Apr 24 2012

L’Equipe Du Son’s ‘Supersonic’

L’Equipe Du Son

This week sees the release of Dutch Nu-Disco & SynthWave producer L’Equipe Du Son’s début album. ‘Supersonic’ is, in part, a compilation of all the awesome stuff he’s been releasing over the past couple of years, but with a few surprises thrown in for good measure. Prepare for ten track of some of the slickest retro Disco around.

The album kicks off with the smooth Disco primer and possible L’Equipe Du Son’s best known track, ‘Lesson 1’. It had to really, and it makes a rad into peice as well as being cool laid back Disco in it;s own right. It sets up the album nicely for a collection that swings between early 80’s Funk numbers like ‘What You Do To Me’, the sweet electronic Soul of ‘Do You Want Me’ and ‘Love Will Find a Way’ and flat out SynthWave gems in the form of ‘Gina’ and of course, one of our favourite tracks of the month, the breakin’ ‘Playground Rebels’. Taken as a whole, and a document of L’Equipe Du Son’s recent output it’s hard not to wonder why he isn’t a bigger name, there’s a lot of bigger producers who couldn’t fill an album so consistently, to such a high quality. And whilst the album is quite varied in it’s approach to Nu-Disco, from smooth Funk to full on abrasive Electro, there’s an across the board sound too. L’Equipe Du Son likes to drop some 8-bit sounds into the mix and favours big retro chord stabs in combination with Italo basslines. All amazing elements that in, L’Equipe Du Son’s hands become SynthWave gold. If you’re into Nu-Disco or SynthWave you might well already have many of these tracks, but they are definitely worth revisiting as a complete body of work.

♫ L’Equipe Du Son – Flashdance

♫ L’Equipe Du Son – Playground Rebels

♫ L’Equipe Du Son – Gina

♫ L’Equipe Du Son – Do You Want Me?

L’Equipe Du Son’s ‘Supersonic’ is out now on Silhouette Music.

Buy L’Equipe Du Son’s music from:

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Apr 23 2012

Lovelock’s ‘Burning Feeling’

Lovelock

From the opening notes of the heavy synth bassline of the title track of ‘Burning Feeling’, the début album from Lovelock, you know something synthetically special is happening. Lovelock is one of the many monikers of Synth legend Steve Moore. I say ‘legend’ because the man has a prolific and consistently amazing out put. Whether it’s as in Zombi or Miracle or as Gianna Rossi or just himself you know that with the Moore stamp on it, you’re in for some amazing, emotional synth work.

His latest release, Lovelock’s ‘Burning Feeling’ is in part a collection of his work under this pseudonym to date, some of the tracks, including the title, date back a couple of years and will be familiar to most fans of synth music, whist some are brand new, and the two sit side by side effortlessly. maybe du in part to Moore’s retro influences, maybe just due to the sheer quality of the songs, nothing on the album sound dated (or at least, not dated in the bad sense of the word). The album is loaded with futuristic Sci-Fi soundscapes and Cosmic Disco grooves, robotic Italo basslines and heartfelt Funk. ‘Burning Feeling’ itself is one of the most powerful SynthPop tracks you’ll hear in a while. Punchy EBM basslines and jackhammer drums mix with epic power ballad vocals to create a weird, but utterly amazing Industrial/Pop crossover. Elsewhere on the album Lovelock presents a more boogie laden Moroder-esque analog Disco vibe with track like ‘New Age Christ’ .Maybe Tonight’ and ‘The Fog’, albeit with his trademark warbling synth solos along for the ride. Mainly, though, ‘Burning Feeling’ is like the best collection of ‘80’s TV themes that never existed. ‘Deco District’ channels a more New York Disco version of Jan Hammer, as does ‘Love Reaction’ which ups the ante with some sweet female vocals. And in the middle of all this future funk and soundtrack majesty sits ‘South beach Sunrise’, a chilled out respite from the energy of the rest of the record, complete with a beautiful sax solo. ‘Burning Feeling’ truly is a masterpiece, an amazingly good album that impresses right from the moment you put it on. An electronic music fan’s record collection is just not complete without this album.

♫ Lovelock – Don’t Turn Away (From My Love)

♫ Lovelock – Love Reaction

♫ Lovelock – Maybe Tonight

♫ Lovelock – South Beach Sunrise

Lovelock’s ‘Burning Feeling’ is released 26th April on Prins Thomas’s Internasjonal imprint.

