Sucker For Italian Beauties

Recently i have been submerged in lots of 80's Boogie records and started to miss the soulful more naive new romantic structure that gives italo its distinct style. So i had a session in the studio to myself and indulged in lots of Adriatic synth wankery. The following are some of the records that really pulled my pud during that late night crate dig

Nemesy – Nemesy LP

ITALO HOLY GRAIL. One of the most sought after albums without a doubt. Reason? Its fukin really good.  I actually bought this for the track ‘24 hours’ but the whole album is brillo. 24 Hours is a beautiful sunset beach of a tune but the production is fantastic on the whole LP and the tracks combine warm 80’s Adriatic disco, phat analogue synth work and soulful naivety to make the perfect summer Italo album. A MUST OWN PIECE. If you’re struggling to find or afford the LP go for the 12” of 24 Hours which has a different version to the album but nearly its equal and is only around £70.00! Suck a few cocks and it’s yours Gee!! Suck 300 cocks and you might be able to afford the album!

Mac Jr – Elephant Song (Instrumental)

Twinkling electro chugger on the classic ‘Disco Magic’ label. The sharp apreggiated synth sounds leap like sparks and are perfect for getting a fire started on the dance floor. Just as your asking “Where is the un-sophisticated element that makes Italo what it is?” In come the synthesised elephant noises!  FUKINWIERD! But brilliant

Esavu - Spelling love (Instrumental)

Sinister graveyard disco bassline. Undead party time ar kid. Bizarrely the instrumental has more lyrics than the vocal! (More likely a printing error).  Does what really good italo does best. Mixes darkness and hope into a bubbling potion that’s initially hard to swallow but you will be glad you did after you let go of what your rules are regarding music. Long stretches of brilliant minimal chug is broken by a typical Italo chorus that drops back straight into where you want it to be. A fantastic cocktail of electronic life and death. “Down in one! Down in one! Down in one!“

Sylvi Foster – Hookey

Dark bulimic euro bizznizz. Evil, Sick and Bad Bad Fukin Bad! Jeeeesus this is soooooooooo Gooooooooood! Cant believe this wasn’t a dark crossover hit. The fantastic dirty bass line, the clean complimentary synth chords and that pop oriented chanting makes for an addictive heady concoction. This seven minute audio crack binge will leave that moorish synthetic taste in your mouth. Cheap and addictive just like the afore mentioned drug

Model 11-29 - Wot Times (Instrumental)

Winner of the cosmic electro smash boogie trophy. If Juan Atkins got Nile Rogers pregnant this is what the doctor would hear through the stethoscope when checking the un-born disco bump. Its mellow techno and disco bass balance each other perfectly resulting in a track that is equally at home in the disco or the chill out zone.  “Shut it Bosco and summarise you waffling cock”. Lasers and Lava Lamps gee! Lasers and Lava Lamps

The Armed Gang – Love Shot

KAPOW! Boogie fans will cream their duds on the first listen no doubt. This is one of the heaviest boogie records around and the original fetches big money between dealers and collectors. The production is second to none as is standard from the brilliant Musix label responsible for the amazing and previously Red Laser reviewed Nite Lite and Wot Times. This spoonful of soulful, warm and squelchy audio sex will be enough to trick your bits into arousal. Hard on’s for the boys and wide on’s for the gals. Cosmic quickie fuck. Had to put the album shot in there too cos the artwork is fukin buzzin

Danny Keith – Keep on Music (Dub)

So simple it’s like a disco retard! The quality of production and the arrangement are the elements that make this track amazing. It really shows off music that can rock a floor with only a few parts making up the track. Its shit like this that makes idiots think making music is easy. To do something so simple and effective is what most producers strive to achieve and only few can execute. Great dance floor builder.

Ghecko Firelight – (Intrumental)

The crystaline intro is completely shattered apart when that super heavy bassline kicks in. This has a great New Romantic feel to it. As with most italo records the vocal side stinks of cheese but the instrumental version is punctuated with just the right amount of catchy camp vocals to make this a classic Italo track. There’s a top re-edit out there by Red Laser man Flemming Dalum too and at a great price so run quick before the dealers bleed your Pay Pal account via a ridiculous re-evaluation.

