Aquatronics AKA Datawave, Is Gaétan Votion of Brussels. The “Sunset Streams” EP immediately became highly sought after and revered, after selling out 200 copies in just under 3 months in 2021, quickly making an imprint on the electro scene. 3 years later, 200 crystal clear records have re-incarnated for everyone who couldn’t get a copy the first time.
It’s difficult to ”label” the songs of this authoritative and necessary official reissue. ”Zombi” and ”In the Land of the Zombi” are two electro disco-funks from 1979, therefore from three years before was born the ”Italo-Disco” style, certainly more powerful, aggressive and more electronic than the ”Made in Italy” disco style of the 2nd half of the 70s. The creation of the original 7″ by Salvatore Ida, great musician and bandleader – to whom this excellent reissue is dedicated – was a sort of game for the authors of the two pieces: Federico Ida and Massimo Ida, were protagonists 4 years before of the Italian progressive rock scene with the sister Silvana Ida, Marcello Surace and Franco Vinci thanks to the immeasurable and acclaimed album ”Apoteosi”. So The Zombies were destined to pair with another easy ’79 joke by the Ida brothers: ”Let’s Go” and ”Mustang” by Sandwich. The two long versions of ”Zombi” and ”In the Land of the Zombi” were re-edited by Massimo Berardi, always diligent and active, as well as tidy and aware of where he was putting his hands, are fundamental in order to complete this 12″.
The second release to come out of Sound Metaphors’ collaboration with the Italian electronic music Don, Gianpiero Pacetti aka J.P. Energy. “I Have A Pessimistic Outlook Of Life EP” showcases a considerably more mature and polished sound relative to the previous release as the artist moves into the end of the 90’s. Here things get more serious and even more “industrial” with a darker and perhaps more cynical tone, not unlike the title of the EP. A 3 track record, very much oriented towards the dance floor. The EP was fisrt released in 1999 by the Italian label Spectrum (Civiltà Del Suono).
As The Vision, Robert Hood provided Detroit techno a pinnacle of the artform. It may be justifiably best known for the lip-bitingly strong minimalist transport of Detroit: One Circle with its sparing central refrain “Detroit” and spine-playing riffage, or for the killer Explain The Style variant, but for us the EP’s shortest and freakiest number Modern And Ancient is also one of its strongest, a mad, half-stepping slice of Afro-futurist electro encryption that still blows our mind today.
Dark Entries celebrates its 15th anniversary by returning to where it all started, the initial darkest entry: Eleven Pond’s masterpiece ‘Bas Relief’, an ultra-obscure album from 1986 that would become a definitive dark pop holy grail. Eleven Pond was James Tabbi (vocals, acoustic guitar), Jeff Gallea (drum machine, synthesizer, vocals), Jack Schaeffer (guitar) and Dan Brumley (synthesizer, samples, vocoder, melodica). They met in Rochester, NY, while attending art school, brought together by their shared love of 4AD and Factory Records. Taking cues from acts like Joy Division, Fad Gadget, and For Against, Eleven Pond’s infectious basslines, churning guitar riffs, and atmospheric synths will charm all fans of moody music. But what really makes Bas Relief shine is the timeless songwriting on classics like “Tear and Cinnamon”, “Portugal”, and the anthemic “Watching Trees.” With only 500 copies in it’s initial release, ‘Bas Relief’ resurfaces with a fresh remaster that corrects a pitch shift from previous reissues. ‘Bas Relief’ is a true lost relic of the cold 80’s and an essential piece Dark Entries history.
