Kitsch Club

2011-09-04T10:23:00.001-07:00

Vamos a la Playa 78 by Laura (of Miami) w/ 2 Kitsch Club Edits

Download

2 ANGELS, AN ALIEN & A MEXICAN - WERLD AMNESIA MIX

2011-09-01T17:26:00.000-07:00

Download!

Frankie Knuckles - The Whistle Song (Whistle Down Mix)
Isabelle Antena - Seaside Weekend (Ferrari Catalan Dub)
María y José - Selva Cósmica
Chico Ye - Tu Ku Tu (feat. Mc Malquino)
Robert Hood - Clash
Arms&Suites - Flatline
808 State - Pacific State
Don Pablo's Animals - Paranoia (Rey Puhrezz Edit)
Djs Pareja - Tribal Scream
Skinny Puppy - Deadlines
Two of China - Los Niños del Parque
Bigod 20 - Acid to Body
Suburban Knight - The Art of Stalking
FPI Project - Rich in Paradise
Fingers Inc. - Distant Planet
Mater Suspiria Vision - Crackbusting Angels (Modern Stalking's Fucked Up Rework)
Art of Noise - Lovebeat
1106-juju (Arms&Suites loop)

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2011-07-26T15:49:00.000-07:00

1. Louise Huebner - The Emotional Bondage Spell
2. Mr. Fingers - Amnesia
3. NGUZUNGUZU - Moments in Sex
4. Sueño Latino - Sueño Latino (The Latin Dream Mix)
5. Burial - In McDonald's (-50%)
6. In Trance 95 - Of All the Things We Made (In Vertical Take Off Mix)
7. //TENSE// - Sin Réalité

1. Egberto Gismonti - La Bela Palomera
2. Faust'o - Clouds Over Thin Paper
3. La Perversita - Strawberry Fields Forever
4. Tones on Tail - Lions (45 R.P.M.)
5. L.U.P.O. - Hell or Heaven
6. Chris & Cosey - Pagan Tango
7. Daniele Baldelli - Cosmic Parsley
8. M Like Moon - Sunlight

1. Peruvian Dogs
2. Carillon del Dolore - Crimine di passione
3. Fatima al Qadiri - Corpcore
4. Gucci Mane Kit
5. Bodylotion - How Much Can You Take
6. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
7. El Gato - Tonight
8. María y José - Semana Santa
9. Selena - Como la Flor

Psychik Warriors ov Gaia - Cassette Demo

2011-06-14T07:31:00.000-07:00

From the Netherlands comes this amazing demo tape by Psychick Warriors ov Gaia. Heavily Tribal, the cassette moves through the conventions of Acid and Techno by redefining them into a unique sound that evokes and provokes the instinctual.

I recently included the song "Exit 23" in a mixtape hosted by Arawa.fm.

Download!

Alien Angels - Field of Flowers Summer 2011 Mixtape

2011-06-01T15:55:00.000-07:00

My friends from the amazing blog ARAWA.FM are hosting my latest mix under the new moniker, Alien Angels. This summer 2011 mixtape, "Field of Flowers," attempts to charter new territory for Industria Kitsch Club. Detroit Tech, EBM, Disco, DrumNBass, and other genres hopefully all come together to form a deep love story.

You can download it here!

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1. Psychic Ills - Mantis (Juan Atkins Remix)

2. Precious System - The Voice from Planet Love (Original Mix)

3. Djs Pareja - Spanish Is Beautiful (Cómeme Rmx)

4. Canyons - Fire Eyes

5. The Niallist ft. Ms. Mac D - I Came (Bra666ica Remix) (Unmastered)

6. Prime Time - Jeudi Noir

7. MRSK - Black Keith

8. Mater Suspiria Vision - Das Haus der Hexe (kkoee’s VOID Remix)

9. 4 Hero - Cooking Up Yah Brain

10. //TENSE// - Disconnect Myself (the beau wanzer adjustment)

11. Psychick Warriors Ov Gaia - Exit 23 (Source)

12. Trollz’R’US - Promises Interlude

13. Sueño Latino - Sueño Latino (Derrick May’s Emotion Second Mix)

Fantasy Life Mix

2011-05-14T21:56:00.000-07:00

Dark Italo/Elevator House/Beach Butts

1. radar - una splendida emicrania
2. aviador dro - amor industrial
3. pet shop boys - domino dancing
4. scotch - pictures
5. forgot//lost external hard drive
6. fingers inc. - forgot song title
7. kirlian camera - blue room (instrumental)
8. jimmy & susy - come back (instrumental)
9. mono band - ghost town
10. tony esposito - kalimba de luna (remix)
11. asso - don't stop
12. wish key - the one you love

Louise Huebner - Seduction Through Witchcraft

2011-05-09T18:37:00.000-07:00

Here's to those seduced by double moons or pre-Witch House/Spoken Word. An album from LA's only official witch. Swishy Moog sounds, a voice on the point of orgasm, and plenty of stereo manipulation fill this album with charm.

Louise Huebner - Seduction Through Witchcraft

Violet Eves - Listen Over the Ocean (Kitsch Club Wrong Speed Mix)

2011-04-20T08:46:00.000-07:00

Carillon del Dolore - Trasfigurazione

2011-04-18T21:52:00.000-07:00

Petali del Cariglione's other project, Carillon del Dolore is black, more contemplative, poetic, and sweetly odious. Can't drive to this album. Can't lift anyone in the air. Can't talk on the phone. Can't put on clothes, turn on the lights, nor wake up. Can't go to bed. Can't feed the dog. Can't remember what Italo Disco is. Can't remember where I'll be in August. Can't

Carillon del Dolore - Trasfigurazione

Petali del Cariglione - Capitolo IV

2011-03-03T08:45:00.000-08:00

I haven't had time to update, a month without the internet, only large mountains and wet moons. Homeless in la Patagonia. But I'm in Brazil now, and while I've been dancing the heart into submission, tunes like those of Petali del Cariglione still rub dark spots into empty plains.

An album truly bacano, Capitolo IV was a one off by the Italian Goth band, Carillon del Dolore. Psychedlic. Dark. Like Pink Floyd rubbed in gasoline and New Wave. Released on the amazing label, Contempo, home of Clock DVA, Christian Death, Suicide, Death in June, the influences are apparent, the sound is distinct, and the recording quality is perfectly wedged between lo-fi and well done. It anticipates grunge, emo, and sounds that would arrive in the late 80s, early 90s.

Enjoy!

The Kitch Club - Can't Stop Saying I Love You (Ferrari Remix)

2010-12-30T08:28:00.001-08:00

To finish 2010 in a good way, I offer a remix of the song that inspired the name of this blog. I first heard The Kitsch Club off of the now fetishized vinyl record "Go Go Dance." Snugly mixed between Vince's "Rainstorm" and Yanguru's "A-O (No Bungalow)," "Can't Stop Saying I Love You" is the epitome of Italo Disco. The heart is on the sleeve, the sleeve is a little torn.

The Kitch Club - Can't Stop Saying I Love You

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Virus - Locura

2010-12-28T10:38:00.000-08:00

Virus are one of the premier examples of Argentinian rock. They, along with bands like Soda Stereo and performers such as Spinetta, defined a newer sound within a country that, at least throughout the beginning of the 80s, was still under dictatorship, a time during which artists, activists, and thinkers disappeared in the hands of the government.

Undeniably New Wave, "Locura" is the 5th album by the band, released in 85 and recorded in New York. Fronted by vocalist Federico Moura, the album is a tongue-in-cheek masterpiece reminiscent of the "tecno-pop" sound of bands from Spain's La Movida Madrileña, such as La Mode. Songs like "Una Luna de Miel en la Mano" show the band's playful, romantic, black humor by alluding to masturbation.

Here in Buenos Aires, I've been religiously jamming this album, and its lighthearted spirit is a nice change from some of the more pensive material available from Kitsch Club.

Virus - Locura

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Black Tape for a Blue Girl - The Rope/ Sam Rosenthal - Before the Buildings Fell

2010-12-20T19:59:00.000-08:00

Black Tape for a Blue Girl occupies a strange portion of the rainbow, where the stressed arc shimmers in duotone. Black and blue? Whatever the color, Sam Rosenthal, the head of BTBG, created a maudlin project that wavers between emotionally orchestrated folk and minimal darkwavves.

"The Rope" is Black Tape for a Blue Girl's first release, released in '86. I've also "Remnants for a Deeper Purity," but "The Rope" is way better than the latter, released ten years later, in terms of innocence and punk aesthetics. This album attracts me with its synth strings and drumming.

Black Tape for a Blue Girl is actually still around. The band's in its 24th year. Rosenthal even has a spiffy website, but I'm not sure what happened...

I'll stick with "The Rope," which makes one in the morning feel like four.

Download

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"Before the Buildings Fell" is Rosenthal's solo album he recorded around the same time as "The Rope." It's an atmospheric, arpeggiated marathon I'm digging.

Download

In Trance 95 - Warm Nights Driving on Wet Streets

2010-12-15T08:00:00.000-08:00

Itenef's bubbling back from the Greek sea foam, like Aphrodite, to once again lure warm ears with their cold, distant sound, slightly tropical and surely mysterious. Formed as In Trance 95 in the mid-80s, the band released several recordings, including the much loved "Desire to Desire/Brazilia" 7", before dissipating in the haze and reforming in '06.

Now's better than ever, with the recent minimal synth/darkwave revival happening among culture generators like Pendu, Wierd, and all things Awthum, for Itenef to re-conceptualize their electronic pop love for an audience a bit younger and perhaps unaware of the difficulties some artists faced in certain countries. I recently posted about the Argentinian band Euroshima, how they appeared as South America's call for darkwave and, similarly, Itenef arose in Greece out of the desire for change and experimentation within generic tropes and instrumentation.

Rather than post the biggie 7", the ep "Warm Nights Driving on Wet Streets" might help with the snowball I'm trying to get going. The album's great. 18 minutes of seduction.

Download

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Itenef's cover of OMD's "Of All the Things We Made" got some play in one of the Stephy B mixes. It was also reviewed on International Tapes. The Youtube video's beautifully creepy, and you can download the track here.

M Like Moon - Sunlight (Ferrari Moonlight Dub)

2010-12-12T05:10:00.000-08:00

"Sunlight" is a heavy choon that ranks among the best Italo disco songs ever produced. It's funky, and at its slow 100/101 BPM, it could easily make it into any cosmic/baia set. But what really highlights this record is its sweeping and melancholic chorus.

For this Ferrari dub remix, I pretty much stripped the "East Side" and "West Side" mixes of their verses because the chorus to this song is that good.