Il Bosco

Ste Spandex EP1

To say Ste Spandex is a talented creative is a fukin understatement. To say he likes a drink is a fukin understatement as well. I remember we stayed up all night drinking after a club until the sun came up. Me and the Mrs went to bed about 10am and Ste fell asleep on the grass in my back garden. When I came back down in the afternoon and opened the door into the sun drenched enclave Ste woke up suddenly and grabbed a beer from the bag next to him, cracked it open and took a swig before even acknowledging my presence. Respec!

Most peeps would be like “Well that’s all I need to know gee!” but he is equally as talented at music production as he is at instinctively consuming tinny’s.

Ste has been developing his production style over the last few years and is unique among producers I know. He wasn’t happy just sat in front of a computer. What works for Ste is an interactive workspace.  He has an understanding about the space in which you create can have an effect on what you create and he has found his own way by amassing all kinds of hardware resulting in a unique studio setup. A place where he can move and dance while twisting knobs and sliding channels, punching drum pads and playing synths with his feet. Even more special is the tracks are live takes! Capturing the moment and making any mistakes actually part of the finished track while recording on to VHS instead of a computer is the reason why you will not hear anything that sounds similar in music production right now.

His studio takes over most of his large bedroom / living space which means he lives, breathes and sleeps music.  It’s a comforting and interesting place. Well that’s when the walls aren’t flashing in a 2CB induced hallucinogenic nightmare, but sober it’s a place you can hang out comfortably for 24 hours and as a result Spandex is now producing music at an alarming rate and we have three EP’s including this one scheduled over the coming months. Not only that he is responsible for the whole process including the artwork and design so this series of Ste Spandex EP’s is a true artistic showcase by a multi talented creative.

Ste Spandex EP1

A1 - Big fat tuck

A fantastical electro journey jam that takes you by the antenna and launches you high above the disco grid for a bird’s-eye view of the party below. In true Spandex style Heavy synths and acidic percussion drive the disco but somehow this track still keeps you feeling warm with its soulful endeavour. Anyway, enough of the bullshit poetic imagery, this is a fukin cracker of a track. No shit!

A2 - Beatin my time

It’s an analogue chug bomb! This simmering synth soup bubbles erratically until it finds its four four stride and marches you onto the dance floor. Great low slung base and south central LA synth lead will have you reaching for the hydraulics in your imaginary soft top Cadillac… with the metallic paint job and the nice rims Gee……  A fantastic sunset boogie jam!

B1 - Piano V.2

As far as anthems go you can’t get more anthemic house than this right now. This manctalo piano house belter is sure to blow the roof off any and every decent party this year. You can already feel the Mediterranean sun on your face seconds into its phasing piano hook. It’s as catchy as the nuro virus but with added “SICK”! In fact it’s so sick its Bulimic Gee! This big dose of early 90’s tinged rave classicism will keep you smiling for the full eight minutes and with sore cheeks as a result. Do not miss!#

Il Bosco

"CLICK HERE" TO PRE ORDER STE SPANDEX EP1

The Full Story Of The Jizzmass Party

So the Red Laser Full Beam Jizzmas Party was eventful. Starts with me and Full Beams Randy Marsh going down to the event venue the day before the gig to test the sound and speak with the club owner to make sure everything ran smoothly on the night. We tried to get as much prepared as possible but were hampered by the owners reluctancy to let us mess up his gaff even though he knew we were coming and the place isnt in the best condition anyway. Sayin that, the venues crumbling interior is all part of the charm of the underground clubbing experience but it does nothing for the ambience when it doubles up as a restaurant by day. When we turned up the only person in the gaff was a dude sat on his own who looked like he qualified for suicide watch. While he waited for his food he nursed a pint of lager and watched shite on a wall mounted telly. Topping off his bespoke dining experience was the asylumesque strip lights, the kind that reveal major arteries under the skin, and the positioning of his neatly laid table which was the middle of the fukin dance floor. Perfect if he was hoping to hear a sound check mid scran. As a restaurant it was about as inviting as Jewish deli in a gas chamber. We realised all we could do as prep was agree a fee for us getting people in the club and the supply two crates of beers as a rider for all the DJ’s

