1980s Vinyl 293 Items

Glenn Branca’s first full-length album The Ascension is a colossal achievement. After touring much of 1980 with an all-star band featuring four guitarists (Branca, fellow composers Ned Sublette and David Rosenbloom, and future Sonic Youth member Lee Ranaldo) along with Jeffrey Glenn on bass and Stephan Wischerth on drums, Branca took his war-torn group into a studio in Hell’s Kitchen to record five incendiary compositions. Originally released in the summer of 1981, The Ascension effectively tears down the genre-ghettos between 20th century avant-garde and ecstatic rock ’n’ roll. On “The Spectacular Commodity,” chiming, shimmering tones unfold into sinister drone-territory à la Tony Conrad, while abrasive guitars and repetitive beats retain the raw primitivism of No Wave. The title track attains a densely packed, larger-than-life sound and (as author Marc Masters says best) “never stops climbing skyward.” With artist Robert Longo’s stark front cover that depicts Branca battling an unidentified man, The Ascension is a must-have record not only for fans of early Swans and Sonic Youth, but also of Steve Reich or Slint’s Tweez.

Chris Carter & Cosey Fanni TUTTI’s remastered limited edition vinyl series continues on 4 August 2023 with the release of Technø Primitiv (1985), Trust (1989) and Pagan Tango (1991) – all available on vinyl for the first time since their original release. The remastered albums will be available on Colored Vinyl, each with a printed inner sleeve of archival photos, via CTI. Elemental 7, Muzik Fantastique!, and Feral Vapours of The Silver Ether were released earlier this year, and the series has seen many of Chris & Cosey’s influential albums available on vinyl for the first time, giving listeners a new opportunity to revisit some of their celebrated catalogue.

The remastered releases for August includes 1985’s Technø Primitiv, originally released on Rough Trade, the album is from Chris & Cosey’s whiplash minimal ‘80s icy synth period. Listen to the proto-techno of ‘Morning’: https://youtu.be/b6hrytWxNi8 Trust, originally released on Play It Again Sam / Nettwerk in 1989, is collection of electro-pop, rinsed through with Chris & Cosey’s unique erotic vision – “Seldom have electronics this glaciated and deep-frozen exuded so much warmth” wrote Dele Fadele in NME – watch the video for the 12” version of ‘Rise’: https://youtu.be/Vns8_-X9B_k Pagan Tango – described by Melody Maker as “c&c formulating perfection” - followed in 1991 on Wax Trax!, and sees the pair once follow their own hypnotic beat in new directions.

Chris Carter & Cosey Fanni TUTTI’s remastered limited edition vinyl series continues on 4 August 2023 with the release of Technø Primitiv (1985), Trust (1989) and Pagan Tango (1991) – all available on vinyl for the first time since their original release. The remastered albums will be available on Colored Vinyl, each with a printed inner sleeve of archival photos, via CTI. Elemental 7, Muzik Fantastique!, and Feral Vapours of The Silver Ether were released earlier this year, and the series has seen many of Chris & Cosey’s influential albums available on vinyl for the first time, giving listeners a new opportunity to revisit some of their celebrated catalogue.

The remastered releases for August includes 1985’s Technø Primitiv, originally released on Rough Trade, the album is from Chris & Cosey’s whiplash minimal ‘80s icy synth period. Listen to the proto-techno of ‘Morning’: https://youtu.be/b6hrytWxNi8 Trust, originally released on Play It Again Sam / Nettwerk in 1989, is collection of electro-pop, rinsed through with Chris & Cosey’s unique erotic vision – “Seldom have electronics this glaciated and deep-frozen exuded so much warmth” wrote Dele Fadele in NME – watch the video for the 12” version of ‘Rise’: https://youtu.be/Vns8_-X9B_k Pagan Tango – described by Melody Maker as “c&c formulating perfection” - followed in 1991 on Wax Trax!, and sees the pair once follow their own hypnotic beat in new directions.

2021 Re-mastered, reissue, 180g black vinyl + 4 pages Liner notes. It was originally released at the same year of her debut album Seni Seviyorum in 1980. No suprise in the 2nd album of disco queen. Zerrin Ozer is one of the leading pop musician in Turkiye started her musical career in the seventies, still performing now. She is blessed by the music gods with a powerful voice. Amazing orchestra which is called “Istanbul Gelisim” accompanied with her at the moment of releasing this musical wonder.

