Mr. Frankie Knuckles – this time operating under his Night Writers alias. We’re not sure too much needs to be said about this one, it’s all here really, that classic Knuckles deep touch, the musicality, the vibe… Ricky Dillard’s vocals encapsulating that feeling when the music takes over, pure abandon. The pairing of these two talents results in what would eventually become a bona-fide house classic.
In recent years, original copies of Marcus Mixx’s superb 1992 single “Liquid Love” – a sublime chunk of deep house for the ages – have become sought-after amongst collectors. This can partly explained by the fact that the 12″ boasted a rare remix from the late, great Ron Hardy, which brilliantly peppered the original’s Mr Fingers style groove with whistling synthesizer melodies, lilting chords and sweet vocal loops. Hardy’s mix naturally takes pride of place on the flipside of this on-point reissue. On the A-side you’ll find the rich, soulful and full vocal “New York Mix” – think vintage Nu Groove with a dash of Dream II Science, and you’re close – and the “Can You Feel It” mix, which offers a loving tribute to the Chicago deep house style of Larry Heard.
Reissue from this soul/jazz-funk fusion album originally released in 1982 on Poet Records. This sought-after album is an amazing and unique creative project produced and composed by David Eric Tillman including outstanding performances by some of the highest-level musicians whose common thread was their ability to kill up tempo and modal bop and excel in this jazz-funk/fusion style thanks to their up bop think quick knowledge.
Originally released in 1986, “Alkaid” was the first solo release of DECA following his debut appearance on the cult various artists compilation “Angelo Segreti”. The original edition was published in a tiny edition on the independent Italian label Videoradio and to this day remains a rare and sought after album. Following Mothball and Bordello’s continued work with DECA, they make this diverse and fascinating collection of music available to a wider audience. On this instrumental LP we can hear elements of modern classical, synth-pop, dark ambient and even some middle eastern influence.
Go! Bop! present a reissue of Joao Donato & Seu Trio’s Muito À Vontade, originally released in 1962. Joao Donato is a legend of Brazilian jazz and Latin music and this is his legendary debut album. The well-skilled performance speaks of a great routine each musician has, but there is so much fire and hunger to be found within the compositions. The listener will experience rather relaxed slow jazz tunes with an obvious bossa nova groove and a leading piano that takes off from the backing rhythm of drums and standing bass. On the other hand, there are tunes with wicked piano staccato lines and a powerful rhythmic drive that is rooted in Latin music, but shoots forward on a ray of energy. The tunes are well composed and have a memorable structure that distinguishes them from the beginning free jazz hype back in the day. Joao Donato and his mates in the trio were jazzy boys, but they were also songwriters. Catchy melodies were as important as a great and skillful performance. The combination of both sides of jazz, and the crossover with Latin sounds, makes Muito À Vontade a special album, with other greats to follow. Muito À Vontade stands out as a landmark. If you feel that it is time for an equally relaxed, but exciting jazz record to enchant you, here you go. A sweet reissue of a classic from the early ’60s. Joao Donato and his trio play it rather smoothly but their passion hits you automatically after a short while listening. Even the slower tunes offer twists and turns that leave you feeling amazed.
Dark Entries presents a 4-song EP of songs by the Italo Disco duo. In 1985 Domenico Ricchini teamed up with Joe Garrasco, a DJ at Free Club a Super Dancing Discotheque in Braone, Italy. Their first composition together was another hit single for Joe Yellow, “I’m Your Lover” released in 1986. In Spring 1986 the duo began working on a new song for a yet unnamed side project. They spent a few days at 33 Studio in Milan and recorded “Love Sex For Sale” with Jimmy Mc Foy on vocals. This project was titled Garrasco’s and the single was released in 1986 on Fuori Di Testi. Unsatisfied with the mix, they booked a fresh session at Regson Studio in Milan to re-record the song. The result was re-naming the projecting Joe Garrasco & M.M. (for the band Marita – Marillena) and the song as “Action” released on Out Records in 1986.
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.