Download

Euroshima - Gala

2010-12-08T09:39:00.001-08:00

I'm a bit giddy. Euroshima (not to be confused with the epic Snowy Red song) are returning from retirement and obscurity to play on December 17th at Asbury Club, Rivadavia 7523. You can get more information here. While I've never been to the Asbury, I've been to the barrio of Flores for a few poetry readings. The Harlem-like neighborhood is a nice change from Capital Federal's trendier neighborhoods, like Palermo.

With the release of their only album, "Gala," in '87, Euroshima quickly garnered attention in South America. The continent surely had a few big-haired ghouls that were craving the darker sounds they heard from Europe and North America, so the band filled that empty space. Similar to Siouxie and the Banshees or Clan of Xymox, Euroshima's post-punk, darkwave sound features scratching guitars, distant synth melodies, and howling vocals courtesy of Wanda, the band's frontwoman.

Let's do a then and now:

A small guilty pleasure of mine is looking at current pictures of band members from darkwave/80s synth groups. The idea of aging as well as maturing or developing your passions seems very attractive. Of course, you could do what Kirlian Camera did, and find another young Italian beauty to front your band.

On the 17th, I'm wearing all black, and probably singing along with a crowd full of Argentinians.
Euroshima plans on playing songs from their only album in addition to new ones they're working on for a second album!

Euroshima - Gala Download

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"Silencio entre nosotros, te siento tan distante
un frío cerca mío, congela un tiempo errante"

Faust'o - Love Story

2010-11-30T14:53:00.001-08:00

Fausto Rossi is a darkling thrush drunk in the second person. More beautiful music from Italy. Is this grunge? Drums beat heavily, vocals rasp romanticisms, and the bass, lowlowlow. With music that rolls over itself like it walks from the drowning sun, Faust'o's sound is the emotive force I dig in music.

The blog Tuning Maze 3.0 says, "...cantato non-modulato ultra-monocorde, linee di basso gelate con 2-3 note al massimo, batteria ancorata allo stesso ritmo spezzato ed ipnotico."

Okay, so I don't know Italian, but it's easy to make out that Faust'o sings in a non-modulated, ultra monotonic style over cold bass lines that are 2-3 notes at max. And the drumming's broken and hypnotic.

The music's really really heavy, but how would I have known? I first heard Faust'o on the wrong speed. A 45 version of "Clouds over Thin Paper" floats around the internet. It has Baia/Cosmic written all over it. Hearing "Exhibition of Love" on its right speed, though, only made me want to screw the song, so I made a grunge-ified, steady, big beat remix to the awesome track.

You can download the album with the remix and "Clouds over Thin Paper (45Rpm)" here.

The Police - Walking on the Moon (Ferrari Baia Dub)

2010-11-28T08:52:00.000-08:00

The Police remind me of my father. They were pretty much forgotten after I started combing Soulseek + the internet for music under the mainstream radar, but it's really pleasurable right now to return to them.

This dub version's steeped in wine. The dregs of the moon were emptied out. I'm walking in one of the deeper craters, where it's impossible to see the earth.

The Police - Walking on the Moon (Ferrari Baia Dub)

Madonna - Into the Groove (Ferrari Night Night Dub)

2010-11-23T20:04:00.001-08:00

Madonna is singing on top of herself. The Madonna that is on top of Madonna is singing on top of her self.

I'm building a pyramid of Madonnas for anyone who loves her and all who don't. The Ferrari Night Night Dub is a lullaby. There's no evil in the world. Nightmares do not exist.

Madonna - Into the Groove (Ferrari Night Night Dub)

The Stephy B Show # 48

2010-11-16T20:27:00.000-08:00

The Stephy B Show #48 is guest hosted again by Kitsch Club. All my mixing equipment is in Texas, so this 2 hour radio show is half/mixed half/compilation. It was nice, though, to not have to think about BPMs and there are a lot of disparate tempos throughout the mix. The Psychick Warriors of Gaia track runs a bit long, but it's such a good early psytrance/acid jam that I included it in its entirety.

Itenef's version of OMD's "Of All the Things We Made" is beautiful, too, and I'll be posting it on Kitsch Club soon. The song's ripped from Youtube.

You can stream the show or download at Kaos Radio.

The Stephy B Show feat. Kitsch Club
Thursday 9-11am

C Cat Trance - Shake the Mind
Psychick Warriors Ov Gaia - Acid Dervish
María y José - Semana Santa
Nguzunguzu - Caresss$ (Ferrari Kill Some Bass Mix)
Virgo - Go Wild Rhythm Track
Diseño Corbusier - Lamento Testamento
Fax the Fax - Fax the Fax
Faust'o - Clouds Over Thin Paper (45Rpm)
Dick el Demasiado - Uno Llamado Negrito
How I Quit Crack - That Boy (beatimprint subtohell mix)
Madonna - Into the Groove (Ferrari Night Night Dub)
Mike Oldfield - Foreign Affair (Mater Suspiria Vision Mindfuck Remix)
Egberto Gismonti - A Bela Palomera
Solid Space - A Darkness in My Soul
Valerie Dore - Wrong Direction (XTD Version)
Jade 4 U - Rainbows
Mark Lane - That's Dream
Itenef - Of All the Things We Made (in vertical take off mix)
Slava Tsukerman & Brenda Hutchinson & Clive Smith - Me and My Rhythm Box
La Caida de la casa Usher - Insecto vivo, insecto muerto
Metronomy - Heartbreaker (Black Devil Disco Club Remix)
Tones on Tail - Performance
Nightmoves - Night Drive
Topy & Roby - Under the Ice
The Peppermint Lounge - Perfect High
Robert Sandrini - Eyes Without a Face
Bernard Fevre - Dali

Agrimensor K - Principio y Fin

2010-11-05T14:59:00.000-07:00

I'm going to continue posting la Dama's output. This precedes what they released as la Dama se Esconde. Agrimensor K's darker, apathetic, less poppy. Bass jangles around like a Joy Division song, a voice reaches you from the back of a tunnel, you turn around and what do you see?

PRINCIPIO Y FIN

This 7" was released on DRO records!

Download

Twice of Love

2010-10-31T10:07:00.000-07:00

Amazing New Beat coming your way. As far as I know, discog-wise, these are the only tracks that Twice of Love produced. The songs vary in their compositional choices, even stylistically (somewhat), but the quality of each one is what unites them and sets them above the formulaic-ridden ocean of New Beat productions.

"Man with the Golden Arm" features a characteristic acid riff that undulates like a jump rope. I really dig the vocal sample: "man with the golden arm." Someone also shouts in the background who knows what...

"24 Hours from Culture" is where Twice of Love becomes atypical, though. Aside from the drum beat, nothing really keeps rhythm. The bassline is acidic, again, but it wobbles everywhere in a non-danceable way. This song feels very lounge-y to me. A woman's nonsensical chatter occasionally comes through and you get the sense that stasis sometimes feels as good as movement.

The last song, "The Birth," is pure evil. Rave trolls made this track.

Download

Somos Tres (Ferrari Dub)

2010-10-24T19:27:00.001-07:00

La Dama won't leave my mind. My ears want more/ I don't know how anyone else feels but this band churns my emotional gears. Catchy pop ignites and yet these dub mixes I've been making accomplish the exact opposite. I smolder in my room.

"Somos Tres" is pitched down 18%. And I think so am I.

la Dama se Esconde - Somos Tres (Ferrari Dub)

La Dama Se Esconde - Armarios y Camas

2010-10-12T08:44:00.000-07:00

Whereas Radar provided a paradoxically dark and geeky sound, La Dama Se Esconde/"The Lady Hides" is all emotion. The sound's undeniably pop, romantic, new wave. "Armarios y Camas" or "Cabinets and Beds" is more or less the second release by this band from Madrid. Released in 1985, a mini-LP, "Avestruces," preceded it as well as two songs that were featured on a compilation.

Of course, La Dama Se Esconde didn't appear out of nowhere like magic, even if their music and lyrics are layered in it. La Dama Se Esconde was the product of the break-up of Agrimensor K, the Spanish Dark Wave band. Discogs describes them as sinister with influences of Kafka. While Agrimensor K's great, what they don't provide is a more sincere, unaffected energy.

Besides coming from Agrimensor K, La Dama also released on Discos Radiactivos Organizados, which is Aviador Dro's label. Unfortunately, as the band grew more successful and moved on to Warner, they also grew worse, cheesy, and commercial. I've yet to give later recordings a proper listen because I always exit out of Youtube, with shame, at the start of each song. It's like they're U2.

But what I would've given to have heard this album when I was a juvenile with nothing to do on a Friday! Even so, at 23, it still impresses with broken crystal in the middle of the night.

Download

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I've started dubbing their songs. Here's the first I've posted on Youtube!

Muriel Dacq - Tropique

2010-10-06T17:54:00.000-07:00

I needed a little more Italo Disco in my life. Perhaps we all do. "Tropique" by Muriel Dacq is a surprising piece that opens with a crazy, Balearic vocal solo before entering HI-NRG goodness that is at once over-produced yet infectiously melodic. You ears feel a little guilty, you wonder if you're in France, if the woman who just blew smoke in your face knows you can't see her eyes through those Wayfarers.

Remix included!

Muriel Dacq - Tropique

My Wave

2010-10-02T07:36:00.000-07:00

My Wave's finally back in session with this excellent LP by Italian band Radar. Their self-titled full length, released in 1982, sounds timeless. The production's great and most of the songs avoid soundly overtly 80s. The synthwork isn't too fat or heavy, either and allows enough space for vocals and sax, which is why I love this album so much.

Radar's a no wave band that understands melody. Or are they a new wave band that understands chaos? These songs, like the single of Decadance, flirt with genres and end up with a sound that's entirely their own. Each song's catchy, creepy, smooth, rocking, styling AND nerdy.

Look at the album art. Dream team of a band? I'd love to meet each and every one of these dudes.

Radar - Radar

Decadance - On and On

2010-09-28T09:09:00.000-07:00

Is this Italo? Italo from the dungeon? From the soft spot, again? "On and On" is a little diamond covered in dirt, stuck to the bottom of a combat boot. The troubadours are back out with safety pins on their tees and roses in their back pockets. This one's epic! Darkwave or Italo, you choose.

Decadance - On and On

Federal State - Perfect Image

2010-09-24T15:38:00.000-07:00

This one's jacked straight from Youtube. Try typing "Federal State" into Google and see what comes up! Add a few more keywords and the search continues without luck. And, by the way, if you happen to find ANYTHING from Federal State, then pass it my way. Please.