Basking in the golden glow of an Indian Summer, Basso brings us a much needed reissue of one of his most treasured musical discoveries, Guy Maxwell’s ‘Outside My Window’. A long time favourite in the Growing Bin, this mellow masterpiece originally crept out in 1980 with no backing from its label, the soon to burst Bubble. Now resequenced and redressed to the exacting standards of Mssr. Maxwell, ‘Outside My Window’ is ready to warm the hearts and cheer the ears of a whole new audience. Born in Bordeaux under a wandering star, Guy spent the 70s on the road, freewheelin’ from Paris to Rome, guitar in tow, before settling in Switzerland at the end of the decade.

Record Store Day 2021 Drop 2 release Italy.

After being unavailable on vinyl for several decades, the third album of iconic French duo Les Rita Mitsouko is made available for the first time with audio re-mastered from the original tapes by Bernie Grundman Mastering. The original packaging has been strictly reproduced along with the original tracklist featuring the hits ‘Singing In The Shower (Les Rita Mitsouko & The Sparks)’, ‘Le Petit Train’ and ‘Hip Kit (Les Rita Mitsouko & The Sparks)’.

LP+CD edition with 140g black vinyl in printed cardboard sleeve. Printed inner-sleeve. After being unavailable on vinyl for several decades, the second album of iconic French duo Les Rita Mitsouko is made available for the first time with audio re-mastered from the original tapes by Bernie Grundman Mastering. The original packaging has been strictly reproduced along with the original tracklist featuring the hits ‘Andy’, ‘Les Histoires d’A’ and ‘C’est Comma Ça’.

Bananarama’s second album cemented the band as International pop superstars – with no less than 5 hit singles and a Top 10 with Cruel Summer in both the UK & USA The album includes the singles: ‘Cruel Summer’, ‘Rough Justice’, ‘King Of The Jungle’, ‘Hot Line To Heaven’, ‘Robert De Niro’s Waiting’. Bananarama are often cited as the UK’s most successful ever girl group with 5 UK singles and 10 top 10’s. They were the girl group that defined the eighties with their run of pop hits which soundtracked the lives of fans around the world. The news of Bananarama’s reunion, after nearly 30 years, was met with universal approval and saw the band celebrated all over again.

A rare private pressing from 1981 gets a loving remaster from Simon Mills [bent] and a reissue on the NuNorthern Soul label who have been releasing and reissuing musical oddballs and goodness for 11 years. Ace compialtion compiler, Paul Hillery [bbe, ReWarm] has spent time interviewing Mike Welch about this project and will be included as extensive sleeve notes on the release. This is a very special Blue Eyed Soul album with heavy Country leanings or as Paul puts it ' A record made by a musician, having to work hard by day and then put it all on the line in the studio at the weekend. Reflective songwriting and tight musicianship are given the space to breathe and un-smothered by overproduction. Difficult to tag, harder to find, essential re-issue business.' Copies of this are very hard to come by and go for silly money on Discogs which is a shame as the world needs to hear this album. 1LP vinyl with heavy card insert.

Remastered 12" single of the classic New Order single that reached the top5 in 1987. Originally released in as the lead single from the band's classic compilation 'Substance '87', True Faith was co-produced by the band Steven Hague. One of New Order's most popular tracks, it's still played to audiences around the world today.

Ian Elms’s cult isolationist synth masterpiece Good Night returns via Dark Entries. Originally released in 1982, Good Night blends Berlin school minimalism and BBC Radiophonic weirdness with the aesthetics of then-nascent DIY punk electronics throughout its fifteen short tracks. According to Elms, these pieces were composed in two broad but interrelated modes: pieces with voice and synthesizer, which are obliquely narrative, and instrumental synthesizer pieces that aspire to capture fleeting emotions. Ian met with producer David Hoser at Octopus Studios and they began constructing pieces using a Polymoog Keyboard 280a, sampled drum tracks, and Elms’s synthesizer. On “The Street Enters the House”, live drums lurch along with skeletal motifs while Elms’s elliptical lyrics evoke domestic discontent. “A Light Moves Across Curtains” features metronomic pummeling and icy strings buttressing the scant cryptic lines from Elms. Instrumental gems like “Goodnight” and “Surrounded by Trees” are built around detuned riffs in round-like structure, both drifting and static like the motion of waves. With original pressings fetching three digits – if you can even find a copy – this reissue is essential listening for fans of John Bender, Transparent Illusion, and the early 80’s DIY cassette scene. Each copy of Good Night comes with a postcard featuring a photograph and notes by Elms. “This record is intended for anyone who by accident or design spends most of their time alone (whether in the body or in the mind).” – Ian Elms.