                  The Roadhouse dancefloor as people arrive      

The next night we turned up at 7.00pm as discussed and started the set-up. The next 4 hours would have been less stressful if I had opted for being bummed in prison. The ownerargued everything we had agreed the night before. Also our sound check did not get off to a good start as me, Sonofapizzman and Marsh discovered broken speaker after broken speaker. Marsh realised there were essential wires missing too which had been left in the venue with the system. While I re wired broken speakers he dived into a large box of cables in search of any that were functional and proceeded to drown in the black and red spaghetti. Out of 10 speakers we had 3 working and each one was a different make.

                                 Starion complete with 80's fist

                            Ste Spandex rocking red eye tie die

By now the club was starting to look like one of those damp suburban second hand electronics shops with piles of partially working amps and speakers. I could see Randy’s blood creeping toward simmer as we tried to make best a bad situation which was sporadically interrupted with bursts of negative and bi polar energy from the owner. “You can’t have smoke machine!” “The free beer for the DJ’s is now one pound each!” “The one pound DJ beers are now two pounds each!” “You can’t put this army netting up here!” “I really like this army netting how much you want for it?!” Just when I thought the situation could not get any worse he excitedly reveals his latest investment in his venue.  Black caps and matching T shirts emblazoned with the venue’s logo in neon pink. Money well spent dude. Why have good sound when you can have matching bar staff?  By this time Marsh looks like he’s ready for takin out any chump in reaching distance and my head was in the stress bin.

           Red Laser always attracts and good looking crowd          
L-R - Sonofapizzaman, Metrodome, Randy Marsh, Yoshi, Emma

                                     DJ Emerald (Disco Mums)


A few doors down is what can only be described as the complete opposite to the venue we were battling with. The Roadhouse is a promoters dream. A small, dark underground club which I have been a part of for many years in Manchester. The sound system is huge and bass heavy and is consistently maintained by the most well respected team of engineers around. The bar is as organised and central library and the door staff are as inviting and warm as your grandparents. That’s presuming your grandparents are not evil cunts. I quickly found the manager and old friend John Green. “Band finishes at 11.30. I will check if the bar staff want to carry on and if so we can have you up and running by 12! No messin about. Just fukin facts. That’s the kind of shit you need in a crisis

                                                   

            Kid Machine looking a bit cold under the aircon unit. 

Next move was simple. I relayed the plan to Marsh who agreed we should do what I think has never been done to my knowledge in Manchesterbefore. We re-located the club night halfway through the club night. Back at club nightmare I turned the lights on mid record and asked the Disco Mums to stop the music. “Right everyone. Fuck this shit. We are off to the Roadhouse!”

                        These 2 have never looked this normal before

I did feel bad having to make that decision as the owner is a top guy but venue just wasn't ready which is a shame as i have attended some pretty good nights in there when the sound has been in working order. He was understandably pissed off when i started shipping people out of his club and down the road. He was even more pissed off to find his bar staff dancing at the Roadhouse an hour later.  The only way me, Marsh and Pizzaman could remove the pent up anxieties of the evening now was to get absolutely fucked. A mission I set about with aplomb (See images). The night was saved from total disaster even though the set times went out of the window and it became everyman for himself. Kid Machine did a small live set that sounded great on the Roadhouse system but deserved a more settled atmosphere. At the end of the night everybody left inside the club threw in their spare change so we could pay all the DJ’s who played a record breaking four quid each which we all then threw back in the pot for a crate of beer anyway.

