In 1986, the young Rickard Karlsson, Magnus Jönsson and Fredrik Bergman formed the all-synth band Etage Neun in Ystad, Sweden. Admittedly influenced by Depeche Mode and right in the middle of the Cold War, their lyrics were often dark, about human conflicts and the nuclear threat. In May 88 they self-released their first album “War And Emotions” in cassette format only. This album has been impossible to find for decades and has become a must have for synthpop fans all over the world. Time has proved that Etage Neun should have gained more recognition back then, but at least we have the opportunity now to listen to this synth masterpiece with far superior sound quality than ever before.
Strut presents the first full international release for another lost classic from the Black Fire Records archives, ‘Southern Energy’, the only album recorded by R’n’B and jazz collective Southern Energy Ensemble in 1977.
Cult Italian producer Jenny Rocco passed away in 2020, and in tribute to the work of this dearly departed artist, Best Record Italy is reissuing of one of his most sought after productions in “Evita (Avoid)” by Coco Bill. Produced by Rocco in 1983, the track comes in two versions, with the vocal cut setting romantic disco rhythms over pounding bass percolations while pianos morph between soul chords and starscape leads. Sequential synths race through the air and a crooner pleads into the night–the voice at once innocently sweet and darkly sensual–while elsewhere, tribal drums lead manic grooves and marimbas and palm-muted guitars color the air in equatorial hues. As for the instrumental version, the disco drums hit with a heavier and futuristic sheen, while angular bass synths slam beneath rimshots and ricocheting claps. Dreamspace pianos and fantasy synths are woven together into mysterious tapestries of exotica, while cosmic arps and crystalline chord cascades soar through the heavens.
PROXY Records’ first transmission is a 2 x 12” compilation by Boom Generation, containing 8 sought-after tracks produced between 1991 and 1995. These cuts aged particularly well, embodying the groove of the 90s by connecting raw and euphoric vibes. Remastered from the original DAT tapes, these recordings are configured to last another 30 years.
Originally released on Volume and Tension in 1994, the ‘Duster’ EP was one of only two releases Toby Warren completed under the Hi Tech Criminal moniker, it has since gone on to become a rare gem of a record that swaps hands for princely sums. Klasse Wrecks makes the re-issue of the original tracks and an exclusive-never-heard-before mix of the title track. The 4 tracker harks back to a period in time when creativity and originality was at an all time high in dance music. The tracks on the ‘Duster’ EP defy categorization, part bouncing House, part progressive and driving Techno…all good.
Best Record Italy presents a reissue of Model 11-29’s “Wot Times,” a particularly inspired work by the legendary Sangy that transforms “Rapper’s Delight” into a slice of Italo-balearic ecstasy. On the vocal version, drums sit between disco and electro as they boogie down to a breakdance beat, with greasy funk basslines slapping and sliding in support. Solar dub chords pulsate through anthemic pattens, pads blow across the mix like a warming ocean breeze, synth leads sparkle in coral colorations, and those classic Sugar Hill Gang lyrical flows are reconfigured into an ebullient spoken word rap, which is then morphed by futuristic fx and interspersed with shouts, grunts, and call-and-response chants. On the flip, the instrumental version walks with more of a sexual disco strut, resulting in a summertime seaside cruiser overflowing with dazzling synthesizer displays, as organ chords generate mirage visions, gemstone leads shimmer through swells of tropical mist, and acid-laced Italo pulsations work the spirit into euphoric beach dance hypnosis.
RAWAX presents Precession aka Steve O’Sullivan with the second release on his own series. This one is very special as it’s the first release Steve ever did 25 years ago. 2 tracks on this outstanding ep were co-produced by WIS. Retrograde Motion EP came out originally on the legendary Ferox label, runned by Russ Gabriel.
Originally released on Resound Records, a one-off subsidiary of the classic Gherkin imprint in 1990. The title track is a deep hypnotic 12 minute ride through the Chicago underground. On the flip are the smooth & emotional ‘Isolation’ and the euphoric rush that is ‘Silent Noise’. Timeless Chicago House Music.
Steve Rachmad’s richly melodic strain of techno has resulted in a huge body of work he has been growing since the early 90s. His sound is the perfect distillation of machine soul – dubby atmospherics and crisp, danceable dynamics balanced in perfect unison. Amsterdam’s Delsin Records gathers together some of the Dutch techno figurehead’s most important, sought-after works in a new EP series, all remastered from the original DAT tapes from Steve’s archives. His flagship Sterac project is present with Asphyx EP, featuring four absolute classic Sterac works dating from 1995.
Absolutely essential 1982 proto house Italo burner back on repress as part of Emergency / Unidisc’s 40th anniversary series of releases. Electra’s ‘Feels Good (Carrots & Beets)’ is one of those hugely influential cuts that shaped modern dance music as we know it. It’s a record that has been absolutely caned around the world, from Detroit to London to Rimini and beyond. An anthem on 1000s of mixes, tapes and shows on the likes of influential radio stations like Chicago’s infamous WBMX where it helped pave the way to the sound and styles of numerous early house pioneers such as Frankie Knuckles (the track was a major inspiration for ‘Your Love’) and Lil Louis. This is truly a must have record from the Italian production power duo of Sergio Cossa and Franco Falsini (Shannon, C.O.D. etc). An unmissable classic officially reissued from source by the Unidisc / Emergency records family, fresh for 2021.