This beautiful EBM track is sultry, absolutely ready for any darkwave night. With its catchy chorus ("I can't forget your perfect image.") and amazing Speak and Spell sample, this song's production surpasses the blunt cheese of most New Beat/EBM tracks that dulls the brain with lame 808 Acid rhythms and aggro drum programing. All the snare hits hit with sexiness as if "Perfect Image" by Federal State knew that Gabber and other genres would soon think 140+ BPM songs were cool.

I wish I had my mixer in Buenos Aires.

Federal State - Perfect Image

The Cover Band - Relax/ Somebody's Watching Me

2010-09-22T07:48:00.000-07:00

This man, Alberto Carpani, is responsible for the production of a very hard to find album from Sensation Records. The Cover Band's covers of "Relax" and "Somebody's Watching Me" first caught my attention when I listened to the mixtape "Driver," which still is one of my favorite old school Italo Disco mixes. I posted the A side here.

Albert One is among the best of Italo Disco vocalists. His version of "Somebody's Watching Me" is smoother than Rockwell's; you get the sense that Albert's fleeing on his motorcycle, cutting corners on the streets of Rome. As for "Relax" the heavy bass squelches are a bit gratuitous but they provide that unique humor that makes so many Italo Disco songs precious.

These two songs are mixed; maybe they are a medley. I cut them from the B side of "Driver," which was mixed by Albert One. I great version of "It's My Life" follows these tracks but I left it out since there isn't a break after it.

The Cover Band - Relax/ Somebody's Watching Me

Jago - I'm Going to Go (Frankie Knuckles Remix)

2010-09-19T12:38:00.000-07:00

Frankie Knuckle's awesome remix of Jago's "I'm Going to Go" feels like proto-house music. This is Italo Disco at its best. I love the delayed handclaps, snares, the odd start and stop rhythm that builds its groove until the sun's set and the sand feels like the best of dance floors. ¿Funky?

Jago - I'm Going To Go (Remix)

C Cat Trance - Shake the Mind

2010-09-13T13:47:00.000-07:00

If I had a hundred songs with a similar aesthetic that's the darkened world sound of C Cat Trance, I'd move to Baghdad, the moon, the bottom of the oil-filled ocean. "Shake the Mind" is an organic New Beatish/Balearic (Post-Punk?)jam that resists most mixing techniques. I play this song in its entirety, from its wonderfully progressive opening to its dying fade out. I think of The Caravan's "Somewhere in Arabia" when I hear this song. I think of Ecstasy and baby oil, a harem and smoke machines.

This is a nice song for 1986. I haven't listened to much Italo recently. A friend had hash last night.

C Cat Trance - Shake the Mind

Screewed

2010-09-11T10:21:00.001-07:00

Ferrari y Kitsch Club - Spiritual Incense Mix by mrchristopherperez

This new mix is as slow as I get. I screwed these acid, new beat, italo gems to 75.5 or so. Recently, the door's been closed more often than not.

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spiritual incense mix

1. acid aliens - balearic (quiero la noche screwed mix)
2. tyree - night of acid
3. nitzer ebb - join in the chant
4. west phillips - tell me (crucial house mix)
5. kraftwerk - metal on metal (dungeon edit)
6. tyree feat. chic - i fear the night
7. hypnotic samba - hypnotic samba
8. doctor's cat - watch out! (oil spill edit)
9. yazoo - situation (dub mix)
10. black devil disco club - free girls (dub mix)
11. death in june - foretold (negativ magick edit)

Acid Aliens - Balearic (Quiero La Noche Screwed Mix)

2010-08-18T17:59:00.000-07:00

Here's a slowed down new beat gem I edited. Acid Aliens take you into the earth rather than out to space. No cosmic thinking. No planetary love. Lots of dirt, darkness and fear.

Download

Summer Sweat

2010-06-03T13:18:00.002-07:00

Summer's here; I've left to New York, where I'll be attending the Milton Avery Graduate School for the Arts. In September, I plan on moving to Buenos Aires, so I have big plans ahead and can only hope that I will keep Kitsch Club running.

Here's a little summer jam for any beach parties you may be planning. Released in 1985 and produced by Alexander Robotnick, San Giovanni Bassista's "Summer Sweat" has a bouncy melody, guitar (yes!), and bilingual vocals. The best part, though, is when you hear the female vocalist bark.

Download

Carlos Pérez - Las Manos Quietas (Twilight Sucio Dub Mix)

2010-05-30T18:16:00.001-07:00

I recently posted "Las Manos Quietas" by Carlos Pérez. My friend, Samantha, has been asking for a screwed version of the song for over a year, so I'm now posting a screwed/dubbed version of the HI-NRG hit. The remix runs around 86 B.P.M., is full of dirty Traktor reverb, and has a punishing, industrial snare hit thanks to Anitina by M/A/R/R/S.

Download

The Stephy B Show Episode 26

2010-05-18T16:09:00.001-07:00

I was asked by Stephanie to guest host her radio show on Kaos Radio, a local radio station here in Austin, Texas. With a full two hours to fill, I wasn't sure how I would go about making the longest mix I've ever made.

Days later, I emerged with 40 Promises Mix, a two hour, Italo Disco, New Beat, Balearic, Electro, New Wave marathon filled with shout-outs and samples. It airs on Thursday, from 9-11 A.M. central time, so tune in!

Here's the track list:

40 Promises Mix

1. G.A.N.G. –Incantations

2. Anna – Systems Breaking Down (Dub)

3. Joe Hitarashi – The Dorok Army Strikes Back

4. Logic System – Person to Person

5. John Fox – Metal Beat

6. Tony Esposito – Pagaia

7. Tommy Kelvin – Jungle Bow Wow

8. Samoa Park – Tubular Bells & Foreign Affair

9. Piano Fantasia – Song for Denise

10. Piano Fantasia – Song for Denise (Dub)

11. Jimmy & Susy – Come Back (Instrumental)

12. Men in Hats – Safety Dance (Remix)

13. Pink Project – Disco Project

14, Code 61 – Drop the Deal

15. A Split-Second – Flesh

16. BHW – Stop (Nathan Wilkins & Midnight Mike Edit)

17. Daniele Baldelli – Cosmic Parsley

18. Snowy Red – Come on Dance

19. Tulio De Piscopo – Radio Africa

20. Crack W.A.R. – Animal Trap

21. M/A/R/R/S – Anitina (Radio Edit)

22. Koto –Chinese Revenge

23. Lola – Wax the Van (Jon’s Dub Mix)

24. International Music System – Mojave

25. The Creatures – Hard in the City

26. Began Began – Stay in Touch (Message to All)

27. Fokewulf 190 – Body Heat

28. Neon – My Blues is You (Slow Dub)

29. Edgar Winter – Above & Beyond (Instrumental)

30. Kim Wilde – Cambodia

31. Fun Fun – Sing Another Song (U.S. Gary Otto Remix)

32. Infant Two – Modern Robot Chorus

33. Tony Esposito – Kalimba De Luna (The Sevilla Dance Remix)

34. Asso – Don’t Stop

35. Sueño Latino – Sueño Latino (Bumrocks Guitar Edit)

36. Manuel Göttsching – E2-E4

37. Kraftwerk – Musique Non-Stop (Razormaid Mix)

38. Mandy Smith – Mandy’s Theme

39. Scotch – Primitive Man

40. Talk of the North – Such a Shame

The Stephy B Show Stream/Download

***** UPDATE*****
The link's dead. Kaos Radio only holds its files for two months but you can stream or download from Stephanie's site here.

Deeper Dreaming Presents: Sueño Latino

2010-05-11T18:32:00.000-07:00

Kitsch Club's decided on a new series to keep me ever thinking about the ways I separate, organize, and find consistencies in my life. Posts under Deeper Dreaming will resound fluffy clouds, icicles, echoes, troughs, illusions, water, reflections of water, the empty melon that is the brain—the list continues, endlessly and in every direction.

So where to start and how?

"E2-E4" by Manuel Göttsching is a mammoth trial of patience, an excursion along the trail of trance, and perhaps the mother song that gave birth to deep house, so posting "E2-E4" seems appropriate to start things off.

Manuel Gottsching, the guitarist of Ash Ra Temple, worked on solo recordings and released "E2-E4" in 1984. The song is an hour long, featuring a hypnotic rhythm that progressively takes the listener from one unrecognizable place to the next. Most notable, though, is Göttsching's guitar playing that solos for eons on end.

The listening marathon this song requires is perfect for shadow puppets and tents, incense and ecstasy. But when my life gives me less than that, I spin this record before bed, when I'm cleaning up, brushing my teeth, peeking out the window, and dimming the lights.

Manuel Göttsching - E2-E4 Download

So, with such a great track, what did producers of the 1980s do? They built off it. Before I knew of "E2-E4," I thought I had found gold (and in many ways, I had) with a deep house, balearic jam called "Sueño Latino." I heard this song on a record called "Bolero Mix" that I picked up in San Antonio, and I fell in love. While I usually stick to an Italo sound, I'm a sucker for anything deep and bacchanalian.

Dance Floor Corporation, an Italian House and Techno label out of Bologna, released their take on "E2-E4" with Sueño Latino, a latin-ized, rhythm based version of the original that added the sultry vocal styling of Carolina Damas. Damas worked as the front-woman of Sueño Latino, recording vocals for songs like "Luxuria" and "La Puerta del Sol."

"Sueño Latino" reached # 1 on some European charts, which is impressive if you consider that this song requires what a commercial radio audience doesn't have: time.

So, I'm only posting a few of the various versions of Sueño Latino; there are too many, and I unfortunately don't have them all. Of the different versions, I'm including the "Latin Dream," which is sped up and around 117 B.P.M.. Also, I'm including a great guitar edit that the blog Bumrocks did. FYI: Manuel Göttsching actually helped out with the production of several Sueño Latino Tracks by recording special guitar solos for certain versions. The Bumrocks edit focuses on Göttsching's playing. The last version is a a great, dubby mix by Cut Master G. It's my new, favorite version because some of the basslines have a very detroit techno sound to them, reminiscent of Derrick May's "Nude Photo."

Sueño Latino - Sueño Latino Download

After Sueño Latino made headway on the dancefloor, the remixes of the remixes came. And they're still coming. Starting with "E2-E4" and flourishing with "Sueño Latino," the sound and rhythm that is characteristic of this song has spawned countless remixes and interpretations.

The greatest remixes, in my opinion, have come from Derrick May of Rythim is Rythim fame. Derrick May helped create the Detroit Techno sound, which Discogs does a pretty good job of describing: "...Derrick took the Euro-electropop crystals of Kraftwerk, Depeche Mode and New Order beyond its own horizon, infusing it with house, experimental synthesizer work and just plain soul."

