that adds to the warm analog feel of the song. On the B-side is the instrumental version with extended breaks, drum claps and dubbed out bass line.

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Expansives – Life With You [DE131]