Buy Lovelock’s music from:

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Apr 19 2012

Gin Joints reMixes with Neon Workout, Flashworx & Telebild

Gin Joints

Released this week is the new reMix collection from Gin Joints of his last single ‘For Tonight’. Having moved on fro being a Hip Hop producer when he discovered Electro Funk, the Sweedish Gin Joins has released a handful of really cool, smooth Disco records with a Pop vibe. ‘For Tonight’ was one of those records and got quite a lot of big name support, now comes the reMixes with some rad names attached.

Admittedly the reMixes are a bit hit and miss (Thomey Boors 2-Step mix for instance is simplistic to the point where you wonder if he was even trying), but when they hit, they hit hard. Neon Workout are just one of those hits with a pounding Italo influenced take on the track which blends perfectly with the vocal. Neon Workout’s retro keys keep the track swinging with a nice cosmic quality. Flashworx, who we haven’t heard from in a while, drop a surprising big House track for their reMix that kicks with a cool ‘90’s flavour. The other standout mix comes from Telebild, who’s stripped down Moroder-esque analog Disco is pure gold. It’s space-age vocoders and robo groove soon give way to a sweet, human lead line and a Disco melding of man and machine.

♫ Gin Joints – For Tonight (Neon Workout reMix)

♫ Gin Joints – For Tonight (Flashworx reMix)

♫ Gin Joints – For Tonight (Telebild reMix)

Gin Joints’ ‘For Tonight: The reMixes’ is out now.

Buy Gin Joints’s music from:

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Apr 18 2012

Going Old School: Sweet Exorcist, Squash Gang & Curiosity Killed The Cat

Goin’ Old School isn’t a trip down music memory lane, it’s a mugging in the dark alleyway of nostalgia:

Early Warp goodness from Richard H Kirk’s Sweet Exorcist moniker with some ace Bleep House in 1989’s ‘Testone’. Jarvis Cocker directed the video!

Try Squash Gang’s ‘I Want An Illusion’ from 1986 for some pure Euro Italo goodness.

Don’t ask me why Curiosity Killed The Cat’s 1986 hit ‘Down To Earth’ is here, I was just in the mood.

You can buy most of this music from:

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Apr 17 2012

L’Equipe Du Son’s new single

L'Equipe Du Son

Later this month Dutch vintage Disco and synth outfit L’Equipe Du Son release their new single ‘Playground Rebels’ on Silhouette Music. I’ve really loved L’Equipe Du Son’s releases so far, but this may just be the best one yet. Strap in for some 80’s awesomeness.

‘Playground Rebels’ is a bright shiny slab of Electro Boogie that nicely mixes up a retro ElectroPop flavour with an undercurrent of B-Boy Electro (and a nice Wild Style sample). The track rests an a Breakin; beat and some positively huge synth stabs that have just the tiniest bit of swing. A killer, nostalgic, track. The reMixes are hot too. There a slow Disco jam from Alphabet City that feed of the swing and goes deep and dark with it along with Dynamicron. The pick of the reMixes though is 80s Stallone, who brings an Italo vibe to the track with an arpeggiated bassline Moroder would have been proud of. Interestingly, Mr. Stallone mixes up the lead line a bit, to twist the mood and let’s his own leads weave in and out of the track organic way.

♫ L’Equipe Du Son – Playground Rebels

♫ L’Equipe Du Son – Playground Rebels (80s Stallone reMix)

Buy L’Equipe Du Son’s music from:

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Apr 17 2012

Johan Agebjörn’s ‘Casablanca Nights’ revisited

Johan Agebjörn

Swedish purveyor of all things ElectroPop and Disco Johan Agebjörn’s ‘Casablanca Nights’ album was one of our top records of last year, a series of collaboration with some of the best electronic artists and SynthPop singers in the world and some cracking songs. Now two of those cracking songs are getting repackaged in some new and interesting ways.