                                     The bouncer was not to be fucked with

Besides 80% of the night being a fukin nightmare it was a top laugh in the end. I also learned you can’t hog the after party turntable with Pizzaman and Marsh around. “””OWN MEDICINE”” “”BOOOOOGGGGIIIIEEEEEEEEE”””

'CLICK HERE' To listen to the vibe of Red Laser Disco

 Il Bosco

EP2 Pre Order & Manctalo

                                                            

Well who’d of thought it? A Manchester based vinyl label born from a love of Italo Disco, Boogie and early Proto House records and we sold out the first EP the same day as the release date. The interest that spread through Italo loving internet circles before the release was mental and now it’s the turn of EP2. “C’mon EP2. Fukin av it !!!”

I have been talking a lot with fellow Red Laser Records artist Flemming Dalum while we collaborated on our track for EP3 (available March) recently. He was saying that a lot of the music that is being produced in our small scene definitely has a sound that can’t be categorised and that Red Laser is one of the labels pushing this new electronic film score-esque Italo flavour onto vinyl along with other great releases from Flight Recorder in Newcastle, Cyberdance in London, and Bordello A Parigi in Rotterdam and it’s looking like there’s a lot more vinyl loving labels already out there and more to come.

So to avoid some clueless bulb sniffing journalist laying a claim to an ‘uninspired’ genre tag like NuItalo (yawn) and with the backing of my fellow Red Laser Artists I’m officially naming our EP2 vibe “MANCTALO”  

Again we have spared no cost on artwork and have opted for the beautiful eye burn neon rizzo print poster overseen by Red Laser arteest Bob Dazzle aka Eoin Macmanus

The record will be available to Pre Order for a special price of £7.50 from the Pre Order Site (CLICK HERE TO ORDER) and will be posted out on the 11th February 2013. It will be available online and in select independent record shops from the 18th February 2013

Here’s the rundown on what’s happening on our next slab of wax.

Red Laser Records EP2

Side A

 DJ Bert & Eagle – I Am Your Master (Savino DJ & DJ Peet Need Remix)

Finally the long awaited vinyl release for many Manctalo lovers. The track was brought to my attention by Kid Machine. Before I even listened to it I wanted to release it just from how enthusiastically (ar) Kid Machine talked about it. When I finally listened I was blown away. The original is weird and wonderful but it does not come close to how weird and wonderful the remix is. These guys have done a fantastic job making it beat heavy. The arppegiating bass line digs a circular trench that gets deeper as the track marches on until you end up stuck on the island with the strange creepy midget man. As you can probably tell this track takes me to strange place every time I hear it and blurs the line between dreams and nightmares. You would be forgiven for thinking that night crawling “Crackula” types were responsible for such a track but DJ Peet Need is one of the nicest guys I’ve been in contact with. He is also a passionate music collector and he shed some interesting light on what it was like growing up an Italo lover in a small area of Holland just outside The Hague.  “The whole Italo scene was alive in the 80’s in an area of around 35 x 35KM” he says “…. Really Really strange when you think of it. Inside this area were pirate radio stations and import record shops exposing people to Italo. Outside this range really nobody knew of Italo Disco!” Back then as a young man Peet immersed himself in collecting Italo records and DJing. Now, 45 (Sorry for exposing your age Peet J) he has never lost the passion for collecting and DJing music that moves him. What about information on his production partner “Savino DJ”? I really don’t have any so he automatically gains “Mysterious” status. Although from his Facebook wall I do know he has a passion for posting pictures of beautiful partially clothed women. Verdict - Geezer.

Starion – Darkstar

How will he make a heavier track than EP1’s Another Dimension? By making Darkstar even heavier! Analogue Manctalo Chug at its finest. Big bass line, big synth chords, big vocoder action. You couldn’t get more ‘dark disco electronic’ if you went clubbing with Daleks and the Cybermen were DJing. Also there has been a free downloadable album from Spain’s ‘Disko Selectors’ which included the fantastic Starion track ‘Hypnoto Roboto’  which you should check out immediately.

Our man Starion recently became a Dad for the first time (Big love to the fam) and by the recent output of quality music he is either amazing at organising his time or his Girlfriend is very understanding woman. Just like Kid Machine Starion has a great knack for making arrangement and production look easy (Which It aint) and every new demo Brady sends over is better than the last. Watch this space Manctalo heads. Starion is going to make some waves Laird Hamilton would be scared of in 2013 no shit!