Javier Revilla and Chris Demere, both from Hanover and inspired by electronic music of Kraftwerk and Jean-Michel Jarre, started to experiment with sounds since the late 70’s. The arrival of New Wave with bands like Heaven 17, The Human League, Soft Cell and Depeche Mode influenced these teenagers to began Cetu Javu in 1984 with Javier on vocals, Chris on synths, guitar, programming, Torsten Engelke on keyboards and Stefen Engelke on bass. Like their compatriots Camouflage, Cetu Javu were unapologetically Depeche Mode-like in their sound, but with a fairly original twist on their synth pop formula. The band signed a contract with Records and released their debut album “Southern Lands” in 1990. “Southern Lands” is re-released including all original songs plus some extended versions, remixes and bonus tracks from the accompanying singles “Situations”, “Have in Mind” and “So Strange”.
Mannequin Records present the official reissue of Caroline K’s outstanding 1987 album, “Now Wait For Last Year.” This haunting, wistful work of post-industrial synthesizer music sees the late Nocturnal Emissions co-founder only solo record. The music on “Now Wait For Last Year” seems to exist firmly outside of it. Tags like industrial, minimal synth or proto-techno can’t really do justice to the richly cinematic sound-world that Caroline K describes: from the sustained ambient tension of sidelong opener “The Happening World” to the future-primitive rhythms and stately piano flourishes “Animal Lattice”, and the melancholic, deep-frozen synth sequences of “Cheart”.”
Vibraphone Records re-issues 49th Floor ”Night Passage” from 1992. First time re-press on original label with original and re-mastered tracks. Warm deep house with jazzy influences all over. Classic record for every house collecter.
Perfectly timed for Systematic’s 20th birthday, the label presents a transparent vinyl version of one of the biggest club hits on the label, “Freakin” by Blake Baxter and Marc Romboy, 19 years after its release. In addition to the two versions from 2005, there is an exclusive and brand-new SID, which teleports the track into the pixelated worlds of SID and Commodore C64 sounds.
HOTMIX RECORDS re-issues Bluemoon Productions aka Gene Hughes “Track Show (Volume Two)”. Formerly released on Code Blue Records in 1990.
Originally released as three stunning 12inches on Dataphysix records in the mid ‘90s, the LP edition of ‘Gesamtkunstwerk’ on Clone Classic Cuts is available again after being out of print for years – with new artwork for 2024. Including iconic tracks like ‘Scientist’, ‘Pornoactress’, ‘Sterilization’, ‘Rocket Scientist’, ‘Cellular Phone’ and ‘Speak & Spell’. ‘Gesamtkunstwerk’ is almost as important for the techno generation as Kraftwerk’s ‘Computerworld’ and ‘Autobahn’ were for many in the ‘70s.
In 1985 Styloo members Alberto Signorini and Tullio Colombo delivered the less known, but equally powerful dancefloor monster ‘Burn on the Flames’. Increasingly hard to find, the team at Iventi Records delivers this remastered release, complete with original cover art.
HOTMIX Records re-issues Bluemoon Productions aka Gene Hughes “Track Show (Volume One)”. Formerly released on Code Blue Records in 1990.
With a mysteriously unknown release date, “Photochrome” could have been originally put out somewhere between the late 70’s to early 80’s on the Italian Idea label, which although only boasting a minuscule catalogue of mainly 7”s has gotten the attention of many collectors of European disco obscurities for releases such as “Flavio – Drum Explosion” and “Aleo’s Band – EOE”. “Photochrome” features a very organic sound with hints of early electronics that might have been making their way into studios at the time. A fast passed driving bass line layered with what almost sounds like an early 303 bass line and spacey/cosmic vocals. Dry drum recordings give it a naive DIY feel which coupled with the experimental tricks on the vocals results in a very unique sound that has put this release on the radars of diggers world-wide. Now available once again at an affordable price with a new two part bonus beats remix that starts off as a more DJ friendly tool but soon embarks into a questionable full-fledged acid house excursion.
