space disco
Machinegewehr – Life EP [BAP191]
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.
Hypnosis – Pulstar / End Title (Blade Runner) [MAXI1109-12]
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.
4 M International – Space Operator [MD31818]
Here’s a brand new EP for the italo lovers. Released for the first time in 1982 on Full Time Production off-shoot Good Vibes, 4 M International’s “Space Operator” is repressed on hand-numbered limited edition vinyl on Mr Disc Organization. This special EP includes the Techno producer Donato Dozzy “Cadillac Rhythms Reshape” and the vocal and instrumental versions of the record. Spaced out disco electro. The mysteriously named 4M International was a side project of the production team behind the Italo group Trilogy (“Not Love”, “Black Devil” etc). “Space Operator” is the only record the outfit recorded and is an ultra spacey, pitched down, cosmic anthem with a wealth of killer sound FX, synth washes and sinister vocoded voices inviting us to join them in some intergalactic space travel.
Lorenzo Morresi – Objet Melodie [FBNM020]
‘Objet Melodie’ is a combination of real instruments, synthesizers, drum machines and samples, involving genres from different countries of the world. It’s like being on a surreal oasis, where music is eclectic but also meditative or just for a dance. Interconnecting with the whole planet, imagining or living in different countries and trying to relate with diverse cultures and experimentation. Lorenzo-Giulio Morresi combined real instruments like Roland TR-707, Roland JUNO-60, a Gibson Memphis guitar, marimbas and steel drums with percussions samples taken from his personal record collection. The other musicians involved are Stefano Ubaldini who plays the intro in ‘Rituel’ with an amazing hand-made guitar called ‘Slitar’, inspired from an Indian Sitar made with a broken metal window he picked up in a London backyard. Fabio Mina is playing flutes on several tracks, like the Hulusi from China and the Nose Flute from Hawaiian islands. Giuseppe Diamanti plays tenor sax outros. ‘Objet melodie’ is inspired by sounds, technologies and traditions from planet earth, with the hope of staying interconnected as much as we can.
I-F @ Dekmantel Festival 04.08.2019
Timothy J. Fairplay – An Introduction To Consumer Electronics [NN009]
Videogram – Test Subject 011
Swedish producer Magnus Sellergren set out to expand his musical vision with “Test Subject 011”; a four-track EP that sees him injecting both Italo and Space Disco to the trademark Videogram sound.
Drawing inspiration from the Netflix hit series “Stranger Things”, the EP blends driving John Carpenter-esque rhythms with softer melodies, pulsating riffs with dance-friendly drum beats, and outlandish synth and sample-driven soundscapes with soothing, melancholic string arrangements – creating an exciting horror synth EP that’s simultaneously intense and lush.
Benoit Hutin – Electronic LP [CAM010]
Camisole Records celebrates its 10th release with the reissue of ‘Electronic’, first Benoit Hutin’s LP. This promo album only send to radio and TV in 1980 is now regarded as one of the best Cosmic Library LP of this period. From the disco tinged of Test and Spot to the ambient and kosmische landscapes of Spectre or Synchronisme you can easily see why. The 5 original tracks are completed by 4 edits made by italo australian master Hysteric, Britanny edit wizard Shelter and Camisole boss Atton.
Alessandro Parisi – Andromeda [SLOMO029]
The next installment of the Slow Motion Soundtracks Serie, this time from Pordenone‘s Alessandro Parisi. Interested in esoteric and religious texts, this comes across loud and clear in his stunning, ethereal E.P Andromeda, which at turns send shivers down your spine and expands your mind. This is Alessandro’s first release on Slow Motion. These ecclesiastical synth workouts are sure to inspire clubbers and thinkers alike.
Brian Bennett – Voyage: A Journey Into Discoid Funk [ISLELP001]
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.
Modula – Autostrada Galattica LP [BAP085]
2183. After crash landing on an alien planet, intrepid explorer Modula valiantly crawls from the wreckage of his interplanetary cruiser clinging to his life (and antique synthesizers.) Taken captive, this neo-Naples born space traveller is soon drafted into the services of the court of this other world’s ruler. His music boxes save his life and change the very face of this distant kingdom. The results have just been beamed back in time to earth and intercepted by the Bordello receiver dish. Modula’s voice crackles through and utters two words: Autostrada Galattica . Cosmic boogie, futuristic funk and deep space disco are human terms to describe these sounds sent half way across the universe to be enjoyed by we humans of the 21st century. Love, sacrifice and musical riches from a synthesizer super nova.
