1980s Vinyl 195 Items

Prince‘ ikonic Album Sign O’ The Times, remastered by Prince‘ Mastering-Engineer Bernie Grundman.

Here's the sixth exploration so far of the FullTime Production world with four brand new reworks of tracks extracted from our infinite vaults, finally coming into a brand new sparkling life for DJs and Disco fanatics. After the well-received and successful previous five volumes, there's so much to enjoy throughout this new limited edition 12-inch trip, completely remastered. On the A-side the Disco supernova Da Lukas brings into the world a boosted rework of the B.B. and Band classic "That Special Magic". An incredible groovy vertigo that will take the dancers deeper in. Then the Musta's remix of the 1982 Ago's "It Will Never Be" is pure funky! On the flip side Antonello Ferrari and Aldo Bergamasco alias F&B provide a stomping killer nu-disco rendition of Selection's "Desire", while C. Da Afro closes the package in big fashion kicking the groove and pathos of the Italo-Disco gem "I'm In love" by Patty Johnson.

Limited DJ Promotional 12" featuring four previously unreleasedTalking Heads demo's from Fear Of Music sessions. Never before available on vinyl.

Following last year’s inaugural box set, Power Corruption & Lies is the next Definitive Edition to chronical the history of one of the UK’s most enduring and influential groups

The box which includes an LP, two CDs, two DVDs and a book, features the album remastered for the first time from the original analogue tape masters on LP, and CD. The Extras CD contains previously unreleased writing sessions from New Order’s Manchester rehearsal rooms and the 1982 John Peel Session for the BBC. The DVDs capture New Order live during 1982 & 83 at The Hacienda and Kilkenny, the 1984 Play at Home Channel 4 TV documentary and other rare live & TV performances. Finally a beautiful 48 page hardback book of rare photos and brand new essay from Dave Simpson completes the Peter Saville designed box.

Power, Corruption & Lies was recorded in 1982 at Britannia Row Studios, Islington and produced by New Order.

Bonus Content:

CD:
Power Corruption And Lies - Extras

Writing Session Recordings
1. Age Of Consent *
2. The Village *
3. 5 8 6 *
4. Your Silent Face *
5. Ecstasy *
6. Leave Me Alone *

John Peel Session
7. Turn The Heater On
8. We All Stand
9. Too Late
10. 5 8 6

John Peel Session Outtake
11. Too Late (instrumental rough mix) *

New York demo #1
12. Thieves Like Us*

Writing Session Recordings
13. Thieves Like Us *
14. Murder *
15. Blue Monday *
16. Blue Monday *

Album Session Recording
17. Blue Monday (Instrumental Outtake)
*Previously unreleased

DVD 1
New Order - Power Corruption And Lies DVD
Live Shows

The Hacienda, Manchester, 1982
In A Lonely Place
Ultraviolence
Denial
The Village
We All Stand
Senses
Chosen Time
5 8 6
Temptation
Everything's Gone Green
Rosehill Hotel, Kilkenny, Ireland 1983
We All Stand
Leave Me Alone
Denial
The Village
Temptation
Confusion
Age Of Consent
Blue Monday
Everything's Gone Green
Ceremony

TV Sessions

Blue Monday (BBC Top Of The Pops, London, 1983)
Confusion (Countdown – 1983
Age Of Consent (Switch – 1983)
Blue Monday (Switch – 1983)
Thieves Like Us (BBC Top Of The Pops, London, 1984 )

Extras
Your Silent Face (The Hacienda, Manchester, 1983)
5 8 6 (The Hacienda, Manchester, 1983)
We All Stand (Recreation Centre, Tolworth, 1983)
Leave Me Alone (Recreation Centre, Tolworth, 1983)
Love Will Tear Us Apart (Tower Ballroom, Birmingham, 1983)
Ultraviolence (First Avenue, Minneapolis, 1983)
The Village (Uni-Mensa, Dusseldorf, 1984)
Thieves Like Us (Alabamahalle, Munich, 1984)
Blue Monday (Alabamahalle, Munich, 1984)
Lonesome Tonight (Metropol, Berlin, 1984)
Confusion (Metropol, Berlin, 1984)