May's remixes came out in 1992, and they sound much like his own music because they're phased and flanged, moving in and out, in and out. Of the three remixes, I like the "Final Third" version best, since it keeps Carolina's vocals and has some subtle Spanish guitar picking.

Sueño Latino - Sueño Latino Derrick May Remixes Download

I just had to post this picture; it's too good. Look at that mustache!

Anyways, I don't plan on posting any of the other versions here. This post is already long enough but here are some links:

You can download the Robytek tribute versions from Minimal Freaks.

Wobbles Mix also hosts three other versions of Sueño Latino.

Check out Carolina party!

Italo Disco Living Experiment

2010-04-21T16:35:00.000-07:00

You've brought me to the Italo Disco Living Experiment, a space where I can place the songs closest to my heart, where I can share what moves past the dance floor and infiltrates everyday Italo Disco Living.

Carlos Pérez's "Las Manos Quietas" is the essence of Hi-NRG for the non-energetic. At roughly 130 B.P.M., his voice still moves me to my seat, where I sink.

Released in 1985 and discovered by me in 2008, "Las Manos Quietas" has ever since been a staple to my existence. Any close friend of mine shares some sort of triangular relationship with Carlos Pérez and I. The sound's very sweet but his voice is even sweeter and full of that Spanish "lisp" characteristic of Spain's pronunciation of its own language.

The singer speaks of who he leaves. They only talk and talk, never touch, and in the end it's always the same: the still hands.

Please download this song. You'll like it. You'll like his other songs, too. Besides working on this solo project, Carlos Pérez was also in the Spanish punk band Guilty Razors and the Italo Disco Group Bandolero. Rofo helped produce his sounds for several tracks, too.

Enjoy!

***

Siempre igual, contigo solo hablar y hablar,
no tocar, que si nos miran ¿a que diran?
Vaya plan, despues de hacerme esperar;
al final, tu respuesta siempre igual.

Las manos quietas,
las manos quietas, comprendelo;
las manos quietas,
las manos quietas, por favor.

Las manos quietas,
las manos quietas, comprendelo;
las manos quietas,
las manos quietas, por favor.

Vaya plan, pudiendo el tiempo aprovechar,
con jugar, a lo que juegan los demas.
Ya veras, como no te han de pesar;
la verdad, es que ya no aguanto mas.

Las manos quietas,
las manos quietas, comprendelo;
las manos quietas,
las manos quietas, por favor.

Las manos quietas,
las manos quietas, comprendelo;
las manos quietas,
las manos quietas, por favor.

Al final, tarde o temprano haz de vivir,
el amor, profundamente, dentro de ti.
y ademas, no volveras mas a decir.

Las manos quietas,
las manos quietas, comprendelo;
las manos quietas,
las manos quietas, por favor.

Las manos quietas,
las manos quietas, comprendelo;
las manos quietas,
las manos quietas, por favor.

Nueva Mezcla

2010-03-15T15:25:00.000-07:00

Here's a new mix from Industria Kitsch Club. Djay Batida, out of the tropics, presents his unique sabor latino: Baia, Cosmic, House, Disco, Synthpop, Samba, et cetera. This is a very Balearic mix, capable of being listened to whether the tide is high, low, or slack.

It starts off rather dramatic, with "Obélix Samba" by Gerard Calvi, a song full of piano and string rolls that accompany what sounds like a monkey screechning. Eventually, Danielle Baldelli's cosmic tunes lead the listener to another place, a place where Depeche Mode mingles with Sueño Latino. The mix seems to end on a groovy, sustained note with Italian tribal lover Claudio Coccoluto before some good ole 80's house makes a party of the whole affair.

Peel a banana. Crack a coconut. Take another tab.

Listen!

Djay Batida - Dale Huevo Mix

1. Gerard Calvi - Obélix Samba
2. Blue Rondo a la Turk - Samba No Pe
3. Cosmic Disco - Cosmic Sprint
4. Danielle Baldelli - Cosmic Message
5. Depeche Mode - My Secret Garden (Cosmic Edit)
6. Sueño Latino - Sueño Latino (The Latin Dream Mix)
7. Two Man Sound - Disco Samba
8. Gino Soccio - Try It Out (Instrumental)
9. Bebu Silvetti - Voyage of No Return (Tom Moulton Mix)
10. Danielle Baldelli - Electrodub
11. Hypnotic Samba - Hypnotic Samba
12. The Heartists - Belo Horizonti (Dino Lenny HWW Mix)
13. Claudio Coccoluto - Uno Nuovo
14. Claudio Coccoluto - Easydelics
14. Latino Party - Esta Loca

All tracks recorded on Traktor.
Industria Kitsch Club
March, 2010

Djay Batida - Dale Huevo by mrchristopherperez

Peggy & The Pills

2010-03-11T13:28:00.000-08:00

Within the realm of sweating hearts and ostentatious vocals that is Italo Disco, occasionally a song comes along that seems to have been conjured for "special" Italians: perhaps a small sect of Romans that knew all about England (the land of Synthpop) or maybe a secret society of Calabrians that venerated mop haircuts and the dark and dirty disco club.

Peggy & The Pills' "Nobody's Bride" must have been a record that filled these Italians' milk crates, whence they'd pull out this anthem only past midnight—after the Fernet and the company and the boyfriend or girlfriend or "friend" had long left.

Eschewing the aesthetics Italo Disco religiously followed, this band went down the dark path that genres like Synthpop, Electro & New Wave traversed. "Nobody's Bride" is a landmark Italo Disco song in the maturation of my musical taste. This song was one of the very first I found, years ago, when I'd merely search for "Italo Disco" and "Italy 80s" on Soulseex. I naively thought that all Italo Disco was like this: anthemic, morose, "alternative."

But alas my fellow Italo Disco brothers and sisters, all Italo Disco is not like this, as you probably knew long before I did.

Nonetheless, this fact of life makes Peggy & the Pills that much more valuable, close to the heart. Terribly wanting this song on vinyl, I searched Ebay three years back and found Bob One's excellently mixed "Go Go Dance" and bought it; the record's filled with bangers that quickly became theme songs for various moments of my life and is THE ALBUM that made me want to start djaying.

Peggy & The Pills - Nobody's Bride

Here's an absolutely amazzzing Youtube video of the band supposedly performing the song but we all know what that means when you have beautiful models playing a track a producer made in the studio. But as long as she takes off her clothes, right?

Oh, and I don't know Italian, but you can definitely hear the MC introduce them as "New Wave."

Kitsch Club Edits

2010-02-17T13:08:00.000-08:00

For you mixing enjoyment are a few rough edits I've recorded on Traktor during the past year or so. They're excellent for live sets, and they mix well with other genres such as House because I've added thicker kicks and constant vocal samples.

The best part of these edits is that I've extended their intros and outros; it makes them easier to mix because you can start them earlier on the track that's currently playing. One thing that makes Italo Disco so much harder to mix than house is that Italo Disco's intros tend to be brief or have lyrics or weird transitions that get in the way of long, sensual mixing. In comparison, house tracks can be layered and mixed on top of each other, which gives that beautiful, sonorous impression that everything's remixed/mashed up.

Okay, so these aren't remixes. My skills are meager, and I don't have the right software to do what I would like to these songs.

My method was simple:

I pressed play, sampled a house beat in real time, then started the Italo jam and layered the two. I cut when needed and even brought up a 3rd or 4th channel, occasionally, to change rhythms, etc. etc. Try them out!

Kitsch Club Edits

1. Doctor's Cat - Feel the Drive
2. Pineapples - Come on Closer
3. Pineapples - Come on Closer (Radio Mix)
4. Mirage - Change Your Life
5. Savage - Radio
6. City Center - Profondo Rosso

Dj Acosta - February Mix

2010-02-13T10:51:00.000-08:00

I'm showing some Valley love in this post with a little exposure of Dj Acosta: one of my long-time friends whose performance history is rooted in the early Micro-music days that swept the valley. For many of us, those days began a life-long allegiance to electronic music.

Dj Acosta is better known as Spin Laden or just Jose to those of you who know him well. But that's not the point. What matters is that Dj Acosta is the incarnation of all things Disco House, all things grooving amongst contemporary rhythms thankfully ripped at 320kbps; these tracks aren't recorded from your grandfather's turntable—you know, the one he calls a gramophone.

The mix I'm posting is Dj Acosta's February Mix. It's great. The 808 Acid, Space Disco, and Chicago House influences on this second mix are undeniably infectious. I especially dig how he introduces Precious System - The Voice from Planet Love (Dixon Chc-Ago Remix). The Suburban Knight track that proceeds it is another standout as well as Two of China's "Los Niños Del Parque."

Listen up:

February 2010 Mix by Dj Acosta on Mixcloud

My Wave

2010-01-27T10:37:00.000-08:00

More anti-dance has come round, this time in the form of Los Iniciados, one of the more oblique and obstinately undefinable bands I've experienced in a long while. Los Iniciados are just WEIRD. Yet so good!

An offshoot of their popular band, Aviador Dro, Los Iniciados were what sprung from the consummation of Aviador Dro's cartoon camp and a healthy dosage of Egyptian aura and themes. There's high-pitched choruses, synth stabs that sound like they're coming from cardboard synthesizers, Nefertiti guitar solos, Spanish lyricism, popcorn drums and more from the giving gods.

Formed in 1981, the band started releasing material on their own label, DRO records, and first released a 7 inch, "El Cantador Del Jazz." Then they came out with "La Marca de Anubis" and "Ubú." I have these two albums downloaded, and I prefer "La Marca de Anubis," which is why I'm posting it. "Ubú" occupies a fringe place in the realm of concept albums. Most of the tracks on "Ubú" ephemerally come and go within 30 seconds. They're little more than slave chants and witch curses amongst babbling bongos.

"La Marca de Anubis," though, seems much more put together and complete in comparison to the Wunderkammer of musical curiosities that is "Ubú," yet the album is bleepy enough to still sound like something's malfunctioning.

Also, according to the blog Sangre Española, Los Iniciados apparently had two members from Alphaville! Remember "Big in Japan" and "Forever Young?"

Los Iniciados - La Marca de Anubis

My Wave #¿

2010-01-13T10:32:00.000-08:00

I like 180s, so I thought I'd make a quick post for any of you looking for something a little off the slick italo disco speedway. Here's A Blaze Colour, a minimal/darkwave band from that beautiful time period, the 80s. Out of Belgium, this band also has a New Beat vibe; they're mixable (I've tried "An Addict of Time" with Valerie Dore's "Wrong Direction" for a grunged-out, italofied, new wave aura that promethazine-izes the dance floor.) if you don't mind anti-dance, slinky slink.