2017 Re-mastered, reissue, 180g black vinyl in gatefold Cover. Originally released in 1982 by the Turkish Poet, composer and singer of classical and contemporary Turkish Music. He was the most popular artist in his genre for four decades. His distinctive voice style impressed millions of people and many singer following him. This LP is considered as one of the best among his albums.

Limited edition of 100 copies on blue wax. Only available at HHV.

Disco Segreta sets your summer on fire with the official reissue of two killer obscure italo-disco masterpieces! Out of the catalog of the no longer active cult Savona-based label Disco In, this 7” released in 1985 in 1000 copies sung by the mysterious Laura Angel, is probably one of the most elusive, with original copies hardly ever showing up ! “Summer Time” carries all the fascinating stylistic elements of italo-disco: romantic struggle, summer-inspired ital-english lyrics sung by a catchy female voice, over minimal 80s drums and arpeggiated basslines; while “If You Want” is possibly one of the finest examples of that all-Italian peculiar mixture of darkwave, synth-pop and italo-disco. Two superb melanchol-italo tearjerkers, with a masterful use of three classic italo disco fetish synths: E-mu Drumulator, Juno 106, Korg Poly 61. As usual with us, the first ever 12” reissue of this 45 - in a limited edition on 180g. high-quality vinyl - will be lovingly remastered, respectful of the actual tracks’ 80s lo-fi vibe, and will feature the original 45 versions.

Rich La Bonte is a musician, writer and editor from upstate New York born in 1946. At age 11 he figured out how to record a piano backwards with his first tape deck and discovered Monk, Mingus and Art Blakey. In 1965 Rich moved to Ithaca, bought an electric guitar and started singing in garage rock band the huns. After the band dissolved, he moved to NYC and played bass and sang in the original cast production of the musical Godspell. In the late 70s La Bonte moved to Hollywood with Shari Famous, released a a few 7” singles as Dada2, and started fLAtDiSk Records, a vinyl subsidiary of Dave Gibson's Moxie Record Company.


Rich released his debut solo album ‘Mayan Canals’ in 1981. The seven songs were recorded between 1973 and 1980 while living in New York, Pennsylvania and Hollywood. Influenced by everything from Apple Records to Zappa, the album veers from oozy psychedelia to synthesized breezy folk. Vocally Rich sounds like a cross between Tom Verlaine and Lou Reed. Some tracks feature an EMS Synthi A synthesizer, known to generate the sci-fi sounds from Dr. Who. Other songs utilize feedback from a Maestro Fuzztone box into a TEAC 4-track SimulSync tape recorder. Lyrically La Bonte tackles themes of dying celestial bodies, the birth of his daughter, and a critique of Bowie's character in The Man Who Fell To Earth. Included on this reissue are two bonus tracks originally released on the double A side 7” single Chance Circumstance/Drums Along The Maple Wood, a tribute to Irwin Chusid, the eminent WFMU DJ, with vocals by Shari Famous.


All songs have been remastered from original tapes by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. The jacket features a replica of the original jacket with a Mayan figure screen printed using the original rubber stamps from Rich’s archives. Each copy includes a 6-page xeroxed booklet with lyrics, never before seen photos, and liner notes by Rich La Bonte.

The Arms of Someone New formed in 1983 in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois as the brainchild Mel Eberle and Steve Jones. Steve managed and helped record Mel’s band The First Things; while in the studio to demo some of Mel’s songs, they started collaborating. The idea for the Arms of Someone New was to combine Mel’s and Steve’s several varied interests in the Beatles, psychedelia, blues, new wave and post-punk to create a sound in which the listener would be enveloped, immersed. They drew inspiration from Joy Division, Young Marble Giants, Nico and Pink Floyd. Between 1983 and 1985 they released four cassettes, one 7” and one EP.