Following on from the Pasteur Lappe compilation ”African Funk Experimentals” LP, we are really pleased to be re-visiting Pasteur with a repress of his second album from 1979, ”Na Man Pass Man”. The story begins in the 60s with a charming 19 year old Nicolas ”Pasteur” Lappe becoming a sensation on Radio Adele in Douala, Cameroun. He goes on to become the editor of the Douala Gazette newspaper and become friends with other African music stars such as Tala AM, J Moboule and Fela Kuti. He also works tirelessly promoting new and upcoming local Cameroonian talent. After moving to Paris, a stint in journalism school and publishing a book of poems ”Chansons Negres” he finally settles into a new life of music in Paris. His second album ”Na Man Pass Man” is made in 1979 with the backing band and production collective called the Zulu Gang, which include Douglas Mbida (who went on to release several top flight albums himself) and Jacob Desvariaux (who went on to form Kassav). The album is full of diverse sounds; from driving funk, sweeping disco grooves, syrupy ballads, reggae, Jackson-five-esque pop to finger-lickin’ soul. At its core though is the custom ”Sekele” groove… a movement to encompass the dance, grooves and vibes from his native Douala.
One of the two The Other People Place releases (the Warp full length and this 12). Drexciyan involvement in this classic release is obvious. One of the deepest and intense tracks with such a warm positive vibe. Flipside contains a track by Mystic Tribe. (not very mystical of course for those who know the history of Detroit techno. Unique track from a unique project… and there are not many projects with Tribe in its name. Their release on Retroactive is one Detroit techno collector items). One of those records that get you through the day. Re-issue on the Clone Aqualung Series with new artwork.
The second part in the Dancefloor Records reissues on Emotional Rescue comes in the form a true House classic. Produced and released by the Chicago legend Andrew Komis, “It’s You” is an original deep-house bomb and an education to those increasingly misusing the term today. Essentially a cover/updated version of the all-time early House classic in ESP’s Its You, this 1989 update shows how much the scene was progressing in just 3 years with a tougher, heavier and deeper 12 that was all about rocking club sound systems.
Isle Of Jura’s first LP reissue, the highly sought after ‘Voyage – A Journey Into Discoid Funk’ by Brian Bennett originally released in 1978. A cosmic disco classic completely re-mastered from the original master tapes by Matt Colton.
From Nursery to Misery were three teenagers who grew up together on the same street in Basildon, Essex. Formed in 1987, the band was comprised of vocalists (and identical twins) Gina and Tina Fear, along with keyboard player and producer Lee Stevens. Lee invited the twins to over to record some music with him, suggesting they try singing over some instrumentals he had written and recorded on a newly purchased 4-track. They played a sum total of four gigs before splitting in 1991. Their recorded output, however, was relatively prodigious, with the band appearing on over 22 compilations, as well as self-releasing two album-length tapes ‘The Oak Tree’ (1989), and ‘Equilibrium’ (1990), and a split EP with Germany’s Nostalgie Eternelle, ‘Art is the Tool’ (1990). All these releases were home-produced, hand-made cassettes distributed and swapped via the Mail Art scene. ‘Pixies In The Woods’ is a 13-track career spanning compilation including three previously unreleased tracks. Tracks range from no-fi synth pop overlaid with ethereal, child-like vocals, to audio collages of animal noises and harrowing, double-speed monologues. Lee’s expansive synth productions, informed by the Blade Runner soundtrack, early electro records, and 4AD acts like Dead Can Dance, provided a rich, spacious platform for Gina and Tina’s sung-spoken introspective lyrics. Their songs are disarmingly direct and unfiltered, the product of three self-confessed misfits exploring difficult, often intensely personal issues.
Never before reissued, this legendary 1968 EMI recording is a revered Indian jazz rarity; a collectors’ holy grail. Raga Jazz Style is an original Indian excursion into Indo-jazz fusion. A one-away recording from the almost unknown Bombay jazz scene, it is among the few jazz LPs to hail from the subcontinent. Raga Jazz Style takes the melodic, scale-based raga system of Indian classical music and marries it with a swinging jazz rhythm section assembled by Bollywood’s most highly acclaimed musical directors, the soundtrack composing duo Shankar Singh and Jaikishan Panchal. Singh and Panchal were a dominant force in Hindi film music from the late 1940s onwards. Shankar had been trained in classical tabla, while Jaikishan was an expert harmonium player. They worked together on well over a hundred films, and their innovative compositions and orchestral scoring revolutionised the music of the nascent Bollywood industry.
The history of dance music is littered with one-hit wonders. The mysterious Sahara-Ja, whose one and only 12″ appeared on Australian label Central Station back in 1989, is a perfect example. Since slipping out in limited quantities 18 years ago, the Egyptian Lover-does-’80s soul cut “I’m An Arabian Knight” has become something of an in-demand record amongst collectors. This timely reissue contains all four versions included on the original ’89 release, including a tasty instrumental and the must-heavy Funky Arabian Mix. This sublime version puts more emphasis on the producer’s killer electro rhythm, dreamy chords, and cascading, Persian style synthesizer melodies.