You can look at their discog page to see that they have a relatively small output. I want more!

A Blaze Colour - Against the Dark Trees Beyond

Introducing the Mini-Mix Series!

2010-01-06T14:24:00.000-08:00

In the name of breathing fresh air, I've started a mini-mix series whose only focus is going to be its duration: roughly around 10 minutes. I like how the first mix came out; it's very groovy, all in the bass lines, and what I consider to be completely sexy. I attribute this to the actual mixing; it's long, drawn out, there's no cutting and pasting, and almost all the songs have little or no synth stabs because I opted for the impression of a 10 minute car cruise rather than 10 minutes of getting on and off, slamming the door, rolling down the windows, visiting friends, smoking a cigarette...

Raf's "Self-Control" is a song that I've been recently enjoying. The beauty of italo disco is that, like all mass-produced, consumerist forms of dance music, there's a plethora of it, and treasure hunting for new dance gems is a process this indefatigable hunter has not out-grown, yet (hopefully, never). I suggest that you Youtube the video for this song. He's got some of the hottest, minimal dance moves insofar as he's really feeling that beat. You can do so much with just moving your head, snapping your fingers.

As for Kitsch Club's visual aesthetic, I think I'm starting to find it. The artwork for this mix is a little party, a little collegiate, a little Miami, a little kitsch.

Next, I'm planning on doing a Latin-themed mini-mix. I hope it comes out well!

Enjoy.

Mini-Mix #1

1. Raf - Self-Control
2. Karin Klark - In the Night
3. Webo - Magic Moment
4. Fun Fun - Sing Another Song
5. Mondo- The Only Love

All songs mixed my Máximo Ferré for Industria Kitsch Club.
2010

¡Ya Bájala!

2009-10-25T20:07:00.000-07:00

Everything's fast now, and Spain knew it back then. Mixing this was ridiculous; dropping tracks into Traktor, I'd read 130 B.P.M. for the modest Carlos Perez whose tracks I once thought were too fast to ever mix with Italo, and then I'd flip out once Biceps made their definitive statement that they play at 140+! This is a quick mix, only 10 minutes: a length I'm beginning to enjoy more and more. Plus, it allows me to put my mixes on Youtube. I recorded all of this on Traktor and then inputed it into Garage Band and added a few samples. All songs are sung entirely in Spanish, the way I prefer my music nowadays. There's something about the inflection of Romance languages and their mastery of melody that outshines anything the Brits did with synthpop. This mix is Italo Disco, Adult Oriented Rock, Technopop, sofisticated, sunny, self-aware (song titles: "Ya No Sé, No Sé Quien Soy, etc), lollipop, wayfarer and fresh air along with other goodness these songs conjure. Go back to grade school and then grow up and the maturity you'll reach will sound
something like this: all smiles, an open window, troubador trouble.

DJay Batida - La Movida Madrileña Mix

1. Carlos Pérez - Las Manos Quietas
2. Carlos Pérez - Poco a Poco
3. Platino - No Sé Quien Soy
4. Trúpita - Ya No Sé
5. Biceps - El Lienzo
6.Platino - El Gato

Tracks Still Spinning

2009-10-01T22:11:00.000-07:00

Kitsch Club has a tasty treat; given by the French who decided to sing in Spanish, Magazine 60 are so rock 'n' roll that you think you're listening to italo disco for club-goers who went to darkwave nights on Thursdays. This single is by no means dark, being as catchy and pink and black as possible, yet it's as if enthusiasts of Magazine 60 at least appreciated combat boots or floral-print Doc Martins.

I've always wanted to mix this song at a party or in a set because the beat is off-beat, not you're standard 4X4 Moroder music, but I haven't found the right songs for mixing it in or out. The slow backspin makes it great for quick cuts, something I've been digging for sudden mood changes, though I've always thought that slow is the way to go. Chico Sonido, out of California and from Mexico, perfectly mixes in "Don Quichotte" in his set, "Discoteca Freestyle:" a set as varied and Latino as I could want it to be—there's freestyle, early rave, italo disco, synth pop and original edits. My friend Jose, aka Spin Laden, introduced me to Chico Sonido. "I found a mix I can't stop jamming to. Here's a link. I think you'd like it."

And I did so much that I transfered it to cassette.

Magazine 60 - Don Quichotte

Nueva Mezcla

2009-09-06T15:06:00.000-07:00

My latest mix hurts, coming in at just under 30 minutes (my favorite mix length) and featuring 24 tracks of varying Italo Disco styles. The italo camp—Miko Mission, Michael Bedford, Roger Meno, JD Jaber—make appearances along La Movida Madrileña (Vicio Latino) and some space synth "bands," like Cyber People and Koto.

The mix moves in a cut and paste fashion, like the Max Mix mixes, starting and stopping as you wait to hear who's popping out of the top hat next. Why keep anything continous?

Next post should or might feature some Argentinean New Wave.

Kitsch Club Productions - Ouch Mix

1. Baby’s Gang – Disco Maniac
2. Michael Bedford – Tonight
3. Michael Bedford – More than a Kiss
4. Miko Mission – The World is You
5. Radiorama – Chance to Desire
6. Sandy Marton - People from Ibiza
7. Nemesy – 24 hours
8. JD Jabber – Don’t Wake Me Up
9. Fun Fun – Baila Bolero
10. Koto - Visitors
11. Fun Fun – Happy Station (Scratch Version)
12. Ivan – Fotonovela
13. Cruisin’ Gang – On the Beach Tonight
14. Closed – Living in Your Eyes
15. Cyber People – Polaris
16. Roger Meno – I Find the Way
17. Baby’s Gang – Disco Maniac
18. Vicio Latino – Que Me Pasa, Que Me Pasa
19. Chiquitas – Dance the Rumba
20. My Mine – Zorro (Instrumental)
21. I.M.S. – Dancing Therapy
22. Den Harrow – Future Brain
23. The Twins – All Mixed Up
24. Ray – I’m Not a Dreamer

2009 Industria Kitsch Club
Mixed by Maximilian Ferero

Entristecer

2009-08-14T13:30:00.000-07:00

Trupita - Esta Noche Me Quiero Descolgar

Cada mañana me levanto despacio
cuando suena el despertador.
Antes de nada desconecto la radio
y me asomo un poco al balcón.
No encuentro el peine
figúrate qué hora es,
el fijador no aparece,
lo busco, revuelvo, lo encuentro por fin
Salgo a la calle
y a las diez el retraso
no se puede disimular.
En la oficina
que si vaya unas horas,
que si llegas tarde a fichar.
¿Qué culpa tengo de ser
como dicen si,
nací en agosto, soy leo
y me gusta,
me empuja,
me envuelve
y no…
Esta noche me quiero descolgar.
No,
ya no aguanto tanta mediocridad
¿Qué culpa tengo de ser
como dicen si,
nací en agosto, soy leo
y me gusta,
me empuja,
me envuelve
y …
Cada mañana me levanto despacio
cuando suena el despertador.
Antes de nada desconecto la radio
y me asomo un poco al balcón.
No encuentro el peine
figúrate qué hora es,
el fijador no aparece,
lo busco, revuelvo, lo encuentro por fin
Salgo a la calle
y a las diez el retraso
no se puede disimular.
En la oficina
que si vaya unas horas,
que si llegas tarde a fichar.
¿Qué culpa tengo de ser
como dicen si,
nací en agosto, soy leo
y me gusta,
me empuja,
me envuelve
y no…
Esta noche me quiero descolgar
No,
ya no aguanto tanta mediocridad
¿Qué culpa tengo de ser
como dicen si,
nací en agosto, soy leo
y me gusta,
me empuja,
me envuelve
y no…
Esta noche me quiero descolgar
No,
ya no aguanto tanta mediocridad
¿Qué culpa tengo de ser
como dicen si,
nací en agosto, soy leo
y me gusta,
me empuja,
me envuelve
y no…

Esta noche me quiero descolgar
No,
ya no aguanto tanta mediocridad

En Argentina

2009-08-06T07:14:00.000-07:00

Todavía no tengo tiempo para escribir en Kitsch Club pero cuando vuelva, tendré una mezcla nueva. Por el momento, disfrutá esta canción de la música criolla en el estilo de italo-disco!

New Mix

2009-06-18T00:38:00.000-07:00

Enclosed and mixed with love are the newest Italo Disco, Hi-Nrg and even Electro tracks that have been perking my ears within the last few months. A few old songs, like "Living in Japan" by Fun Fun, have also gained new appreciation. I never noticed that "Living in Japan" is so progressive!

Due to the fact that I'm going to be abroad for the rest of summer, I probably won't be posting for the next two months in Kitsch Club. I'm taking a usb drive replete with all-time Italo favorites and a significant dose of cold wave, but life on the road might prove to be too time consuming.

So my new mix comes as if on vinyl, meaning you get two sides of twinkling bells, lovable choruses and Traktor backspins. Side A, "Spaghetti Dancer," contains a few edits I've made in hope of modernizing a sound already hopelessly lost. Nonetheless, I enjoy these guilty pleasures; Italo Disco should be heard with ice cream in hand and full-blown camp theatrics, anyways.

Side B, "Alternative Diamond," includes some unchartered territory: Raz & Kirlian Camera. Raz - Amor Puerto Riqueno has the classic chicago house sound, though I only included a small snippet of it because the latino-rico-suave vocals proved to be too much; what I wanted was its drums. As for Kirlian Camera, the instrumental dub version of "Edges" is great because it's so cold. Peggy & The Pill's "Nobody's Bride" moved the remainder of my mix into progressively darker territories, and the two Kirlian Camera tracks I included ("Edges" and "Communicate") are almost industrial, which is a departure from the warmer melodies I'm accustomed to.

Enjoy.