DVD 2

Play At Home
Channel 4, 1984 documentary made by New Order
Live Show
The Hacienda, Manchester, 1983
Blue Monday
Age Of Consent
Lonesome Tonight
Your Silent Face
Leave Me Alone
5 8 6
Denial
Confusion
Temptation
Thieves Like Us
In A Lonely Place
Everything's Gone Green

Record Store Day 2020 Release.

First time on vinyl! “Filled with seriously beautiful singing, Drag sharpens Ms. lang’s image as pop music’s smartest post-modern torch singer.” -New York Times “A collection of covers that are somehow related to smoking, Drag is far more ambitious than the average cover record.” -All Music Limited Edition - Pressed on smoky vinyl

In 1981, Nick Robson wrote Stars. The song can pretty much be described as a slow, cosmic disco song. It has an unusual feel, and it comes as Oslo-based Neppås third release. This 12″ holds the 12″ mix, the 7″ mix, and the original B-side Eye To Eye. The original 12″ is as rare as they come, and here you get the original material, fully licenced, and remastered. The process of recording the material back in 1981 was not an easy one, as Nick Robson recalls: “Fame by David Bowie is one of my favourite songs, period. I was 18 when i wrote Stars and i wanted to write something that was my version of Fame and quite honestly, as a tribute to the song. If you listen to the bass lines, there is a hint of similarity in the two. Even the lyric of Stars has a passing reference to Fame. Stars was one of four songs recorded at Gary’s Rock City studio to supply the first two singles and form the basis of the first album. The other three tracks were Eye To Eye, Boys and She’a Like Ice. Although all four tracks were finished, for one reason or another, Boys never made it to pressing and i walked away from the business to pursue a career in film. Stars itself, was the most ardous and problematic track that i’ve ever recorded. It took around 14 days to finally get an agreed mix when the budget probably only ran to three days. Part of the reason for this is the enormous quantity of music tracks recorded in the song. In those days, we only had 24 recordable tracks available on the Otari, so once you had recorded 23 or less actually, you had to bounce down sub-mixes to a single track to free up another batch of tracks. I think that there are around 46 tracks of instruments alone on Stars so although that kind of track usage is not uncommon now, back then it was rare.

Dark Entries’ first release of 2020 is a deluxe 2xLP reissue of Severed Heads’ debut 1981 album Clean. One of the longest surviving bands to emerge from the Australian post-punk independent music scene, they began in Sydney in 1979. Severed Heads is basically a nom- de-plum for Tom Ellard, who incorporates elements of ‘industrial’ noise-generation, tape cutting & looping and electronic sound synthesis. As the project developed song-structures and vocals were employed in a more-or-less recognizable mutant electro pop style.

Clean was amongst the first vinyl releases under the Dogfood Productions banner of Terse Tapes, previously a cassette-only label. For this records Tom used an array of synthesizers (Kawai 100F, Casiotone, Roland CR78+SH1+CSQ100), sequencers, tapes and occasional guitar and violin played by Garry Bradbury. Severed Heads have a language of their own, music that juxtaposes all sorts of noise, in all sorts of ways so that a structure evolves, (fragmented) melody and rhythm being almost a by-product. As one reviewer said in 1981, “It is an ugly album that you simply cannot ignore, it thuds and screeches and makes you stare just to wonder what kind of people would procure such an album.” For this deluxe reissue we’ve included a bonus disc featuring 13 songs, 5 of which have never been released before, culled from live performances, the Side 3 cassette and a Clean demo tape that only surfaced last year, plus "Food City" missing from previous reissues.