Side B

Ste Spandex – Edit 1V

On EP1 Ste Spandex dropped a great Boogie number with Sarah Bates. This time however is more ‘mutating worm like acid wriggler’. This relentless percussive onslaught seems to scrape any MDMA residue trapped in your veins and gets it circulating again. This means you can get ‘off your napper’ without spending money on drugs (although taking drugs and listening to this track is advised). This is a bit of a taste of what’s to come on Ste Spandex’s own Red Laser 12” which drops a week or two after EP2 and is choc full of amazing productions.

A good few years back now I met a bunch of lads that were doing a night called ‘Detroit Public Radio’. Ste Spandex was part of this crew. They stood out because they had adopted an “Anti Trendy” attitude. You could see they would not stand for cheesy twats infecting their vibe. When I first met now good friend Randy Marsh, I’m sure he was questioning me to make sure I wasn’t a total ‘Northern Quarter Bulb Whiff’, and rightly so as you can’t confirm anyone to be sound as a pound just cos they like records and drugs. Plenty of cocks like records and drugs. Eventually the crew of Randy Marsh, Ste Spandex, Wayward Craig , Kicking Pidgeon and Si Ruff Dug went on to start one of Manchester’s finest underground clubbing experiences “Wet Play”. Still running today if you’re from outside the city and want to really experience something special I highly recommend this club night.

Ste Spandex is producing so much music so quickly I can’t keep up and thankfully, with fellow Wet Play crew, is starting Wet Plays’ own record label with the first release imminent and no bullshit, I’ve heard the stuff, its fukin beltin! This will be hot so keep your eyes and ears peeled

Kid Machine – Pegasus

Fuck me this is so dark and heavy it’s like holding a black hole in the palm of your hand. I think this is the slowest track Kid Machine has made and it gives the feeling of a dark, retro future, sci-fi horror score. Great for listening, being transported to another place and stimulating the imagination.  Fukin CGI and special effects not needed. That Hollywood chump Michael Bayneeds to wake up and see the power of music on the mind rather than trying to make the imagination obsolete with multi-million dollar special effects and a piss weak love story so cheesy you end up wishing the developing lovers contract gonorrhea . 

I have documented the story of how I met Kid Machine and Starion before but its still funny to think that 3 people living in Manchesterwho never met were brought together through a love of strange early 80’s Italian produced records!! And dare I say it ‘Internet Forums’ (10 years ago I wouldn't have pissed on a blogger if he was on fire. I thought it was that un-cool! I have definitely changed!). Recently Kid Machine has sent some music for planned future Red Laser releases that has blown my fukin socks off. The future is dark. Brilliantly Dark!

"CLICK HERE TO PRE ORDER EP2"

Il Bosco

Tecnology On Trial

Another fucking conversation about the different formats DJ’s use. It seems to be only vinyl purists that have this debate. But you are a vinyl purist you bulb! O Yeah! For a record beardo though I think I have quite a liberal attitude toward the subject compared to some militant vinyl purist DJ’s that I know who would spit at you if you had a CD in your hand. However things did start to irritate me with the whole laptop free downloadable music malarkey. Not like genital warts irritates but more like sand in mi japs eye. The main couple of reasons being the complete lack of effort a DJ has to put into building a collection of music. How can you say “my music collection” when you actually don’t have anything physical to hold, look at or read? Just because you use a laptop doesn’t mean you shouldn’t buy vinyl or CD’s. Your part of a culture you dick-wad.  You don’t have to know it all but you still have to some understanding of and be apart of the path laid by others that gave birth to the scene your into you fuck. (Rant over)

The only other slight irritation has been the introduction of the ‘vacant screen stare’ that removes the passion and can leave a DJ “expressionless". Imagine Aretha singing without screwing her face or Stevie Wonder playing piano without lurching about. On a Stax documentary I watched it was Rufus Thomas that said “If a band member aint pullin an ugly face or movin around like crazy they aint putting enough soul into it!”