First Word Records presents a brand new album from Kaidi Tatham. On ‘An Insight To All Minds’, Kaidi says it’s ”not about a destination, but a process. It’s about how you drive, not where you’re going. Nothing in this world can torment you as much as your own thoughts… We are all going through it. We can all feel what the next person is feeling, believe it or not. It’s learning how to tap into it”. The album is comprised of an assortment of Kaidi’s unique flavours – uptempo jazz-funk bruk, laced with rhodes, flutes, live bass and delicious percussion. Using that blueprint he moves effortlessly through latin and samba, half-step, deep afro house and a sprinkle of curveballs, all presented in Kaidi’s inimitable way.
Originally released in 2010 on their own label, Brooklyn nu-disco group Escort’s ‘Cocaine Blues’ is now lovingly revisited by Glitterbox Recordings, re-introducing the dancefloor essential to a new generation of disco fans. A loose remake of disco-reggae classic ‘Cocaine in My Brain’ by Jamaican DJ Dillinger, Escort’s ‘Cocaine Blues’ with its relaxed, disco approach and catchy vocal soon became a hit, with this special 12” package featuring Escort’s original and their instrumental, as well as Greg Wilson’s remix, where he takes the stripped-back approach with minimal vocals and enhanced drums. It may have been over a decade since it was first released, but this package still sounds just as good as it did when it first graced dancefloors.
Chemise’s 1982 boogie classic ‘She Can’t Love You’ is back on repress as part of Unidisc’s 40th anniversary series of releases. Backed with an exclusive new Purple Disco Machine re-edit as well as the original dub and the killer 1986 Marc Hartman remix. An essential release for all disco / boogie heads, officially reissued and remixed by the Unidisc / Emergency records family, fresh for 2021.
Transparent Sound returns in 2021 with another well overdue reissue. Originally released on Solid Groove in 1999, Night & Day is an EP that showcases the versatility Transparent Sound offers as an artist. All while retaining the groove focused backbone which makes him a legend in the electro scene.
Chiwax presents the second release of Robert Armani on his own platform called Robert Armani Traxx Series. This time in the rebound the masterpiece from 1990 formerly out on legendary Dance Mania: : Armando presents Robert Armani – Armani Trax / Circus Bells.
A stone cold old-school classic right here, from the year of 1984. Forged within the furnaces of electro and freestyle, Shannon’s sound was ubiquitous in post-disco clubland. Washington DC native Brenda Shannon Greene had a long career and released numerous records that soundtracked the clubbing experiences across the world, but ‘Let The Music Play’ was undoubtedly her calling card and still resonates today with it’s clipped booming 808s, bubbling acidic bassline and soaring synth lines. An absolute masterclass that rocks for the b-boys, the fly girls and anyone within 2 feet of the dancefloor.
WRWTFWW Records reissue Swiss cult band Grauzone’s self-titled album in an expanded 40 Years Anniversary Edition packed with the original 1981 album plus 9 extra songs, as well as extensive liner notes by Swiss music historian Lurker Grand. The pioneering band from Bern (Switzerland) had a short-lived but highly-regarded career which birthed a cult discography that still fascinates and resonates today. Consisting of core members Martin Eicher, Stephan Eicher, and Marco Repetto, and on-and-off participants Christian GT Trüssel, Claudine Chirac, and Ingrid Berney, the elusive group broke new grounds in the early 80s, experimenting with punk and industrial music, early techno sounds, minimalism, new wave, pop, and various electronics. With an innovative and polished approach to design, visuals, performance, and all around style and philosophy on top of their superb music, the constantly transforming unit developed a whole experience – the Grauzone experience: wild and unpredictable, yet sophisticated and cohesive, or as Swiss music historian Lurker Grand would call it, “an Art band with a Punk attitude”. Completely rejecting the music industry rules and refusing to play the game of promotion, touring, release schedules, and TV appearances even though they had a multi-platinum international hit with the song “Eisbär”, the band quickly disintegrated in full convention-defying glory, leaving behind an inspiring music legacy for the world to discover and discover again, one generation after the other. This extended version of their debut (and only) album beautifully crystallizes the Grauzone miracle/accident – where pop and youthful experimentation meet at (new/cold/no) wave and industrial crossroads.
Originally released on CD in 1999, Astral Industries present a first vinyl issue of Monolake’s much-loved ‘Gobi’, licensed from Imbalance Computer Music. Set to the backdrop of the Gobi desert in eastern Asia, two shimmering vistas plunge the listener into a vast and deeply hypnotic nocturnal soundscape. The perennial hiss and rattle of insects float along the fresh night air in soft waves. The desert thrives with quiet activity as a westerly wind skitters across moonlit dunes, granulated folds dancing like sheets of thin silk. Tectonic plates murmur beneath the shower of stars overhead, their millennial cycles whispering of aeons past. Vividly textured and enticingly synthetic in its sound design, Gobi succeeds as a stunning piece of minimalism.
The Hipodrome Of Music 