***

Goodbye Summer Mixtape

Side A: "Spaghetti Dancer"

1. Bo Boss - Tequila/ 0:00 - 3:29
2. Doctor's Cat - Feel the Drive (Ferrari Lazer Edit)/ 2:26 - 6:39
3. Mirage - Change Your Life/ 5:44 - 10:04
4. Black Devil - Follow Me (Ferrari Acid Edit)/ 8:46 - 14:18
5. My Mine - Hypnotic Tango (Instrumental)/ 11:40 - 17:44
6. Fun Fun - Living in Japan/ 15:38 - 20:15
7. B. Rose - Hey D.J./ 19:35 - 21:50
8. City Center - Profondo Rosso (Ferrari Girl Thing Edit)/ 21:02 - 25:07
9. Pineapples feat. Douglas Roop - Come on Closer (Ferrari On My Mind Edit)/ 24:20 - 29:21
10. Local Boy - Thriller Medley (Owner of a Lonely Heart)/ 28:02 - 32:06

Side B: "Alternative Diamond"

1.Raylo - Spanish Journey/ 0:00 - 5:36
2. Raylo - Spanish Journey (Casual Instrumental)/ 2:33 - 7:33
3. Scotch - Penguin's Invasion (Ferrari Hotter Edit)/ 6:19 - 9:56
4. Raz - Amor Puerto Riqueno/ 8:34 - 10:41
5. Lily Ann - Goin' Crazy/ 9:57 - 13:26
6. My Mine - Hypnotic Tango (Remix)/ 12:27 - 15:26
7. Deborah Kinley - All For You/ 14:27 - 16:59
8. Peggy & The Pills - Nobody's Bride/ 16:12 - 18:45
9. International Music System - Run Away/ 18:19 - 20:25
10. Kirlian Camera - Communicate (Instrumental)/ 19:31 - 24:26
11. Kirlian Camera - Edges (Instrumental Dub)/ 24:09 - 26:34
12. Klein M.B.O - Dirty Talk/ 25:38 - 28:34
13. Black Devil - Forget the Timing Kerr/ 27:04 - 29:47
14. Max Mix Jingles (Scratches & Boom)/ 29:27 - 29:47

***

Italo Disco Living Experiment #8

2009-06-15T15:51:00.000-07:00

I've been waiting to post my most treasured song, and there is no better time than this unfortunate now, where I find myself without the help of literary device to remind me that, after all, it is device. Damn the seasons and their cycles; their centrifugal force has me spinning circles and going nowhere. Any metaphor is a lost metaphor, so here I go, off to Argentina, without words to speak or a special someone to love. And what does this living experiment offer? Pain: an even better teacher.

M Like Moon - Sunlight

***
I'm hanging on and on
I'd like to realize how many days are gone

Djay Batida - My Wave Mix

2009-06-01T18:46:00.000-07:00

I've made a laid-back mix for the slowly creeping day and the never ending night of summer. Now that I'm situated in the Valley—away from Austin and its percolating music scene—my ear's been flooded with Italo Disco, New Wave, NDW, Balearic, and other genres that play from the small speakers in my childhood room; I haven't heard house music banging the bass on 6th street in over a week. That's only one week, but the visceral tone the Valley sets is deeply moving, and I can't help but drop a new groove, strut a new walk, breathe a different air.

If nature does maintain a state of flux, then this mix mirrors that: different genres, all music. The unpaved roads, the humidity you can see above the lip line, the palm trees—the Valley is a world away from the northern cities, and it does not keep its own constant beat; somewhere in this mix, you know you're going to come across a guitar solo, a track you haven't heard, your own personal rhythm.

The mix begins darkly, with the acid-induced insanity of the progressive krautrock of Can, and cuts into minimal wavists League of Nations and Neon. There's a definite tribal influence to my entire mix, and "Jamaica Running" by The Pool and "Pages" by Axxess—choice tracks by the one and only Daniele Baldelli— help keep the motif. Discogs proved extremely useful this time around, because, apparently, The Pool is a one man affair run by Patrick Keel from Austin, Texas! The rest of the mix is new wavey at times, acidic and incredibly orchestrated at others. The last seven minutes or so are pure deserted roads and promises.

Props to Kitsch Club: Two bands that I've posted about, League of Nations and La Mode, are represented in the mix.

Without further ado—

Djay Batida - My Wave Mix

1. Neu! - Negativland
2. League of Nations - Systematic Eyes
3. Neu! - Negativland
4. Neon - Drivin
5. Culture Club feat. Capt. Crucial - Murder Trap Rap
6. Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft - Der Rauber Und Der Prinz
7. Axxess - Pages
8. The Pool - Jamaica Running
9. Talk Talk - Such a Shame (Dub Mix)
10. Clara Mondshine - Metasamba
11. Helen - Zanzibar - (Afro Mix)
12. Cosmic Disco - Cosmic Sprint
13. Code 61 - Drop the Deal (Acid Mix)
14. La Mode - Aquella Chica
15. Madonna - Into the Groove (Pettibone Dub Mix)
16. John Carpenter - The End (Disco Version)
17. Julia Keen and Pin Up Stick - In a Gadda da Vida

My Wave

2009-04-24T15:24:00.000-07:00

My Wave presents a very special album coming from Madrid, Spain circa 1982: La Mode - El Eterno Femenino.

Besides watching some Youtube videos and running a few Google searches that come up with Spanish blogs, I have not found much on this band. La Mode (The Fashion?) sound as if The Cars lost their street-greaser-blue-jean-American style and put on ties featuring the angular representations of Bauhaus style (but only the ties!). The future, as the 80s foresaw it, is properly represented, and if the cover—with its red lips, abstract paint splatters, geometric design, and space creatures—doesn't clue you in toward what their sound and aesthetic is, the first track on "El Eterno Femenino" will.

There are so many highlights to this album that I do not know where to start or what to mention. The lead singer, Fernando Márquez aka "El Zurdo", has a wonderful voice that flirts with the pop sensibilities of nasality. Of course, he also only sings in Spanish, which is a plus, right?

A quick list of other highlights includes:

Synthesized Effects (Wobbles, Bleeps, and Blips)
A Medley Performance of Three Songs
Saxophone
A Song About Girls
Howling/Crooning
Synthesizer Bass + Bass Guitar

Given La Mode's poppiness, they are not all "sunshine and sock hops," though. This band definitely has dark undertones that are most prominently exposed by their production techniques: reverb-driven instruments and voice creates space and a sense of "room size," bass drums lack bass and sound hollow while deep tom tom rolls do all the work, keyboards go off like lazerguns and space ship takeoffs.

Retro Música, a Spanish blog, describes La Mode (and other similar bands of the Movida Madrileña):

Las influencias de todos estos grupos eran claras: bastante glam, un tecno-pop más tranquilo en el caso de La Mode, donde prefieren apostar más por el sonido de Roxy Music y evitar bases tan marcada, y todo bajo los parámetros de grabación de la época, con producciones más oscuras.

—Retro Musica

Download La Mode Here: La Mode - El Eterno Femenino

***
The next My Wave will feature the first DJAY BATIDA mix.

Maxine Ferrara - Super Savage Mega Mix

2009-04-02T19:24:00.001-07:00

I haven't had time to write in Kitsch Club, but I'm making this post worth your wait with a new mini/mega mix I've made. At ten minutes, its all Savage and pure spaghetti dance. I came upon the idea of making a mega mix from the amazing Max Mix series, a series that started out making mega mixes of the hottest italo tunes before house music became popular. Max Mix then stepped it up a notch and started producing amazing italo house mega mixes with the likes of 49ers, F.P.I. Project, Raul Orellana and so on. I have Max Mix 10, and it never fails to impress any company I have over at my apartment.

Mega Mixes are different from regular dj mixes because they tend to be shorter, featuring faster song cuts and sudden rhythm changes. Samples are usually added to mega mixes, making them "engineered." The main idea is to produce 5-15 minutes of non-stop banging dance.

The Max Mixes became so technical in the 80s that djs started editing the music on their computers, messing with early programs Ableton junkies probably wouldn't recognize. I don't have any amazing computer programs, unfortunately, and instead created this Savage mega mix entirely on Traktor 3. I made edits of the songs I wanted to use before I mixed the songs together. I then rerecorded the mix, adding samples and effects.

I've always been in love with Savage. Roberto Zanetti is so ridiculous and yet somehow unavoidably cool.

Maxine Ferrara - Super Savage Mega Mix

featuring:

Savage - Radio (Ferrari Jungle Rough Edit) 0 - 0:59
Savage - Don't Cry Tonight (Ferrari Cradle Beat Edit) 1:00 - 3:09
Savage - A Love Again (Remix) 2:23 - 4:16
Savage - Tonight 4:07 - 4:44
Savage - Radio (Ferrari Jungle Rough Edit) 4:45 - 6:32
Savage - Tonight 6:32 - 8:32
Savage - Only You 7:40 - 10:06

Samples by:

Savage - Goodbye Mix
Savage - Don't Cry Tonight (Rap Mix)
M A R R S - Pump up the Volume
Lucia - Marinero (Remix)
Lucia feat. Project 2 - La Isla Bonita Rap
Rose - Magic Carillon
Scotch - Delirio Mind

Effects:

FX #7 from a Garage House pack (backspin)
FX from an Industrial pack (tool fall)

Italo Disco Living Experiment #7

2009-02-09T17:07:00.001-08:00

Within the realm of love, the implications of coming and going have been extensively addressed in metaphor by the enduring jongleur, the romantic poet, and the anachronistic italo-discoist. The image of the fleeting train and the waving lover left behind conjures memories for many of black and white movies where the privation and satisfaction of desire is treated in the only way the feeling deems fit—as transitory.

Of course, as is with any force in transit, the trail blazed is a trail permanently identified: the brush is cleared, the train tracks are set, and moving forward is a matter of determination. One must merely about-face to continue moving forward, since destination and origin are interchangeable.

Jimmy & Susy take sight of this opportunity with their song "Come Back." As the 7th installment of the Italo Disco Living Experiment, Jimmy & Susy express the importance of "returning" under the classic example of train departure. Their song starts modestly enough with a coming and going bass line that's accompanied by train whistles, bells, and sound effects. The "train" sound is always a hit on the dance floor: just look at Justin Martin - Ghetto Train. "Come Back" may be called a forerunner to this tune. After a few bars of tease play, the synth chords come in as well as Jimmy & Susy's story, which is appropriately sung as a duet.

Now, when I first heard this song (on the Italo Boot Club Mix # 5 I posted), I was struck by the seeming oddity of the chorus. "Baby, come back to you" sounds like the characteristic bad English that Italo Disco employs. Upon repeated listens, though, I realized Susy is responding to Jimmy's wish. For a writer, I'm rather embarrassed to have forgot that a piece never has to restrict itself to ONE voice. Good things supposedly come in pairs, don't they?