In September 1985, the duo self-released their debut full length ‘Susan Sleepwalking’ on Office Records. Equipped with simple keyboards, drum machines and jangly guitars, The Arms Of Someone New provided an American take on English folk, Ambient and Industrial music. The album is ten tracks of mood-filled music with sparse instrumentation and simple chord changes that paint pictures of stillness and calm. Psychedelic vocals add texture, producing an ethereal, dream-like quality. The Arms of Someone New challenges conformity by mixing styles, but without sacrificing unity. “‘Susan Sleepwalking’ could as well be retitled ‘Music for Interiors’ – both architectural and of the mind” – The Michigan Daily 1985.

All songs have been remastered for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. Housed in the original jacket featuring an blood red tinted photograph with ghostly textures. Each copy includes a 2-sided 11” square insert with lyrics, and press clipping from the band’s archive.

Founded in December 1984, they started to make a name for themselves (the name comes from Stanly Kubriks classic "Clockwork Orange" and stands for a special drink which was available at the Korova Milkbar. In the russian translation "Moloko +" means "milk with knives"). At the same time in Great Britain bands like Bauhaus, Dead Can Dance, or Southern Death Cult started a new era in music: Gothic Underground.

Moloko + with its singer Martin Holm gave great concerts and got a well known name in the scene in Southern Germany. TV, Radio and the press followed closely the rise of the band from Landshut. The 1986 published first record is still an admirable jewel and should not be missed on any searching list. They got prepared to record a second album when "suddenly a comet burned out, near the sun, on distant skys".

"In meinen Taschen die Sterne wie Staub" (Translation: In my pockets the stars like dust) - The song from the first album and our thoughts are dedicated to our leadsinger Martin Holm, who left our world much to early.

Mastered 2014 by Yves Roussel.
Edition of 400 numbered copies. Hand printed with photoengraving (each cover is different). Comes with DIN A3-sized poster printed double sided.

Originally released via the legendary Factory Records, Substance compiled all of the band's singles to that point in their 12" versions with many of their respective B-sides, and specially new recorded versions of 'Temptation' and 'Confusion'. The album also included the biggest selling 12" single of all time, Blue Monday, alongside other classic singles The Perfect Kiss, Bizarre Love Triangle and the band's debut single release Ceremony.

2019 Re-mastered – 140g black vinyl with 4 pages liner notes It was originally released in 1980 during the disco and funk period of Turkiye. The cover photo may delude you about the music style of the album. Zerrin Ozer looks like Janis Joplin. However, she is the queen of Turkish disco, soul and funk. What a powerful voice which vibes when she is singing. Listen to it and enjoy.

An example of globalisation's ultra exoticisms: a Guinean hit that changed the perception of African music in European dance charts (selling over a million copies), covered by a Hongkongese pop star two years later, the perfect recipe for ensuring heavy frothing amongst diggers and collectors worldwide. Besides its aesthetic novelty, it's also highly effective on just about any dancefloor, a theme that sounds so familiar to many but then with the added unexpected surprised factor of the lyrics being sung in a female voice and in Cantonese -- a hard moment to forget on a well helmed club floor. Another generosity of this release amongst the other 3 tracks is a display of heavy Cantonese ballad prowess in the Adult Contemporary landscape, especially with a cover of Gamble & Huff's "When Will I See You Again", huge on the couples' slow dance scene, shameless drama.

More than four decades after it first appeared on their Hot Space album - Queen are releasing 1982’s “Cool Cat” on limited edition 7″ pink vinyl. Making its debut as an A-side - this marks the seventh single to be taken from the album. The B-side will be a brand-new previously-unreleased instrumental mix of the song.

The much acclaimed city pop masterpiece with flavors of boogie-disco, funk and fusion and the soulful voice of Eri Ohno. Originally released in 1981 and repressed on vinyl for the very first time from the original master tapes.
Limited edition. Comes with insert.

Documenting the unlikely coupling of British free jazz bastion Lol Coxhill and the saucy synth pop don’t-wannabes known as Gerry And The Holograms this rare incognito full-length album bridges the micro-niches of electronic jazz and punk jazz from a band formed in 1979 at an axis where DIY and new wave hadn’t quite collided! With sprinklings of post-punk female vocals worthy of PragVEC and Suburban Lawns, featuring angular art rock paeans to voodoo dolls and closed- circuit TV, this privately pressed LP comes directly from the man who gave Martin Hannett some of his best ideas and wrote the “Blue”print for Manchester’s new musical order.