For years I became engrossed in a culture that was exciting because you had to hook up with friends and travel to find good records at great prices then reveal your finds to a room of anticipating vinyl munters. Hanging around the record shops at the weekend we would look up to the generation of old school collectors and DJ’s in our city and would rightly fine tune our tastes from their selections any ace new releases that were available. My rant is probably more about the importance of shared experiences through music and not just showing off in a club. I once met a proper cretin that had 3 hard drives full of music. He left his computer on all day and it just downloaded constantly on its own. 20,000 records and not one dirty finger. That’s weird to me!

(Restarts Rant) Now my purism line is really being poked at via the depressing news of U fukin S fukin B Stick DJ’s. WHAT!!!! Turning up at a club with nothing but two USB sticks full of music just isn’t DJ etiquette Gee!!!. Why not make it interesting by downloading the set onto your nana’s dildo, plug that into your arse and beatbox David Guetta hits you cunt. You will definitely produce a better quality of sound anyway. DJing isn’t just playing music to its also the collecting and researching to develop your style. The best news I’ve heard regarding this was the rise in USB Stick theft by punters in clubs (Heroes if you ask me) that are causing uproar among the big club DJ pioneers of this new format. “Il Bosco supports USB theft”

Anyway mi old mate and outstanding DJ Jon K recently did a belter of a mixtape for FACT Magazine (link at bottom of page.) in which the write up had an interesting quote from Theo Parrish. He claimed that it’s “genuinely hard to remember a time when the art of DJing was as simple as … collect records, build a collection, exhibit that collection in front of an audience.” That is exactly the kind of thing i like to witness in a club and Jon K is renowned for this approach

Jon has been obsessed with music for a long time. I met John in about 1998 and soon after we were sharing a house together. Call it a house but it was more like a squat and actually it was more like a storage facility for Jon as he was rarely there but still we had a laid back policy to our vinyl collections and John wouldn’t mind me using his room when he wasn’t there and listening to his records (Plus other shit that involved girls and his bed ha ha) and vice versa. I remember pulling a record from its sleeve while I was DJing and was surprised to see a list of BPM’s in Jon’s handwriting written in blue marker over the paper center  I found about 3 more as well the fucker!

Even back then everybody knew Jon was on another level when it came to selections and would often have a club dancing to ‘shit you aint heard before’. He is a DJ that younger people with a developing passion for music and technology should be looking too for guidance on “The right way to do this shit” A man with an old skool ethos of collecting records while embracing new technology’s. His record collection is something to behold and his style is unique as a result of the years of effort.

Click HERE for Jon K's FACT MAG Miixtape

Il Bosco

Wheres all the Anthems?

Recently I randomly got to thinking about the increasing disappearance of the “Anthem”. Maybe it’s just me but it seems bangers only get played a few times these days and then get shelved when they could be still blowing the roof off the fukin disco. Back in the day there was no CD’s or downloads so some 12’s would stay in the box for longer due to their impact on an audience and the fact you could’nt purchase a vast amounts of music instantly to replace them due to limited releases each month.  The audience would hear your selection regularly and as a result the better tracks would become anthems for a scene. I’m bringing back the anthem and reviewing some tracks that Red Laser regulars know there bound to hear when I get excited (or lazy)

 Tin Man – Falling Acid

Defo my deep anthem. This track goes deeper than black holes. If this was pressed on gold it couldn’t be heavier. Tin Man has his sub bass in the perfect place on this acid monster. If you let yourself go its twisting analogue blobs will make you gurn like a denture-less pensioner with a mouthful of hot soup. And that’s before you drop any E’s mate. Take on the Falling Acid challenge! You must stay expressionless for the full 7 minutes of this record. I’m tellin ya without the assistance of Botox it’s fukin Impossible