Jimmy & Susy - Come Back

***
Baby, Come Back (To You)
Baby, Come Back (To You)

Italo Disco/Hi-NRG/Fantasy mix

2009-01-20T15:34:00.000-08:00

Máximo Ferriquéque - Macaroni Mix

1. JD Jaber - Don't Wake Me Up Discogs
2. International Music System - Dancing Therapy Discogs
3. Roy - Destiny Time Discogs
4. Texas Johnny - Superman Discogs
5. Jaco - Spanish Run Discogs
6. Webo - Shakin' Lovers Discogs
7. Cyber People - Void Vision Discogs
8. Valerie Dore - The Wizard Discogs
28:18

Samples:
Deborah Kinley - Surprise
Plastic Mode - Mi Amor (Remix)
DJ Fitty - Into the Groove Rap
Righeira - Vamos a la Playa
Kraftwerk - The Telephone Call (Razormaid Remix)
Scotch - Disco Band
M Like Moon - Sunlight (West Side Mix)

Mixed, Sampled & Engineered on Traktor 3.2 & an Akai MPD 24.
Winter 2008

Here's a new mix to satiate all cravings for fantastic travel toward late-night sulking & other lover slaying, where android soundscapes, flanger penchants, & relative identity are a listener's forté. I've raised the BPM of this mix to reflect the pace that "progress" demands. At around 121, I've significantly picked up the beats per minute from Torero mix's slow, pseudosensual 106 to the romp and pomp of tunes that will get you out of the bed rather than put you into it—no more hyper-reflection atop salt pit matresses! These coming months are going to need more than a constant four on the floor if anyone wants to get anywhere, so I've varied it up with a few breaks left in. As if people are anaerobic beings...

Macaroni Mix is named just so because it's a tossed salad of styles and niches. Also, look in the dictionary for an allusion to an archaic reference. "Don't Wake Me Up" conjures women who can't put on their heels due to distress, who throw their pumps into the ocean("Here down the shoreline/I'm thinking about my soul" goes the nonsensical lyrics). I.M.S. have much more flair & the tinge of timelessness that makes "Dancing Therapy" so easily included amongst nouveau electro. Roy's a cyborg and Texas Johnny couldn't possibly carry a six shooter with that accent. Jaco aka Ken Laszlo impresses with an organic jam that even features Spanish guitar and my sampled pieces of Kraftwerk. Webo wails, Cyber People take you to space, and Valerie Dore (in a lesser, forgotten tune found on her LP) brings dénouement as it transports to another universe; kinda lofty, but even small travel becomes great with corrective perspective.

Treasure in San Antonio

2009-01-07T18:46:00.000-08:00

While spending a small, winter vacation in San Antonio at my girlfriend's house over the new year, I came across three crates of records in her living room. My friend Matt, her roommate, told me that our friend Jay moved from San Antonio, and that he left behind the crates for better use. Acknowledging that he only wanted about five records, Matt told me that I could pick what I wanted. I gorged myself through the library of odds and ends: 99 cent thrift store records of forgotten composers, countless New Beat albums (a genre I've yet to check out, but seems interesting enough as long as it only flirts with industrial and hard houseness), one really cool album of drum rhythms composed by archaic synths, and a good amount of Italian piano house and techno tunes, which I immediately picked up considering they contained remixes and 12" mixes of Bizarre Inc., Technotronic, and other classics.

Then, I found this record. To have found this album within the jetsam of the crates, in what I only know of as primarily punk-driven San Antonio, elated me beyond any record the mailman has brought me from colossal Ebay—even M Like Moon's "Sunlight" with its "West Side" mix.

Released in 1986, this record is an orginal from ZYX Records, who started releasing brief mixes of Italo Disco, HI-NRG & Spacesynth on their Italo Boot Mix series. The mixes are brief and usually last anywhere from 9-15 minutes. The cool thing about these mixes is that they are remixed by the djay/"sound engineer's" use of quick cuts. Few songs are actually mixed out of and into each other over a few bars, and instead, are cut into each other as a scratch djay would "mix" his songs. An Akai S 622, as stated on Discogs and my own album, was used as a sampler. Many of the samples are strategically placed over the cuts, so that they mask any small discrepancies in timing, but beyond that, they create a wonderful sense of an ever-continuing song that will not let you keep your feet on the floor. I've had trouble looking up the Akai S 622 on Google. The first result highlights the Discog page, so my guess is that the Akai S612 was actually used. Italo Disco albums are notorious for featuring typos on their covers. Sometimes, songs are even written out of order on the backside.

Volume 5 of the series features "Two for Love" by Miko Mission, a song I used in my Torero mix. Aside from this song, all others are new to me, but "Mama Radio" by Rudy & Co. truly surprised me. Both the A and B sides are great.

Italo Boot Mix Volume 5

***

I'll be posting a new mix up soon.

My Wave

2008-12-21T17:52:00.001-08:00

Units are (were) here to pulverize you with their synthesizers that they think are guitars. Their seminal album, "Digital Stimulation," was one of the forerunners of the synthpunk scene that started developing in California during the 70s and 80s. The Screamers, League of Nations, and even Christian Death ( just think of their track titled "Dogs") all hail from the mighty Sunshine State as well.

Released in 1980, Discogs lists "Digital Stimulation" as synth-pop, which I find contradictory, since this album lacks many characteristics native to poppiness. For one, the lead singer is incredibly nasal and abrasive. Drumming is rough and done live, without the use of a drum machine. Also, the thematic matter of many of Units' songs directly defy consumerism and conformity—hallmarks of most pop. Plus, they think their synths are guitars; they're grinding, oscillating with a form of madness to them.

If you'd like a proper history course on Units, then read their Wikipedia entry. And if my use of proper is too loose, then I know of a kid I went to highscool with who claimed to know how to build a time machine. You can borrow it and travel to San Francisco circa 1980 to give me the lowdown.

The reason why I like Units is because sometimes I need something with a different kind of edge. Italo Disco can make you soft; it smoothes out your edges until you're able to curve with situations. Units applies pressure, and allows me to confront certain instances as pure static. There is a sort of comfort in white noise, as well. "High Pressure Days" is a good song that sounds almost post-punk. The bass is dirty dirty,too, sounding like an elephant with a broken trunk. "Cannibals" was the first song that got me hooked. It builds and builds and builds. As for "Bugboy," please listen to the narrative.

If you're looking for similarities, you might find contemporary likeness in the band Numbers, though I'm referencing a band I was heavily into in 10th grade: five years ago. Of course, in our futurist society, where today's knowledge is always greater and more relevant than yesterday's, referencing a band that was prevalent five years ago is almost more absurd than posting about a band that was prevalent 20something years ago. So, what are Numbers doing now?

And of course, if you'd like to start mentioning Kraftwerk and similarities, then we'd be here all day, considering that this band has pretty much constructed the foundation of commercial electronic music. What's really needed is a beat-up truck with an OKAY soundsystem, and quiet suburban streets which beg to be bothered.

Units - Digital Stimulation

Tracks Still Spinning

2008-11-28T10:47:00.000-08:00

Gene Ramone - Romantic Face is a track that builds into you. The first 32 beats crawl up sans bass drum; then, with a swish, it kicks in for another 32 before the composition finally breaks down. The steady math of this Italo Disco tune invites itself to be mixed with any and all house music for the contemporary djay who cannot commit himself to the 80's. At 132 b.p.m, this is high-energy that caters to our current generation's sugar/ecstasy induced fast-paced consumerism. Romantic Face has you on the tip of your feet, dancing in anticipation for the next 16 bars of Eros and Thanatos indulgence.

Gene Ramone has penetrated the Totally Wreck Institute with MVSLCZ's "Black Magic Mountain" mix, a superb mix by Ben Aqua that was released back in April of 2008. Wait for the end of Romantic Face to be treated to MVSLCZ's deep, android vocals.
MVSCLZ - Black Magic Mountain

Aside from being on this radical mix, "Romantic Face" also appears on Flying mix 4.

Gene Ramone - Romantic Face

My Wave

2008-11-27T18:07:00.000-08:00

My Wave is taking a dark turn in preparation for Winter with the posting of Voices' "Memories' Floor," a goth album I've been recently listening to. Now, I haven't been feeling morose or maudlin; if that were the case, I'd be posting some Morrissey, but what I have been feeling is the end of things. People attach themselves to metaphors, for we live in a forest of symbols, and the end of the year symbolizes an impetus for change, because it gives me reason to end and start new—if not, at least, again...

So maybe I am getting a little goth, swimming in a mirror of reflection, but Narcissus—posted to his pond—needs something to listen to and has been asking for voices other than his own. Thus I present Voices, a band I know little about, since it's hard to see and understand in the dark. The goth kid who likes this album won't be seen at the mall shopping at Claire's for black jelly bracelets. In fact, he probably won't ever be seen, because he's read only one novel of Dostoevsky. He's more likely jamming Voices in his basement while trying to be Roccoco.

Released in 1985, Memories' Floor is a pensive album that sonically meanders around the realm of New Wave; it is too organic of a recording to be paired along the likes of A Flock of Seagulls. If anything, Voices sound like a New Romantic Lounge band that's playing within a Greek proscenium on the moon. Contempo Records, an Italian label, released this album. Apparently, the Italians were doing everything right in the 80's. Not only could you disco 'till death, but hit the alley before dawn for death disco. As for the label, upon checking out their discography, I was thoroughly impressed. Carillon del Dolore and Christian Death are represented. You can be sure that I will post albums from these two bands in the distant, dismal future. It won't be happenstance, but fate.

Voices - Memories' Floor

Italo Disco Living Experiment #6

2008-10-17T13:43:00.000-07:00

Searching for photos of Gary Low on the great big web will produce several pictures of this Ken doll sporting a long, braided pony tail on an otherwise maintained, school-boy haircut. While his haircut alone won't make the cut—pun aside(& aside aside)—for the Italo Disco Living Experiment, his song "Where I Am" will. Coupled with such fashionable album cover aesthetics, "Where I Am" moves beyond Italo Disco and begins to pervade AOR (Adult/Album-Oriented Rock). Whereas songs like "I Want You," and "You are a Danger" are mega-hit singles, "Where I Am" is a minor tune that still shines from the back of the record crate and is reserved for DJs searching for depth in their mixes. Gary Low's voice is smooth sailing and this track is the direction Yacht Rock could of gone on West-Coast-Yuppie radio stations if they were focused on the sea instead of their boats.

Of course, this is the Italo Disco Living Experiment, and "Where I Am" is experimental living because it promotes escapism. This song is Europe's version of Christopher Cross' "Sailing." It displaces you from whatever environment you are trapped in and transports you to a better location: one which only media has the capability of so magically creating. I play "Where I Am" whenever I must remind myself of where I am, because it is all too often that I allow physicalities such as people and place to define my moments. And as Steve Reich claims in one of his compositions, you are wherever your thoughts are.