First up, ‘Watch The World Go By ‘ is finally seeing the release of it’s reMix package. We’ve been waiting for it for a while since it was originally going to be released under the name Plexi Grace. Now, a change of label to Paper Bag Records and it’s back to plain old Johan Agebjörn & Le Prix and a whole host of awesome reMixes. You should all be intimately familiar with the, Lake Heartbeat featuring, slice of ElectroPop bliss by now, and if you’re not what have you been doing with the last year? The reMix package kicks off with German DJ Jam El Mar’s ‘Tripomatic Fairytale’ mix, and pulsating crossover between Nu-Disco and Deep House with some nice eclectic percussion. The track is basically an audio sunrise and sets up the EP perfectly. Along side a majestic workout by Young Galaxy and a couple of smooth reMixes from SynthPoppers Lindberg Palace (a name we haven’t heard for a while) you’ll find Nicolas Makelberge’s version which melds a few frantic elements and tempers them into a chilled Balearic retro Pop track. In addition to this release we also have 80’s Disco legend Alan Cook with an Agebjörn & Lovelock (Steve Moore) produced cover of ‘Casablanca Nights’ title track, and the three of them go full on Italo amazingness here. I cannot stress how good this track is, it’s not even 80’s Italo influenced, it just is pure 80’s Italo. The track’s tempo has been increased, the arpeggios fly and the both the music and vocals are majestic and shot through with that dramatic darkness that calls for a video shot in a dark, neon lit, alleyway that’s inexplicable full of smoke, but it;s in a studio anyway. Amazing Stuff.

♫ Alan Cook – Casablanca Nights (Original Mix) (Produced By Johan Agebjörn & Lovelock)

♫ Johan Agebjörn & Le Prix (Feat. Lake Heartbeat) – Watch The World Go By (Jam El Mar Tripomatic Fairytale reMix)

♫ Johan Agebjörn & Le Prix (Feat. Lake Heartbeat) – Watch The World Go By (Nicolas Makelberge reMix)

Alan Cook’s ‘Casablanca Nights’ is released 26th April on 12” and Download on Disco Evolution/Flashback Records. Paper Bag release ‘Watch The World Go By’ today!

Buy Johan Agebjörn’s music from:

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Apr 6 2012

Two new tunes from Mental Minority

Mental Minority

Mental Minority, then enigmatic German producer of awesome SynthWave, has unleashed another couple of new tracks on the world.

First up is ‘To M.J.’. The M.J. in question being the ‘Fox’ kind rather than the ‘Shamone’ kind. You’ll get this as it kicks off with a Back To The Future sample before launching into some sweet retro soundtrack SynthWave. With a nice refrain to bedrock the track, ‘To M.J.’ allows the shimmering leads to shine though, and there are several, weaving and intertwining with each other in quite an organic fashion. Mental Minority mixture of Italo grooves and emotional playing makes for an awesome, nostalgic chill out tune. The amazingly titled ‘I Used To Feel Quite Sad At Outdoor Raves’ opts for a more aggressive sound. A growling Italo bass and powerhouse drums drive this track which works a combination of early ‘90’s House and ‘80’s synth sounds in quite a unique style. It’s a building track that layers upon itself as it climbs toward the finale, a big hands-in-the-air moment.

♫ Mental Minority – To M.J.

♫ Mental Minority – I Used To Feel Quite Sad At Outdoor Raves

Check out more from Mental Minority on SoundCloud.

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Apr 4 2012

Goin’ Old School: Jan Hammer, Dorine Hollier & Julia Claire

Goin’ Old School isn’t a trip down music memory lane, it’s a mugging in the dark alleyway of nostalgia:

First up is the atmospheric keytar master, Jan Hammer with 1986’s ‘Crockett’s Theme’ from Miami Vice.

Dorine Hollier’s Tonight…Crazy Night’ from198 is as epic a slice of Italo as you’ll ever hear!

From 1987 it’s Julia Claire’s ‘Cat In Disguise’, pure post-Italo EuroPop cheese. Awesome!

You can buy most of this music from:

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Mar 30 2012

Nickee B

Smooth sounds now from French SynthWave producer Nickee B and ‘In The Heat Of The Night’.

‘In The Heat Of The Night’ plays out like deep late night Italo. With a mid-tempo groove that allows it’s lead lines to evolve with out being rushed, Nickee B takes his time and lays on layers of melody and sweet solo playing creating something quite magical. For those chilled nights in the city.

♫ Nickee B – In The Heat Of The Night

Check out more from Nickee B on SoundCloud.

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Mar 29 2012

Flash Arnold’s ‘Back Then’

Flash Arnold

Here’s a sweeping new tune from Finnish SynthWave producer Flash Arnold.

‘Back Then’ mixes things up a bit. Flash Arnold drops quite a few elements into the mix. From the Italo bassline, to the Jan Hammer-esque keys and the soaring SynthWave solo, the man puts together a rich, emotive track with an impulsive energy and a lead line full of contemplation. ‘Back Then’ conjures the best of hammers Miami Vice work and gives it a dancefloor kick in the arse. Oh, and woodblocks!