Instant is the trio of Bernd Schöll (Bass, Vocals, Rhythm), Mike Hauer (Guitar, Synth, Percussion), and Marion Siekmann (Vocals) from Munich, Germany. They formed in 1980 after meeting through mutual friends attending the local art and graphic design school. The trio were dissatisfied with their surrounding musical environment. Inspired by the Velvet Underground, Kraftwerk, and Giorgio Moroder, they set out to create their own brand of Neue Deutsche Welle fusing Dada, disco, and Krautrock.


Over the course of 2 weeks in Summer 1980 the band teamed up with local producer Mario Strack to record 6 songs. These would make up their debut eponymous album that was originally self-released on 10” vinyl in 1981. They utilized a simple set up of guitar, bass, and keyboards, plus the BOSS DR-55 Dr. Rhythm drum machine. Metal scraps clanging appear on the tracks “Do Not” and “Optimate Minimum”, and a washing machine was sampled on the track “Joyboy”, which features Marion reading from the appliance’s instruction manual. The A-side features 4 tracks in 11 minute, while the B-side hosts 2 songs in the same stretch of time. “Charade” features no wave saxophone accompaniment from Kai Taschner of Munich New Wave band Luna Set. Marion’s vocals are between Nico’s Teutonic chill and Alison Statton’s (Young Marble Giants) playfulness, while Bernd takes a monotone approach. Lyrics for “My Boy” and “Everybody's Gotta Mutate” were adapted from ‘Rotwang’, a fragmented novel written by Tim Hildebrandt, one of the brothers famous for illustrating the works of Tolkien.


All songs have been remastered for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. The vinyl comes housed in a replica of the original jacket design, which features a neon red screen-printed drawing of a cut-out doll family on a stark white background. Each LP includes a postcard insert with lyrics.

This reissue includes insert with complete biography and track-by-track notes by Gary Blanchard himself.

Massimo Morini, has been technical director and conductor of San Remo festival for over 30 years. On his conducting debut in 1995 he was only 26 years old. Before his big hall music adventure started, back in 1985 he formed his first italo disco group – J.F & Hitwave, later to be transformed into Love Kills (I want to Become). A forgotten and highly demanded among obscure 7″ italo collectors tune titled “Dance Floor Girl” is now brought back to the light of day on a 12″ vinyl. The reissue contains previously unreleased 12″ version as well remixes by Flemming Dalum, Italoconnection and Also Playable Mono.

Straight from the immense shelves of the Full Time Production warehouse, here's a new must-have gem for the italo disco lovers. Released for the first time in 1980 , eponymous album "Kano " is remastered for vinyl for the first time since then and is given an incredible new life through this version pressed on limited edition hand-numbered vinyl that is deep in grooves and inspiration. The first successful pioneer and ambassadors of the newly-minted "italo disco", Stefano Pulga and Luciano Ninzatti formed the core of Kano forging a consistent and memorable sound maintened throughout. This is the sound of an army of buzzing, mini-computers and thickly-slapped bass guitars igniting neon squares across dancefloors worldwide. As such, it sort of straddles the line between italo disco and synth funk. Each of the six songs provides 6 to 7 minutes of danceable delights with lengthy instrumental stretches perfect for nightclubs. With vocals that are a mix of natural, falsetto and robotic, this is an album for boys, girls and androids alike. The best of the bunch open and close the set, with "It's a War" marrying a downright deadly bass line with a furiously funky organ and apocalyptic screeching synths and "I'm Ready" providing a veritable celebration of this new sound that would go on to be a big hit in two different decades. "I'm ready" was not only the beginning of Italo Disco but also a starting point for Hip Hop because that track became a classic for breakdance. "Now Baby Now" provides further thrilling proof of the success of this sound. The positively boppy "Ahjia" hails its all-encompassing power with a jubilant refrain of "everything is music!", while the mostly-instrumental "Cosmic Voyager" acts as an adventurous, triumphant soundtrack for a hero spacecraft. "Super Extra Sexy Sign", meanwhile, grooves through the Zodiac signs in entertaining fashion.