Another well kept secret from the Italian cult electronic music imprint – Interactive Test. A 4 track EP with a wide range of flavours in “house” music, very much dependent on the different samples employed. A side starts off with a deep house track echoing similar atmospheric qualities as to some of the dancefloor oriented productions making their way into US underground scene around that time, specifically Chicago and Detroit. The Percapella Mix makes the dedication to the Canadian Disco legend Gino Soccio very clear with a lengthy sample of “There’s a Woman”, a track which uses early electronics in a pioneering way, with what could possibly be one of the first examples of an Acid Bass line. On the B-side, things slow down a notch with more clear cut explorations in Acid house featuring layers of synths and percussive samples and occasional placement of vocal samples from countries far away from Italy, all made possible thanks to the new exciting technologies that had recently been made available to producers at the time.
Long awaited reissue of classic Convextion tracks originally released on Matrix Records Detroit.
Second in a series of reissues from Pierre Jaubert’s Parisound studio archive on Strut Record is Lafayette Afro Rock Band’s elusive funk/Afro original album, ‘Soul Makossa’ originally released in 1973. Drawing inspiration from Motown’s work ethic, Jaubert initiated regular rehearsals with Ice. The band, residing in Paris and immersed in the African-dominated Barbesse district, began infusing African elements into their music frequently performing with Paris-dwelling Camaroonian and legendary composer Manu Dibango. Rechristening themselves Lafayette Afro Rock Band, the group’s musical direction shifted towards predominantly instrumental compositions, characterized by a weightier, more intricate Afro-funk sound. Their debut recording under this new moniker, ‘Soul Makossa,’ made a powerful impact with a dynamic rendition of Dibango’s classic, coupled with the intense break of ‘Hihache’ and the contagious ‘Nicky.’ Initially released by Musidisc in France and later in the U.S. via Editions Makossa, the album omitted the title track due to publishing clearance issues.
First in a series of reissues from Pierre Jaubert’s Parisound studio archive on Strut Record is Lafayette Afro Rock Band’s elusive funk/Afro original album, ‘Malik,’ originally released in 1974. Drawing inspiration from Motown’s work ethic, Jaubert initiated regular rehearsals with Ice. The band, residing in Paris and immersed in the African-dominated Barbesse district, began infusing African elements into their music frequently performing with Paris-dwelling Camaroonian and legendary composer Manu Dibango. Under the new moniker Lafayette Afro Rock Band, the group’s music transitioned to predominantly instrumental compositions, featuring a denser Afro-funk sound. Their inaugural recording with the new name, ‘Soul Makossa,’ included a compelling rendition of Dibango’s classic and the impactful break in ‘Hihache.’ The subsequent release a year later, ‘Malik,’ refined their sound with the percussive Afro party jam ‘Conga,’ the atmospheric vocoder and piano-led piece ‘Djungi,’ and the robust funk of ‘Darkest Light.’ Despite a limited impact upon its initial release, ‘Malik’ found appreciation as hip-hop culture flourished in the ’80s, establishing itself as a rich source of samples and riffs. ‘Conga’ was featured in the ‘Ultimate Breaks And Beats’ series, while the opening horn line from ‘Darkest Light’ became a pivotal hip-hop motif, employed by Jay-Z, Public Enemy, Wreckx ‘N’ Effect, and many others
Re-release including all original tracks plus some bonus and remixes. The Overlords is a pioneer electronic project coming from Denmark. Rune Bendixen, Carsten Pedersen and Ian Ion started to work together in 1987 inspired by Front 242 and Adrian Sherwood’s electronic dub. The ever-cheaper samplers allowed the band to record their debut album ‘Midnight at the Grooveyard II’ (1988) and built their own studio The Grooveyard in Copenhagen. Next works started to get increasingly influenced by techno, new beat and innovative dance music. A new single ‘Moontrap’ (1990) appeared on Belgium’s Antler Subway Records and led The Overlords to collaborate with Kenneth Baker who remixed the next single and massive club hit ‘Sundown’ (1991). The full-length ‘Organic?’ (1991) came shortly after also on Antler Subway in Belgium, ZYX Records in Germany and reached America with Caroline Records.
The Hipodrome Of Music 