Zaratustra is a young French producer strongly inspired by indie dance, italo disco, EBM, new beat, acid and ethnic music. This track symbolizes the perfect mix of rock, italo and EBM and STOLT strikes the blow with one of his finest vocal performances. Comes with a Lauer rearanging.
A hard one to put in a box when it comes to genre, floating somewhere between italo and synth pop, originally released in Switzerland in 1985. “Underboard” is very cool paced downtempo number that builds up with layers of subtle percussion lusciously adorned by some heavy saxy reedsmanship and mysterious vocal accents with no real message – 100% chill o’clock served on ice. “Cedar Of Lebanon” picks up the tempo a notch, once again setting the scene for the reeds to shine as the catchy melody is presented, beautiful 80’s instrumentalism from a golden age, clearly not made in Ableton. B side features a respectful DJ tool style remix by Anatolian Weapons.
Recorded live at Hell on Earth (Winter Dance II), in Adelaide on 12th August 2023
Rome’s Andy Romano joins the Bordello family with his long-awaited debut release. These tracks were shelved for more than 10 years and floating around between a handful of DJ’s after Andrea Confrancesco chose a different path in his creative career by becoming a professional illustrator. The A-side makes space for the almost 10 minutes long monster anthem “Monday”. A killer composition in typical Romano fashion and on repeat at the Bordello HQ for many years. The flipside starts with the very catchy love ballad “Loredane” featuring the master himself on vocals, followed by the galactic journey “Cyber Black Spaceship”.
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.
Since 2014, Silas Schletterer has been part of the Bordello A Parigi family. Under his Machinegewehr guise, the Rotterdam artist released three show-stopping synth centred records. 2023 sees him put out his fourth, Life. Burbling arpeggios, a signature of his sound, are present for “Sans.” Clever inviting melodies, another feature of Schletterer’s style, mix beautifully with clean percussion and samples for a definite dancefloor favourite. The title work follows. Measured and meditative, “Life” employs a familiar sound palette with very different outcomes. The pulsations, the throb, of Machinegewehr is there, but there is a considered melancholy that brins a bittersweet balance to the piece. Steady kicks and vocal snippets introduce “Pills.” Shifting melodies, piano stabs, driving rhythms and spoken word come together to create a heady brew of sheer pleasure. Vocals are central in the closer. “Neurons” narrates a fantastical story of subdued sci-fi sorrows and wistful yearning, all to a silken synth-pop soundtrack. A welcome return from a multifaceted musician.
‘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.
Guadalajara’s My Boy Roy returns to Wrong Era with an anthemic edit of Boytronic’s ‘Hold on’ for the A UFO free edit series. He gives the original a respectful, powerful re-arrangement and layers on his percussion his signature lift.
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.
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.
Dark Vektor is a veteran DJ/producer from Terrassa (Spain). Here he make his debut release for the Spanish label from Toledo, Banshees Records. The EP drives through from electro, new beat, italo and EBM. Includes also a Ramon Moya remix.
An essential part of the European disco history… “Livin’ Up” and “Stop” by B.W.H., these two tracks are true ‘milestones’ and Italo-Disco in the purest form. B.W.H is Stefano Zito (aka Black Way), Stefano Galante, and the late Carlo Favilli, “Stop” is dubbed “the best B-side ever!”, but “Livin’ Up” is also incredible, making this vinyl the hottest 12″ ever assembled in the Italo Domain and for decades incredibly underrated.
The song „Pulstar“ by Hypnosis from 1983 is considered to be one of the great highlights of the Italo Disco Spacesynth era and is now released as a colored 12“ vinyl in a strictly limited edition.
Vibe Impact is back with two italo body tracks, cutted for the dancefloor. “Awakening”, more cosmic, is carried by powerful lead and pad. “Animal Dance” seems to be the dark side of the artist, more industrial, more metallic but always cosmic. Bizzarro Universe delivers a pure Italo ravy remix. To close the release, Marcus Christiansen brings an even more marked cosmic side, always carried by pad that he masters marvelously.
Ricardo Baez draws on many influences. Electro, house, synth-pop and italo are pillars of the Italian artist’s unique style. The Florence based musician arrives at the Bordello with ‘On and On’. Featuring Curses, the opener is a floor-filler. Known for his EBM-stained wave works, this vocal mix is a late night Summer romp. Crisp percussion and warm bass lines usher in addictive hooks and throaty vocals from Luca Venezia. The original version follows. Lyrics are stripped back allowing the upbeat synth play to take the limelight. Cascading notes announce the flip. “Sfida Notturna” is built on delicate drum patterns and arc of string before breaking to a heady dawn. “Dietro L’orizzonte” brings the curtain down. Toms and cinematic synthlines introduce rasping rhythms and vocoder samples. The piece is perfectly measured, fragile keys ascend next cymbal crashes and computer voice. Sumptuous sounds from the north of Italy.
2023 official repress of the EP originally released in 2015 by the Swiss/German production team “Jack Pattern”. Electronic music with italo-disco influences at the highest level.
An Italian disco classic produced by one of Italy’s top disco pop entrepreneurs – Constantino Paolini – featuring the voice of Vesuvian actress and TV personality Patrizia Pellegrino. “Musica Spaziale” is a fast paced synthy disco number adorned with signorina Pellegrino’s silky smooth vocals, featuring lusty cosmic nuanced lyrics that arguably invite the listener to some form of astral bliss in the company of the blond starlet. A classic amongst collectors and specialists of the genre, made available to your record collections once again without having to sell any of your kidneys. In addition, also an extended edit, that patiently slows down the tempo but also extends this cosmic climax on the dancefloor in a manner respectful to the original masterpiece, allowing the dancers to savor every moment of this celestial voyage without all the rush of the 7″ version . Flip it and things get propelled in direction to some other acidic orbits with DJ Asshole’s tripped out downtempo 8′ intervention.
Groundbreaking release from the early 80’s produced with rather primitive synthesizers with as result “A Dog in the Night” a track with a thick sound, unusual for its time. Credited as “the sound of the future” in those days and sounding relevant today. The piece produced by Stefano Zito and arranged by Stefano Galante is after 40 years among the favorites of collectors and followers of Italo-Disco, being noted among the songs to be re-edited by Danilo Braca, the New York based Italian Dj known for his creativity.
Panthera returns to Bordello, their identity still shrouded in secrecy. Following on from the four tracks of Synthesizer Hits, this unknown entity is back with a further quarter for Synthesizer Hits Vol. 2. Rich melodies and pulsing percussion characterise the infectious “Demon”. Key shifts and samples linger as textured toms and crisp snares keep the energy high. The tempo lowers for the considered “Stallion”. Bright and hopeful bars ascend before breaking to shimmering dawn. The juddering arpeggios and drum rolls of “Newlook” draw us back to the dancefloor. Melodies glow overhead in this celestial composition. The finale is steeped in the unforgettable tradition of italo. A heartwarming tribute to spaghetti dance, Panthera delivers an addictive rift, sparking synthwork and rhythms that are crisp.
The Hipodrome Of Music 