A milestone in electronic music, is finally receiving its well-deserved re-release: Liaisons Dangereuses’ legendary self-titled debut album still fascinates today, through its innovative sound and the mystery encompassing it. Since its release in 1981, it has become a classic in electronic music. The 10 electrifying songs produced by Chrislo Haas (daf) and Beate Bartel (Mania D. / Matador) – reinforced by Krishna Goineau’s French and Spanish Speech-Attack-Lyrics – created a unique style. The album – anything other than a Berlin or Düsseldorf ‘thing’ – was propelled to an international favourite. Songs such as “Peut Être... Pas” and “Los Niños Del Parque” played a decisive role in the development of Detroit and Chicago’s house sound, as well as various forms of European techno.

Alex Dorothee was born in Guadaloupe, and lived between Paris and his hometown. He began his musical career as part of the band: The Will Boy, Vautours and Les Junior De Paris. He has released 8 albums and several singles. Harmonie Exotic will re-propose you the reissue of the album “Au Krisma Discothèque” released in the mid 80s.

Mothball Record starts its 2016 release schedule with a bang by releasing their first LP. Originally produced in a tiny edition of only 100 copies back in ’87, this dark masterpiece from prolific Italian artist DECA finally appears as an official reissue on Mothball (in collaboration with Bordello A Parigi) remastered from the original tapes. “Synthetic Lips” is an absolutely diverse album spanning industrial, synth-pop, ambient and even elements of new age…some tracks will hit immediately and others will reward repeated listening.

Rush Hour’s RSS series excels in unearthing buried treasure, offering a second chance for artists and releases that have long been overlooked. That’s certainly the case with ‘Witches’, the superb sole single by British 1980s wave trio Zenana.

Originally released on seven-inch by the tiny PRM label in 1986, ‘Witches’ was the product of a sister-brother songwriting team whose music was mostly recorded in the front room of a terraced house in Nanpean, a small industrial village in Cornwall, England’s most south-westerly county. While the single was infectious, impeccably produced and dancefloor-ready, it sold in limited quantities at the time.

Zenana’s story can be traced back to the early 1980s, when singer-songwriter Anita Tedder founded the all-female trio as a vehicle for her musical ambitions. To bring her songs to life, she joined voices with her brother Mike, an early adopter of electronic music who had built a studio – nicknamed MFR, short for ‘Mike’s Front Room’ – in his Cornish home.

Countless Zenana tracks were recorded at ‘mfr’ between 1984 and ’86, with the resultant demo cassette securing the band a management contract, a slew of live bookings, a video shoot and even a television appearance. Buoyed by this underground success, they headed to the remote Sawmills Studio in Cornwall – famously only accessible by boat – to re-record ‘Witches’, a song inspired by local folk tales of witches gathering near Mike’s home.

While this version of ‘Witches’ failed to make an impact at the time, it has become something of a cult classic following its’ rediscovery by crate digger Kiernan Abbott – and subsequent championing by other dusty-fingered DJs including Antal, Skyrager, Trevor Jackson and Luke Una – in early 2023. The buzz inspired Zenana to perform live again for the first time in decades, with the story of their surprise comeback being covered by British media outlets including the BBC and (more surprisingly) the Daily Mail.

Now presented in re-mastered form, ‘Witches’ is a genuinely slept-on gem. Propelled forwards by punchy drum machine beats, a killer synth bassline and fizzing keyboard sounds, the song benefits greatly from strong vocals and an extra-percussive middle eight layered with vocalisations, cosmic spoken word sections and swirling noises.

It comes backed by a brand-new extended ‘spell of love’ courtesy of Bristol duo Bedmo Disco, AKA music journalist Matt Anniss (author of Join The Future: Bleep Techno and the Birth of British Bass Music) and DJ/production partner Gareth Morgan. Anniss is a long-time friend of Mike and Anita Tedder who has fond memories of visiting Mike’s home studio with his family around the time that ‘Witches’ was recorded.

Working from Zenana’s original MFR eight-track recording (tapes of the single version were lost years ago), Anniss and Morgan have turned in the extended ‘dance mix’ the track never had first time around. More atmospheric, clandestine and dancefloor-focused, it offers authentic nods to New York proto-house, mid-80s Shep Pettibone dubs, and the pioneering synth-pop productions and dub mixes of Factory Records regular Martin Rushent.