Each copy is housed in a gatefold jacket featuring black and white xeroxed artwork from the first vinyl edition. Inside the gatefold are liner notes by Tom Ellard plus photos and press clippings from the period. 25% of proceeds will be donated to the Australian Fire Relief Fund for First Nations Communities, that offers specific direct support to some of those communities with critical costs to cover expenses.

This set features the original album plus Demos and Remixes, incl. Massive Attacks Remix of "Manchild". Three discs in single LP sleeves, housed in a rigid slip-case, includes original album remastered and two bonus discs of b-sides, remixes & extras
Also features the 48-page book

Remastered at Abbey Road, pressed on heavyweight vinyl, with download card included.

30th anniversary of Neneh Cherry’s classic hit album Raw Like Sushi (1989),“an unorthodox and brilliantly daring blend of R&B, rap, pop, and dance music”, sees the original album remastered and given the super deluxe treatment as a 3LP box set.

This box sets feature a 48-page 12x12 book packed full of iconic photos, new interviews, liner notes and memorabilia. The album features 5 singles - includes the worldwide smash hit single ‘Buffalo Stance’ (number 1 US Dance Chart) as well as hit singles – ‘Manchild’ produced by Massive Attack’s Robert Del Naja, ‘Kisses On The Wind’, ‘Heart’ & ‘Inna City Mamma’. Also features rare mixes of key tracks by Massive Attack, Arthur Baker, Smith N Mighty, and more.One of the most important records of all-time. Listed as one of the "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".

Celebrating a Decade of Dark Entries with a compilation titled Tens Across The Board. We revisit our roster and chose 10 songs from 10 bands from 10 different countries spanning the years 1981-1993. The songs flow in chronological order and have never appeared on vinyl, with 7 of the songs previously unreleased. Features tracks from PARADE GROUND, DISENO CORBUSIER, LENA PLATONOS, VICTROLA, BORGHESIA, TOM ELLARD, X-RAY POP, SECOND DECAY, FROM NURSERY TO MISERY, and CYRNAI. All songs have been remastered by GEORGE HORN at Fantasy Studios. The vinyl is housed in a custom designed jacket by ELOISE LEIGH featuring our label’s colors black-white-red with connect-the-dots pattern linking the 10 songs via maps/timeline/location, all relating to the reissue process, plus source images from San Francisco, our hometown. For this landmark release we've also printed a 2-sided fold-out wall poster that includes every artist we've released in our first 10 years 2009-2019 in black, red and silver metallic ink, plus an 8x11 insert with lyrics, notes and photos.

2019 vinyl edition with printed inner-sleeve (with the lyrics). Includes a bonus 7″ of original track ‘Chacun fait (C’ qui lui plaît). Spring 1982: Grégory Ken and Valli aka Chagrin d’Amour bursts into the scene with ‘Chacun fait (C’qui lui plaît)’. The track gets 9 airplays a day on the newly created NRJ radio and 35 000 copies of the 7″ are sold every day ! In the blink of an eye, a team of experienced musicians is gathered around prominent sound engineer Dominique Blanc-Francard: Slim Pezin (guitars), Bernard Paganotti (bass), Philippe Drai (drums) and Jean-Pierre Sabar (keyboards). After a few days in New-York with Richard Avedon who shot the cover pictures the album is ready and set to become a cult release over more than three decades.

We are proud to release a compilation from British post-punk/Futurist group Ghosts of Dance formed in North Devon in 1981. The members were Yvette Norris (vocals), Kevin Maynard (drums), Daryl Hunt (bass), Mark Butcher (keyboards), and Pete Heaton (guitar). Ghosts of Dance took their name from the song 'Ghosts' by David Sylvian which appeared on the first Japan album. After playing an early gig in Barnstaple, a gentleman in the audience named Richard Newman expressed his interest to start a record label and release their music. Richard scheduled a recording session for the band at Otter Studios in Georgeham with producer Harry Williamson, son of Henry Williamson, member of progressive rock band Gong. The debut single ‘Ghosts of Dance’ was released in 1982 on Plastic Canvas Records to mixed reviews as it was very different from anything being released at the time. Our compilation includes their debut single along with 9 bonus tracks recorded between 1981 and 1983 on vinyl for the first time. The band call themselves “Vocal Trance Music” on the 7” sleeve credits and it’s accurate. We call it melancholic pop with gloomy atmosphere and dream-like melodies. The final track shows the band moving in a New Romantic direction with Mark taking over the main vocals. All songs have been remastered by George Horn at Fantasy Studios. Each copy is housed in a jacket featuring original artwork by John Hurford and includes an insert with photos, lyrics and liner notes by Pete Heaton.

