1990s Vinyl 519 Items

Until recently, it was thought that we had heard all there was to hear from Saâda Bonaire. The German studio project's 1980s recordings had been compiled on the now cult-classic double LP Saâda Bonaire, released by Captured Tracks in 2013. Though the group had continued working until 1994, founder Ralph "von" Richtoven had firmly stated that all of their post-1986 work was lost. Released now for the first time ever, 1992 compiles the band's long-lost early nineties material. Produced between Bremen and New York City, the 12 songs presented here capture the group's attempts at steering their trademark fusion sound (reggae, afro-funk, Eastern music, and sultry German female vocals) into uncharted nu jazz, trip-hop, and house territories. It's no surprise, given both the time lapse and the fluid nature of the project, that these recordings differ sonically from the 1980s material. 1992 finds Saâda Bonaire folding new influences from the time (house, hip-hop, rap) into their eclectic sonic universe. Vocalist Andrea Ebert's soulful voice -the result of a church choir background and an early love of American soul and jazz music- offset Stephanie Lange's laid-back, more German-sounding vocals. This unique interplay bolstered the band's new direction - evident in their inspired takes on James Brown's "Woman" and Syreeta Wright and Stevie Wonder's "To Know You Is To Love You". The American influence was also made literal via contributions by renowned DJ Matthias Heillbronn and rapper Jimmy Lee Patterson, both of whom lent some stardust to the tracks at François Kevorkian's Axis Studios in NYC. Unfortunately, the demo recordings were considered too bizarre for 1990s record label standards, and as a result were never published. As with all things Saâda Bonaire, the discovery of these discarded recordings feels like a sort of magical impossibility. It's been nearly ten years since the release of the last compilation, and thirty since the recordings were originally captured. That they still manage to sound fresh and avant garde is a testament to Saâda Bonaire's flair for creating pop music for past, present, and future outsiders.

Limited edition of 500 copies on clear vinyl.

Until recently, it was thought that we had heard all there was to hear from Saâda Bonaire. The German studio project's 1980s recordings had been compiled on the now cult-classic double LP Saâda Bonaire, released by Captured Tracks in 2013. Though the group had continued working until 1994, founder Ralph "von" Richtoven had firmly stated that all of their post-1986 work was lost. Released now for the first time ever, 1992 compiles the band's long-lost early nineties material. Produced between Bremen and New York City, the 12 songs presented here capture the group's attempts at steering their trademark fusion sound (reggae, afro-funk, Eastern music, and sultry German female vocals) into uncharted nu jazz, trip-hop, and house territories. It's no surprise, given both the time lapse and the fluid nature of the project, that these recordings differ sonically from the 1980s material. 1992 finds Saâda Bonaire folding new influences from the time (house, hip-hop, rap) into their eclectic sonic universe. Vocalist Andrea Ebert's soulful voice -the result of a church choir background and an early love of American soul and jazz music- offset Stephanie Lange's laid-back, more German-sounding vocals. This unique interplay bolstered the band's new direction - evident in their inspired takes on James Brown's "Woman" and Syreeta Wright and Stevie Wonder's "To Know You Is To Love You". The American influence was also made literal via contributions by renowned DJ Matthias Heillbronn and rapper Jimmy Lee Patterson, both of whom lent some stardust to the tracks at François Kevorkian's Axis Studios in NYC. Unfortunately, the demo recordings were considered too bizarre for 1990s record label standards, and as a result were never published. As with all things Saâda Bonaire, the discovery of these discarded recordings feels like a sort of magical impossibility. It's been nearly ten years since the release of the last compilation, and thirty since the recordings were originally captured. That they still manage to sound fresh and avant garde is a testament to Saâda Bonaire's flair for creating pop music for past, present, and future outsiders.

* Originally released in 1985 * Under the production and arrangement of Masanori Sasaji

Hochwertige Neuauflage im Original-Artwork in Gatefold-Cover und auf 180gr Vinyl (Direct Metal Mastering).

Hochwertige Neuauflage im Original-Artwork in Gatefold-Cover und auf 180gr Vinyl (Direct Metal Mastering).

For the first time on vinyl! Released in July 1996, Chaos and Disorder came with a rare disclaimed penned by Prince (then known as the unpronounceable “love symbol”): “Originally intended 4 private use only, this compilation serves as the last original material recorded by [The Artist] 4 Warner Bros. Records.” Prince’s contentious relationship with the label was at its lowest point, and this record—a taut 39 minutes of dexterous guitar and simple but addictive pop melodies—was a crucial final link in the chains that kept him from releasing the music the way he wanted. Any internal turmoil was not represented in tracks like “Dinner With Delores” (a minor U.K. hit) and the rollicking title track, a staple of his live shows. “Someone told me that Van Halen did their first record in a week,” Prince told the Los Angeles Times of the album’s quick creation. “That’s what we were going for—spontaneity, seeing how fast and hard we could thrash it out.”

Released ahead of 1995’s The Gold Experience, the first album credited to Prince’s infamously unpronounceable symbol, The VERSACE Experience (PRELUDE 2 GOLD) was a gift to attendees of the designer’s collection at Fashion Week in Paris. Produced at the time as only a very limited edition promotional cassette, it featured remixed versions of future favorites “Pussy Control,” “Gold” and “Eye Hate U” as well as rare and commercially unreleased selections by The New Power Generation and Prince’s jazz-fusion project Madhouse. The rare promotional cassette went on to be incredibly sought after, with one copy setting a record as the highest priced cassette every sold, fetching over $4,000. It was recreated as a limited edition cassette release as a Record Store Day exclusive in April 2019 and was one of the most popular releases.

For a time, Prince seemed to find the commercial freedom he was looking for on the Internet. Almost a year before the release of The Rainbow Children, he founded the NPG Music Club, a website where subscribers could access new music (and occasionally things from his storied vault) for a nominal subscription fee. One of the first full releases for club members was this remixed version of Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic; highlights include a remix of Hot Wit U that incorporates elements of the Prince-penned Vanity 6 hit Nasty Girl and the previously unreleased “Beautiful Strange.” In addition five of the tracks are remixes with new musical elements (Rave In2 The Joy Fantastic, Undisputed (The Moneyapolis Mix), The Greatest Romance Ever Sold, Hot Wit U (Nasty Girl Remix), and Man'O'War (Remix). Four songs are the same recording as the originals, with an extended portion at the end of the song (Tangerine, The Sun, The Moon And Stars, Baby Knows and Prettyman). The remaining tracks are identical to the original release.