‘Programm 4′ is their fourth album. Mixed and auto-produced by Mark Eins near the Wall in West/Berlin in 1983, the album was rejected at the time by Innovative Communication, considered too much synth/punk/techno’, while the new label managers were looking more into new age stuff. In fact Schulze eventually sold the label in 1983, which started to release a plethora of acts loosely grouped around the NAM genre.
Early pioneers of the German New Wave music scene, Din A Testbild were formed in 1978 by Mark Eins and Gudrun Gut. Din A Testbild played a significant role in defining the avant-garde music of Berlin. Legendary is their partecipation at the Festival Genialer Dilletanten” in 1981. ‘Programm 3’ is their third album. Mixed and auto-produced by Mark Eins with help of Ziggy Schöning, it was released on Klaus Schulze’s record label Innovative Communication in 1983.
Silvia is the name of a Neue Deutsche Welle (NDW ”New German Wave”) project created Tommi Stumpff and Silvia Nemanic. The pair met in Düsseldorf in the late 1970s and started dating when Tommi was the singer of punk band Der KFC. Silvia was absolutely inexperienced in musical things, she said, “I’ve played the recorder.” Tommi rented Klangwerkstatt studio for a few days in January 1982 to record his an album with his bandmate Ferdinand Mackenthun aka Käpt’n Nuss of Der KFC, but finished earlier than expected. With one extra day that was already paid for, they quickly wrote some more songs and recorded them. All they needed was a singer, so they asked Silvia. Simply titled “Silvia”, the record was released in mid-1982 on cult label Schallmauer Records, which had released many German punk, NDW, and New Wave records in the 80’s. Tommi and Käpt’n Nuss played all instruments and wrote the lyrics. Since Silvia had a very deep voice, Tommi slightly pitched up her vocals to sound higher on the recordings. The album displays Tommi’s transition from punk rock to cold electronics, EBM and eventually Techno. Tommi’s instrument set up was a Sequential Circuits Pro One and Moog Prodigy controlled by a Fricke sequencer and a Korg SQ-10 Analog Sequencer. Silvia urges the listener to save themselves and says “No miracle will happen You die tomorrow, young and guilty” evoking the urban Zeitgeist of the Cold War. All songs have been remastered for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. Housed in the original jacket featuring a full color of Silvia on the front with hand drawn magenta type. Each copy includes a replica insert of the original lyrics sheet in German and a postcard featuring a black and white photo of Tommi and Silvia. Sadly Silvia passed away in 2003 and this reissue is dedicated to her.
Dark Entries is proud to release “Helden Platz”, a long out of print 12” maxi single from seminal Italian electronic act Kirlian Camera. Keyboardist/vocalist Angelo Bergamini founded the project in Parma in 1979 and named it after an electronic device that photographs the electromagnetic halo around objects and living beings. By 1980, Angelo had recruited singer Simona Buja, keyboardist Fabrizio Chiari, and bassist Mauro Montacchini. Their demo cassette, “Dawn”, attracted the attention of Italian Records, a popular independent label. Over the next few years the band would release their first mini-LP, “Kirlian Camera”, the full length “ It Doesn’t Matter, Now”, and the singles “Communicate,” “Edges,” and “Blue Room”. The latter was a significant hit, eventually landing them a deal with Virgin Records. By 1987 the line up consisted of Angelo Bergamini on all instruments, Charlie Mallozzi on electronic drums and Simona Buja on vocals. Virgin wanted the band to provide another hit single in order to exploit the success of “Blue Room”, refusing to release the band’s less commercial material. In 1987 the band went Lark Studio at Carimate Castle, Italy to record with Italo disco producer Oderso Rubini. Thanks to the insistence of Bergamini, the label agreed to release “Helden Platz”, German for “Heroes’ Square,” in 1987. The song features Kirlian Camera’s brand of dark wave, marked by haunting melodies, slow moving synth washes, and orchestral strings. The song features the stark, dramatic vocals of Simona Buja, who sings about the “Blue blood of Winter” in a tale of Germany and Austria during World War II. Included here is the extended 12” mix, the 7” edit, plus the original B-side “Burial”, an instrumental that evokes a funeral procession soundtrack.
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.
The Hipodrome Of Music 