Reprint of the album published in 1995 by Milestone Records. It is an album that collects the first songs of the group that we now know as QUEEN.

Limited to 500 copies.

Minimal Wave presents an LP of tracks by Belgian synthwave luminaries The Misz, entitled The Lonely Crowd. The Misz formed in Gent in 1983 by Jan Van den Broeke and Dries Dekocker at a time when they had both just relocated from the country. They lived on the same street and collaborated freely with the limited equipment they had, which always centered around the Fostex 250 4-track tape recorder. They used an unknown monophonic synthesizer, casio synths, roland drum machines, hand drums and guitars through effects pedals, improvising with their voices and often and included friends for additional voices and sounds. They captured these sonic experiments and sometimes released them on cassette in editions of 100-200. They were also included on numerous cassette compilations throughout the 1980s on labels like Mad In Belgium, The Cassette Factory, 3RIO Tapes, Minimart production, Fraction Studio, Cauchy Productions, Home Product, R.R. products, ZNS Tapes, and Body Records.

The Misz described themselves as young, immature and bit strange yet totally bold and fearless. They sang about what surrounded them from world politics and environmental catastrophes to love and lust. The songs on The Lonely Crowd span from various cassette releases and have been remastered from their original reel to reel tapes.

The LP is pressed on 180 gram vinyl as a limited edition of 600 copies, the first 100 are in white and the remaining 500 in black. The cover and inner sleeve are printed on matte heavy card stock featuring photographic collages, typography and design by Peter Miles.

Emotional Rescue returns to the music of British "pop" band Furniture, with an EP of the band's own extended versions, remixes and unreleased takes of their particular output. Taken from three 12"s that followed When The Boom Was On (ERC072), the songs included cast a light on their development from 3 to 5 piece, adding Sally Still (bass) and Maya Gilder (keyboards) and the new male/female frontline. The subsequent broadening of their line-up and sound meant they could start to address the kind of pop music they wanted to play. After the early releases garneered radio play and reviews, Furniture were launched into the melee of '80s pop. An anomaly, the band found they attracted a specific kind of "intense" follower, who were often beguiled by Furniture's freaky normality. This was addressed on the 1984 release, 'I Can't Crack'. A more urgent version of the sound Furniture had debuted with 'Why Are We In Love', the track, sung by Tim, was based around a sequencer-like rhythm played live by drummer Hamilton Lee, and a clarinet part played by Tim's brother, Larry Whelan. A mix of bleakness and euphoria, the song was and is a favourite of the band and considered one of their best self-productions, as well as becoming a latter day club play. This is followed by the studio experiment 'Throw Away The Script', where the band wrestled with sequencers and synth-pop, but then countered it with a free-jazz sax solo. Found on the flip of the double A -side of 'Love Your Shoes' 12", this instrumental version too became an underground club hit, including a cult play at Fran Lenaer's influential Valencia club, Spook Factory. Played loud, the studio mastery, trickery and oft-accidental discoveries come to the fore, with tissue-damaging frequencies giving extra sound system shaking bottom end. The B-side continues the band's love of making extended mixes with 'Dancing The Hard Bargain'. Co-produced with Tim Parry (formerly of Blue Zoo), they threw everything at these 12" versions. Able to relax and focus on the sounds they really liked, rather than the ones thought more commercial, this can be clearly heard on this compelling, percussive mix, a stop-start breakdown becoming a band hallmark. To close this collection is the mammoth 'Bullet'. Again sung by Whelan, an edited version of which debuted on the 1986 Survival compilation of Furniture tracks called 'The Lovemongers', here this previously unreleased original take is centred on a mesmeric tape loop, live drums and a guest appearance by violinist Helena Bjorelius.