 Aurra – You And Me Tonight

Defo my top shallow anthem. This record aint deep at all but that’s what makes it brillo. Even the moody fellas will join the girls on the floor without fail for a slice of the boogie jam pop tart. Great for watching dancing couples act out the story of the song. The guy trying to get back into his ex girlfriends gusset while the girl fucks him off for being a “PLAYA”. The last time I played it in Q Carvern it went mental. If a deaf person walked in at that moment they may have guessed we were all singing Ol Lang Syne or the Okey Cokey. This is a 50p jam all day long so get online or down the charity shop quick. Great sing-a-long tackle

 Il Bosco – Norea Son

“Ok. What kind of arsehole reviews his own record?” You ask. So I aint gonna, but the truth is this is the only track I ever made that I like to play out regularly and (Sucks his own dick) it always gets a “What the fucks this track mate?” which is a good sign that you did something right. I know a lot of producers suffer from the “cant play my own track” thing purely due to the fact a lot of times you will set out with a dancer in mind and end up making a listener instead so I’m buzzin that with this track I actually fulfilled my own brief. By the way I will just ad the whole process I did without using a computer once. Music and Artwork. Don’t forget to turn up the highs on the mixer for maximum sonic seduction due to my piss poor EQing

 Carol Williams – Cant get away from your Love (Dub)

Its Intergalactic surfing time on echo waves through the cosmos when this dubbed out boogie monolith gets dropped. You can’t lose playing this fucker. Even your weird relatives who claim to not like any music will have to fight back the enjoyment as this bubbling pot of synth stew fills the room. Catch auntie and uncle dickhead floating around the disco like the Bisto Kids

 Strike One – Can’t touch me anymore

Needle down, hair’s on your body up. Instant audio hope. Turns any darkened room into a smile factory. Empowering lyrics for the bitches, skull compressing bass squelch for the Gee’s and soaring catchy horn hook make this an instant floor filler. To top it off you will unintentionally annoy the fuck out of your work colleagues when you randomly hum the tune 50 times a day unless you’re jobless in which case you can pump it loud while watching toothless sperm bags receive DNA results on Jeremy Kyle. “Just as we thought. It’s yours Shep! Now are you gonna do the right thing?” “Woof Woof” 

 Midnight Savari – Phantom Galacton

When this came out a few years ago it instantly appealed to my passion for early 90’s rave records. The piano stabs remind me of the early tracks that would rock large warehouse party’s in the North of England. Those places would sell out 5000 people and didn’t have a drinks licence. Imagine spending £10 to get in a club where you couldn’t buy a sodding beer. Fuck that! It just wouldn’t fukin happen these days!! But it did back then and this is the type of sound that was considered hardcore. How times change (predictable boring old cunt). Anyway just to make things even more interesting these dudes are from Jakarta! See! Eastern music isn’t just out of tune plinky plunking and ear bleeding  gibberish!

Gift of Dreams – Mandroid

This has to have been made by a bunch of homosexual, future obsessed, crack addicts in the early 80’s for sure!! That’s how I imagine Gift Of Dreams to be when I first heard this record. Initially I thought it was novel. Then a couple of years ago I dug it out again for a mix tape I did for OiPolloi’s blog and realised the sheer brilliance of this early electronic soulful powerhouse. Sparse beats, heavy arppegiatted synths and raw vocal make this an absolute belter. Nothing else sounds similar. It’s one of my 3 year old boys favourites too and he always makes me rewind the intro so he can repeatedly hear Mandroid’s phantom style robo cackle when it comes on in the car. A true gem

 Tyree – Acid Over (Piano Matey Mix)

Older friends who lived the Acid House scene always used to pull me up for playing this version saying “Your playin the wrong version ya mad – ed!” But to me this is the one. Its does you right to sometimes hear tracks from a scene you know little about as you will be uninfluenced by the whole “This version is the classic. All others are to be deleted from time” attitude. I put this on the another earlier mix I did for Manchesters OiPolloi blog a few years ago and people asked about this more than any other track on the mix tape. Last time I looked there wasn’t even a Youtube viddy for this slept on classic. Scandalous!!!

Il Bosco (Click here to hear)