Garofano Rosso – Garofano Rosso [GD009]
Garofano Rosso is the latest project by Italian producer Giorgio Luceri. This new work eschews the house stylings of previous releases in favour of a more classic Cosmic approach. Echoes of Tangerine Dream’s Thief OST mixed with what could perhaps be the imaginary soundtrack to Miami Vice if it had infact been set in Rimini and starred Maurizio Merli as Sonny Crockett. These are not however just mere mood pieces, but take the sun, the sea and the body-count straight to the dancefloor.
Black Merlin – New World Fantasy [COMMONTHREAD001]
DJ Overdose – The Future Of The Planet EP [LDR013]
Not a month has passed since his stunning album Bizarro World and Dutch electro champion Overdose returns with a handsome set of five new productions. Tip-toeing the line between Nordic disco, classic electro and good old fashioned house music, variety abounds while the quality, as always, remains consistent. Highlights include the uptempo swing and jazz chords of “141 Gates” the Faltermeyer style Outrun breeziness of “Nibiru” and the more menacing, loopy electro of “Sandokan”. The future of the planet depends on you…
Black Merlin – Salute To The Light [NJ005]
A self-confessed fascination with 80s Music and film scores from the same era..George Thompson has an ability to approach music with a strong visual aesthetic which is a common theme in his work, first apparent in his role as part of the duo “Spectral Empire”, alongside Kyle Martin. Spectral Empire caught our ear many years ago. with their sound that evoking a world of abandoned battleships, psychedelic fog and possession by dark forces through a maze of industrial beats, metallic drones and heavy baselines. A trip to Dusseldorf in 2009 saw Thompson connect with the cities’ currently vibrant electronic scene, with artists such as Kriedler, Der Rauber und der Prinz, Music Cargo and Toulouse Low Trax inspiring Thompson to continue his sonic explorations and push him forwards as a solo artist, under the “Black Merlin” moniker. As “Black Merlin”, the brooding, dark, cinematic elements remain, juxtaposed by Thompson’s obsession with late-80’s FM Synthesis and expansive production of artist such as Trevor Horn and Blancmange. Black Merlin’s first solo release was on Andrew Weatherall’s vinyl-only label Bird Scarer in late 2012.
Alessandro Forte – The Hunger EP [IT003]
The Hunger (1983) directed by the recently deceased Tony Scott and starring David Bowie, Susan Sarandon and Catherine Deneuve has been the inspiration that Alek has served to make this album. On side A, I Love You Forever, a theme to the purest style Italo where rhythms coalesce with the power of the vocoder and melodies you trap to melt in the bass line. In this same face remixes of high-level made by two of the producers who admire and which stands out the Synth Alien vocoders or the incredible Kid Machine solo, and how they have adapted the original song to your own style. On the b-side, far more serious, in which the concept of the album is more evident, presents three tracks filled with impossible arpeggios, analog warmth and layers of melodies full of feelings in which Alek Stark demonstrates his Italo disco love.
VA – EP No.1 [RL001]
The first release on Red Laser Records, a new label releasing fine italo, electro, boogie & house. . EP1 features four Mancunian producers & a Danish Italo legend. Kid Machine collaborates with Flemming Dalum, together they concoct a hefty 80’s horror-esque electronic monster. Label head Il Bosco brings an addictive boogie disco track to life, expertly cutting insistent breaks. Starion goes deep with a nonstop dancefloor workout and some serious synth action whilst Ste Spandex covers Royalle Delite’s 80’s electro soul classic ‘Freak For You’, pitching up the original and adding extra bounce to the proceedings.
Kid Machine – Replicants EP [V023]
Viewlexx coming back at ya! 6 neo-italo tracks that are dark, intense and haunting. Bombastic melodies, spiky arpeggios and masculine beats in the genuine Viewlexx quality! Produced by Kid Machine supported and curated by I-f and the Intergalactic FM.
Leda – Welcome To Joyland [369.004]
Re-press of a secret masterpiece by Peter Baumann (under the alias Hacoon Mail) and Hans Brandeis. Music that lies somewhere between Space Disco and Minimal Wave. Beautiful synth structures with Leda’s mesmerizing vocals on top.
The Hipodrome Of Music 