Gatefold sleeve with printed inner sleeves.
Includes 12"x12" booklet of lyrics, photographs and credits.
Download voucher.

Bocal 5 were a No Wave art group composed of Doc Pilot (synths, vocals), Zouka Dzaza (bass), Florian Guillou (synths), Mickey Lepron (electronic drums, bass) and Evy Tinguette (lead vocals). The project was born in November 1980 in Tours, France as the brain child of Doc Pilot. Between 1981 to 1986 Bocal 5 recorded one 7” single and a cassette-only album before taking a year off in 1984 to launch X-Ray Pop. Influenced by Erik Satie, Brigitte Bardot, Suicide and Young Marble Giants, they call their music "minimum naive new wave." “Musique Électronique” is a 19-track compilation of songs recorded across 1983, most of which have never been released on vinyl before. 16 tracks appeared on the “From Bocal 5 To X-Ray Pop” album originally released on cassette by Sound of Pig in 1984. Both tracks from their debut 7” originally released in MB5 1984 are included and show a progression in sound as a result of newer recoding equipment and techniques. Also present is a song from the tape compilation “Andreas N°3 L'Animal" released by Fraction Studio in 1984. Armed with a Korg 770, MS-10, Prophet Pro-One, Roland TR-707 and TB-808 they crafted their own brand of quirky synthesized electronic pop. Songs are short, concise and well structured; richly textured, moving at a quick speed with hardly a pause. Evy’s pouting, tongue-in-cheek vocals (sung in French) come together for a catchy, sensuous, danceable, eccentric psychedelic ride. This collection shows the group’s sense of humor, vitality and carefree playfulness. All songs have been remastered for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. Each jacket displays a bright neon green collage of photos and ephemera from the band’s archives designed by Eloise Leigh that exudes the project’s DIY spirit. Each copy includes a 6-page xeroxed booklet with photos, original artwork and press clippings.

Crash Course In Science are a post punk band that formed in 1979 in Philadelphia. The band members, Dale Feliciello, Mallory Yago and Michael Zodorozny, met while attending art school, where they began to experiment with crude electronics and off-beat lyrics. CCIS avoided

conventional instrumentation by using toy instruments and kitchen appliances to augment the distorted guitar, drums and synthesized beats. Their first single, “Cakes in the Home” was released in 1979 followed by a 4-song 12″ EP “Signals From Pier Thirteen” in 1981.


“Jump Over Barrels” was recorded at the Third Story Studio in Philadelphia in 1981, one year after “Signals From Pier Thirteen”. The song remained unmixed and unreleased at that time for a proposed album titled “Near Marineland”. Lyrically the song tackles overcoming obstacles, self imposed or otherwise, with vocal interplay between Michael and Mallory. On the A Side is the original mix and a demo mix from 1981. Then on the flip is a brand new remix by prolific Ann Arbor producer Charles Manier, a pseudonym of Tadd Mullinix, who toughens up the track. Also included is an unreleased demo version of the song from 1980, accentuating the raw and skeletal nature of the track.


All songs have been remastered for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. It is in a custom-made jacket by our in-house designer Eloise Leigh that incorporates waveform-esque squiggles jumping over abstract barrel symbols, plus a postcard with lyrics and notes.

Palais Des Bauzards persued an industrial and electronic variant of the sound that swept into vogue during the first half of the '80s. This compilation digs into the original material provided by the band and offers an amazing selection from start to finish. The sometimes rudimentary though gripping tracks tracks on the first side are emblematic for their early period, for example “Money” a song driven by a screeching rhythm box, distant guitar lines and a nonchalant voice. Cabaret Voltaire comes to mind. They’re not afraid to experiment and to explore new horizons (the track “Lies").