The Dark Entries Italo drop continues with Garland’s “Heartbeat”. Like the Alex Molo reissue, this is another 1986 dancefloor bomb produced by Claudio Corradini along with Massimo Filippi. Art Déco singer and songwriter Claudio Valenti conceived of Garland as an outlet for his more dancefloor-oriented material. Inspired by Valenti’s time spent in London seeing Steve Strange (of New Romantic group Visage) DJ at Heaven, “Heartbeat” is an epic Italo number with a heavy New Wave stamp. Déjà vu comes over the listener with melodies evoking Debarge and Bronski Beat, but this passes when the fist-pumping, sing-along-worthy chorus hits. Both the “Song Version” and the “Dance Version” are included on this reissue, with the latter featuring an extended intro and stripped down arrangement.

The Italo connoisseurs at Dark Entries have unearthed another hard-rocking jam. Alex Molo’s “Look At Me” was released in 1986 on Rainbow Records. Produced by Claudio Corradini and featuring Mauro Spagnolo and Steven Stefani, “Look At Me” delivers everything you want from latter-period Italo: propulsive digital synth basslines, anthemic chords, and reverb-washed orchestra hits. The “Dancing Mix” is engineered for DJs and dancefloors, with a heavier low end and a clearer mixdown, while the “Radio Mix” is more midrange-heavy and features additional synthesizer work. With original copies fetching a hefty sum on the second hand market, this reissue will excite both die-hard collectors and fledgling Italo-enthusiasts alike.

A record that should never leave any HiNRG sympathetic record bag. You get two monstrous club tracks from the second half of the 80s for the price of one. These two singles put the power couple (Pascal and Denise Languirand) on the HiNRG map worldwide. “Imagination” is an electro influenced anthem that will shift gears for any dancefloor. The percussive work on the break is a ground quaking homage to freestyle/latin influences from the scene in LA at the time, (reminiscent of the unconstrained drum machine programing on “Just My Love” by Umo Vogue for example). Flip it and you're left with “I'm Yours Tonight”: a highly sought after Patrick Miller holly grail that might have been too honest to be taken seriously by the already "house" infected zeitgeist which might have been dominating the mainstream for the tail end of the late 80s. But for many faithful HiNRG scholars this would never leave our radars, so here it is again at a now reasonable price and remastered for serious club application.

Hassan Ideddir’s 1989 single “Atfalouna” sees an expanded repress courtesy of Dark Entries. Born to Berber parents in Morocco, Ideddir began making music at the age of 10 after being discovered singing in the stairwell by his school’s headmaster. Encouraged by his peers, he began playing concerts, and his status grew. In 1987, he played a string of sold-out concerts in Casablanca, Rabat, and Marrakesh, in support of a children’s charity. The success of these concerts secured him a record deal, and he went to Paris to record his debut single “Atfalouna” in 1988. Released in 1989 on WEA, “Atfalouna” is a dense slab of multi-genre pop. An opening wash of digital synths and reverberant vocals quickly falls away to a cascade of orchestra hits and pulsing electronic drums; the monotone chant-rap of a female chorus collides with Ideddir’s soaring melismatic vocals, pleading against the injustice and hunger in the world. While Hip-Hop and New Beat borrowed tropes from Arabic music, “Atfalouna” inverts the gesture, resituating orchestra hits and sampling techniques within a Moroccan music framework. A shorter instrumental version follows, which preserves the female vocals. Also included are two tracks not on the original 12”. “Ibina” is a moody, downtempo instrumental that sounds like a cult Italo B-side. The record closes with “Ydouchababe”, an electro number driven by funky guitars, electronic claps, huge horn riff. Here, Ideddir sings of a youth festival honoring Hassan II, former king of Morocco. All songs were remastered by George Horn. The sleeve is a replica of the original 12” cover art, featuring Ideddir set in a cheeky collage of clocks, columns, and camels. Also included is a postcard with a photo of Hassan, as well as lyrics in both Arabic and English. We will be donating 100% of proceeds from this release to Sphere who provide support to the young queer community across Ukraine and the Palestine Children's Relief Fund who help provide urgent humanitarian care for Gaza's children.

2018 Remaster