Abdou El Omari – Lost Tape 1980 [BB0191LP]

Abdou El Omari was born in 1945 in Tafraout, south of Agadir — a village suspended between the pink granite peaks of the Anti-Atlas and the waves of the Atlantic. A landscape already musical in itself. He grew up in the dry mountain light, surrounded by the rhythms of nature and Berber’s culture. Very little is known about the man — a veil of mystery still surrounds his life, only deepening the fascination. His name remains discreet, but his music continues to travel. It seems to drift from another time, another world, or perhaps from a dream shared between the blue nights of Casablanca and the silent dunes of the Sahara. In the 1970s, as Morocco was transforming, Abdou El Omari shaped a sound of his own — a visionary blend of spiritual jazz, psychedelic funk, Moroccan traditions, and early electronic experimentation. Today, his work is resurfacing, rediscovered by a new generation of listeners in search of lost horizons. This record stands among its rarest and most precious fragments.

vinyl / CD

Abdou El Omari – Lost Tape 1980 [BB0191LP]

Hypnobeat – Prototech [DE179]

Amongst those that keep track of these things, German trio Hyonobeat are considered proto-techno pioneers. While it’s not known whether Detroit’s Belleville Three were fans, you could argue that Hynobeat’s rhythm-focused approach pre-dated both techno and Chicago house. Thanks to this fine retrospective from Dark Entries, you can judge for yourself. The material included was all recorded between 1983 and 1986, with the wild, off-kilter polyrhythms and ragged TB-303 lines of “The Arumbeya Fetish”, mutant electro of “Kilian” and high-octane thrust of the decidedly out-there “Mission in Congo” standing out. Remarkably, Hypnobeat would chain together drum machines and bass synthesizers to create their tracks – a practice that would later become common during the acid house era.

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Hypnobeat – Prototech [DE179]

VA – French Synth Lovers #2 [SERLP004]

Serendip.Lab presents a compilation gathering 10 great and rare tracks of french synth wave released between 1981 and 1984. The A side reflects this sunny sweet synth pop scene, whereas B side, more cosmic, is made of instrumentals.

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VA – French Synth Lovers #2 [SERLP004]