Vocoder were a quartet from Zaragoza, Spain formed in 1981. Keyboardists Antonio Laval, Alfonso Olarte and Antonio Tenas met while attending university, and were later joined by vocalist Pilar Pellicer. They recorded several demos with synthesizers, sequencers and drum machines, creating a soundtrack for the clubs and dance floors. After sending demos to various record companies, they signed a deal with Aviador Dro's sublabel Neón Danza and released two EPs, "What Happens Now"/"Radio" in 1984, "Mindanao"/"Amor de Robot" in 1985 and a self-titled LP which was produced by Michel Huygen (Neuronium) in 1987. Vocoder also appeared on the TV program La Bola De Cristal, presenting their music video for "What Happens Now," in which the band danced in a supermarket with a shopping cart full of synthesizers. The group mutually disbanded in 1988 and continued to organize concerts for other groups touring in Spain. Cuadro Sinóptico compiles both two-song 12" maxi singles as one four-song EP. All four songs were recorded during 1984-85 at Doublewtronics Studios in Madrid, Spain, using the most advanced and sophisticated techniques of time in digital recording and Direct Metal Mastering (DMM). The band utilized many professional synthesizers of the time: Roland Juno 60, Prophet V, Korg Poly 61, Yamaha DX-7, Roland TR-909 and the Linn Drum, which was used by most Italo Disco artists. These songs were recorded in the highest fidelity with disc jockeys in mind. Genuinely catchy, Vocoder combined soaring melodies with cybernetic coldness. A futuristic sound for the modern age topped with Pilar's charismatic vocals. Lyrically they address robotic love, disco dancing, and the tropical island of Mindanao, and sing in Spanish, English and French. All songs on Cuadro Sinóptico have been remastered from the original reel to reel master tapes for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, CA. Each LP includes a double-sided insert with photos, lyrics and liner notes by Flemming Dalum, a Danish DJ who introduced much of the world to Vocoder in 2008 on his “French Spanish Italo Connection” mix. Vocoder want you to barricade yourself in the discotheques and dance away the depression.

Limited to 999 hand-silkscreened numbered copies!

J’Voudrais Qu’Tu M’Dises marks another official 12″ French re-issue from the Forest Jams label. Like the previous ‘Nathalie Letertre’ record we have a name on the front of the jacket but with little information behind it. What we do know is that Kelly Lane’s vocals sit atop this obscure synth-pop meets house meets slight boogie with a smooth aggression, equally cute as it is equally strong, funky indeed. For those that just want the music there’s an instrumental version on the B-side. Two extra versions taken from the CD are re-mastered and included on this release with a surprisingly dancey ‘radio’ version and a pumping/housier ‘version dance remix’. Let Kelly Lane’s “J’Voudrais Qu’Tu M’Dises” find its way to your heart.

‘Make It Big’ is exactly what Wham! had done by the time they released their second album in 1984. Featuring the hit singles ‘Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go’, ‘Everything She Wants’ ‘Freedom and ‘Careless Whisper’, the album cemented their place as pop icons. Now on vinyl for the first time in over 30 years, ‘Make It Big’ is available in limited edition white vinyl and black vinyl.

‘Make It Big’ is exactly what Wham! had done by the time they released their second album in 1984. Featuring the hit singles ‘Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go’, ‘Everything She Wants’ ‘Freedom and ‘Careless Whisper’, the album cemented their place as pop icons. Now on vinyl for the first time in over 30 years, ‘Make It Big’ is available in limited edition white vinyl and black vinyl.

Wham! exploded onto the global stage with their first album ‘Fantastic’ in 1983 and music was never the same again. Featuring the huge hits ‘Bad Boys’ ‘Wham! Rap (Enjoy What You Do)’ and ‘Club Tropicana’, the album debuted at #1 in the UK and sold millions of copies worldwide. Now on vinyl for the first time in over 30 years, ‘Fantastic’ is available in limited edition transparent red vinyl and black vinyl.

Drew Schlesinger has been playing synthesizers and composing electronic music since the early 1970s. In 1986, he began developing third-party sounds for Casio CZ synths, leading to a career designing presets for over 200 products from 30 companies including Roland, Korg, Kurzweil, Alesis, E-mu, Ensoniq, TC, Lexicon, Eventide, and others. After a 20-year hiatus in the corporate world, he has recently returned to music and sound design. His latest release is the album Radar Signals (Recorded 1981-82).

NOW Music is proud to present the second in our ongoing series of vinyl compilations, NOW That’s What I Call 80s Dancefloor. Each edition features an essential collection of tracks representing key genres from the incredible diversity that were all part of 1980’s Dance music. This volume, featuring 29 tracks across 2-LPs, pressed on 1 Purple and 1 Pink vinyl, presents the best in Disco and Electro.

Named after one of the basic rhythms of Cuban folk music and drawing on influences from across the globe, Cho Co Pa Co Cho Co Quin Quin are quite simply a world unto itself. Comprised of three childhood friends, Daido, Yuta and So, who reconnected during the coronavirus pandemic, Cho Co Pa initially emerged as a playful way for the three 23-year-olds to pass the time. Tapping into their youthful connection, they created a sound that exudes confidence and curiosity, a homage to the masterful world of YMO’s and Happy End’s Haruomi Hosono, rooted in the trio’s own idiosyncratic experience of the present. Recorded at home and promoted on hugely popular DIY TikTok videos, their debut album Tradition is a technicolour exercise in armchair travelling – a kind of lockdown exotica for the housebound whose nostalgic flights of fancy are laced with a sense of whimsical melancholy for the lost freedoms of youth. Referencing everything from Afro-Cuban percussion to lo-fi beats, Buddhist spirituality to trap, each member of the band brings different musical inspirations to the table. Latin American and Middle Eastern styles sit adjacent to a fascination for the electronic music of Aphex Twin, Dorian Concept, Underworld and Daft Punk. At times, the music verges on acid pop bliss, at others, it grooves with the instrumental funk sensibility of Badbadnotgood. “In the first place, when I create a song, my goal is to transport the listener to a mysterious place,” vocalist Daido explained in a recent magazine interview. Using lyrics as another sonic texture in the composition of ideas, Cho Co Pa paint beguiling sonic postcards of far-flung moods across 12 highly original tracks. Marrying the organic and the electronic on rhythmically sophisticated compositions like ‘Chichibu’ and ‘Watatsumi’, it is on the album’s standout track ‘Gandhara’ that the experimental sound of Cho Co Pa comes to the fore. Referencing the ancient city of Gandhara through which Buddhism made its way from India to China, the track is a vocoder-trap-inspired, Udu drum-driven pop jam that lilts with unmistakable Balearic flair. If that’s difficult to imagine, then know simply that ‘Gandhara’ sounds like nothing else on this side of Saturn. Even Daido seemed surprised by the outcome: “I feel like we were able to create something that exceeded our abilities. That was huge!” Hugely popular in Japan, with festival appearances lined up alongside Badbadnotgood at Asagiri Jam in October, it's safe to say the success of Tradition has taken Cho Co Pa by surprise. Released digitally in July 2023, Tradition will get a full international vinyl release in January 2024. You won’t have heard anything like it.

It’s time to deck the halls and put up the Christmas tree as the yuletide season is upon us. Christmas Collected is the brand-new compilation with both traditional and modern songs celebrating the festive season. Artist and groups including Queen, Bruce Springsteen, Band Aid, Paul McCartney, U2, The Teskey Brothers, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Amy Winehouse, Ariana Grande, Mud and many more are featured on the 2LP. Christmas Collected is available as a limited edition on translucent green (LP1) and translucent red (LP2) coloured vinyl and includes an insert.