Gary Low - Where I Am

***
Where I am,
Where I am in this moment

My Wave

2008-10-08T19:19:00.000-07:00

Crash Course in Science are a phenomenal New Wave trio that range from lo-fi punk minimalism to proto-industrial craziness. Formed in 1979, CCIS released three records in the 80's: a 7" and two 12"s. "Signals from Pier Thirteen" is their second release that was issued in 1981 on Press Records, which is home of Half Japanese, 10,000 Maniacs & Los Bravos' releases as well (The '86 Italo Disco remix of Los Bravos' "Black is Black" is great!).

CCIS are awesome because their music sounds like a Fisher Price symphony. Crash Course in Science utilized all sorts of toys and electronic odds and ends when constructing this 12". Songs like "Crashing Song" and "Flying Turns" musically convey their titles with zips, whizzes, thuds, zooms and any other onomatopoeia you can come up with. Their music is very noisy, so don't expect the smooth sounds of Duke Lake in this post. Sounds are choppy, resonating factory machines and kitchen appliances. To top off their unique sound, Mallory Yago robotically utters her lyrics.

What more could you want from a bunch of art students from Philadelphia? Afterall, the Philadelphia Museum of Art does hold the largest collection of work by Marcel Duchamp.

I first came across Crash Course in Science in 10th grade by way of a compilation: A Tribute to Flexi-Pop Vol. 3. League of Nations & A Blaze Colour are also on this comp! It was a natural progression from the shoegaze & C-86 of Britian that I was listening to. I simply moved back a few years and became a bit more mechanical instead of washed out or twee-ed out (depending on my impressionable mood at the time). Of course, My Bloody Valentine & Talulah Gosh still hold sacred spots in my heart.

This record is a direct challenge to all deejays for this record CAN be djayed. "Signals from Pier Thirteen" does have a beat—a rather pretentious one, and I mean this in the most positive way possible. CCIS are iconclastic in that they ask for people who truly know how to dance. The simple 4/4 of house music, while infectious, is thrown out the window with this record. Instead, clubbers must conform to the music by not conforming to pre-conceived notions of how dancing should be.

In other words: go wild.

Crash Course in Science - Signals from Pier Thirteen 12"

***
Crash Course in Science have regrouped. They're working on music and have released a Maxi of "Cardboard Lamb" that features remixes of the song. Since I'm cheap, I want to find it online somewhere via Soulseex, which is where I get most of my music, anyways.
Learn more about them from their website.

Tracks Still Spinning No.3

2008-10-03T09:25:00.000-07:00

Pineapples featuring Douglas Roop - Come on Closer (Club Mix)

Part three of Tracks Still Spinning brings you Pineapples featuring Douglas Roop. "Come on Closer" just might be the holy grail of Italo Disco since its pursuit surely leads to the rich blood of the best in old-school dance. With melodious synths, no use of sequencing & distinctly deep American vocals, "Come on Closer" is a track that fills the heart.

Released in 1983, Roberto Ferrante was only 18 when he produced this track. And it's so fucking minimal! All Ferrante used was an Oberheim Drum Machine & a Korg Poly-6 synthesizer. To record a dance gem in real time is something of an old art in today's world of computer-sequencing, and that's why "Come on Closer's" organic nature is so appealing to the dance floor. It's smooth & natural, allowing dancers to ride the waves of Ferrante's moving fingers.

Pineapples avoids the New Romantic tag much Italo Disco receives (due to those adorable accents) by employing the use of Douglas Roop's Texan vocals! You can read more about it in the interview I'll post below.

Along with its charm, "Come on Closer" makes it onto Tracks Still Spinning due to its undeniable success. During the glory days of WBMX, Pineapples was mixed alongside Chicago House by the Hot Mix 5. The Jumpin' Julian Perez mixtape I've mentioned that includes George Krantz also features Pineapples, and this single has now been reissued on Flexx. You can even find it at Austin's Backspin Records, and if you're at the right club downtown, I am sure it is being spinned.

This interview was on Flexx, but I can't seem to find it now. You can google for a source if you wish.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

How did you come about to produce a disco track at the tender age of 18?

Roberto: I was trying to make music as a real job from the age of 14. At 18 when "Best Records" released "Come On Closer" it was a huge success in the italian and french clubs and radios, so i left immediately the University (i was studying architecture) to continue the job of artistic Record Producer.

- Who is Douglas Roop? Contrary to most italian disco productions he has a decent accent which makes us believe he is in fact American.
Roberto: Yes, he came from Texas, in 1983 he was in Naples (my city) working as a soldier in the NATO base (south Europe Nato headquarter) in Naples.

- Are you aware that "Come On Closer" was a big track in the early Chicago House scene and was of great influence to Dj's like Mickey Oliver?

Roberto: No, I absolutely don’t know nothing of this, I really LOVE this Music period and i’m really fascinated from Your info about this situation, and is funny for me remember at that time the old italian house djs always criticized my old productions “that was too commercial and euro oriented”, but the fact was that I reach the USA sales charts Billboard 3 times with my “too much euro oriented” productions, and many many times the Japanese, UK, French, Italian, Holland etc. sales and club charts.

- What was the italo disco scene like for you in the 80's?

Roberto: In the 80’s - but above all in the ‘90 -, Italo Disco scene was for me a great “place” to have fun, make money, trip around the world and have a lot of good sex (with the disco club professional dancers...). Now that everything is death here in Europe, i find the same old good energy and things in the Caribbean Music scene.

- Good for you! One for the gear-freaks: What equipment did you use to produce "Come On Closer"?

Roberto: Only 2 gears! An old Oberheim Drum Machine and all the sounds with my analog keyboard Korg Polysix, WITHOUT A SEQUENCER, everything played by my hand in real time. We record the project in an old and ugly studio in Naples on a 3M 24-track Tape Record Machine and an old '70 mixer made in Italy. "Come on Closer" was the first dance record success produced in Naples and in the south of Italy.

- What was you motivation for recording disco tracks? We read in your bio that you also played in more aggressive punk/rock bands.

Roberto: I’ve thousands and thousands of records vinyl and cd of every kind of music, in 22 years i’ve released eurodance, house, italian hip hop, pop topseller italian Artists... maybe You remember this old song that says:... I love music, every kind of Music...

Closer To You

2008-09-18T19:22:00.000-07:00

I've been feeling a little lonely this past week. It's not that someone is missing; It's that no one is. Solitude is good for two things: listening to music and writing. Since I haven't produced a poem in months, I'll leave you with a song.

Moral Support - Closer to You

Superstars: Roberto Zanetti

2008-09-14T16:39:00.000-07:00

Roberto Zanetti is an intrinsic force within the world of dance music. He is also somewhat of an elusive mystery, for he has taken on many pseudonyms for the output of his work and has also been behind the scenes on many singles that are not fully in his credit. Roberto Zanetti has been involved in Savage, Robyx, Ice MC, Corona, Alexia, Stargo, Claudio Mingardi, G.A.N.G, Rose, and a few other projects. While I have never fully understood the reasoning behind the extensive maze of producer/project pseudonyms within the Italo Disco world, I can only guess that Zanetti wants to distance his personal self from his creative work. In this sense he can produce art that stands alone and has no relation to his character.

Roberto Zanetti as Savage:
Zanetti had his first great success with the track "Don't Cry Tonight."At approximately 104 B.P.M., Savage helped define Spaghetti Dance—stripped-down minimalist disco music that uses only keyboards and drum machines. With "Don't Cry Tonight," Roberto Zanetti produced a SLEAZY-NRG (low-beat) hit that had clubbers sliding around the dancefloor. All of this happened around 1984, when disco music was still much slower compared to the growing trend of the B.P.M. rise in music.

Following his hit, Savage produced "Only You." This song is my personal favorite for the synth melody sounds like a carousel. All of Zanetti's lyrics are non-sensical since he is not a native speaker of English, but they do hold some charm due to their sincere nature. "Only You" hits the mark. It is a djay classic. It is a bit faster at 109 B.P.M., though most dancers still find this too slow. To be honest, I enjoy Savage the most when I'm home alone. With nothing between the music and me, Savage can be enjoyed while sitting down.

Of course, I could go on and on about Savage, describing each of his songs, but for the sake of brevity I will recommend a couple and leave you with his greatest hits album.

*"Radio" - I included this song in my mix. It's spacey, desolate, and new wavey. The ending scream is one of the most inventive ways I've heard a DANCE song finish.

*"Tonight" - Tonight WILL be included in one of my future mixes. It has one of those choruses that stick in your head. It also happens to be one of Zanetti's songs that truly tests his vocal abilities. He reaches some long notes here.

Savage - Greatest Hits

Savage - Don't Cry Tonight

Savage - Only You

Savage is one of the few Italo Disco artists who has released music videos. Due to the high output of dance singles, most labels had little time or money to produce a video. Savage, though, has a few.

Roberto Zanetti as Robyx:
As a producer, Zanetti took the name Robyx. On all of his tracks as Savage, production is credited to Robyx while the composition/writing is credited to Zanetti. The 80's Italian teeny-bopper who recycled her music collection would of been oblivious to this slight secret. Robyx's standout Italo Disco productions are Taxi - "To Miami," Claudio Mingardi - "Star," and G.A.N.G. - "Incantations." "To Miami" was recorded before "Don't Cry Tonight," and Zanetti's break-out-track can be heard in the potential of this early release. I actually stumbled upon this song on Youtube before I knew it was Zanetti's production. After hearing the first melody come in, I felt Zanetti's presence. "Star" is a medley between Zanetti's orginal song "Star" and David Bowie's "Starman." It works well mixed into a cosmic set. As for "Incantations," this song is a Mike Oldfield cover and it happens to be one of my favorite songs by Zanetti. It is eerily slow and fused with high-pitched female vocals. It tracks in at 9 minutes and takes almost half the time to introduce the first verse!

Since I am an Italo-head, I am partial towards these tracks, but Robyx really carries his weight within the Eurodance scene. After producing the track "Easy," Zanetti realized that he wanted a rap for it, so he hired the talent of Ian Campbell who was a breakdancer touring Europe at the time. This was in 1989, a few years after Italo Disco fever, so by now Zanetti was experimenting with the house sound. Of course, it was no where near what Chicago was doing. The group was called Ice MC and it lead both Zanetti and Campbell to success.

Eurodance is a genre of house/techno I haven't quite infiltrated. For the most part it is because many of the tracks just plain suck. It's really only the 90's chart toppers that I like and which everybody knows, since Eurodance actually made it onto the radio during its golden age. To demonstrate Roberto Zanetti's genius, let it be known that he helped produce the track "Rythmn of the Night" by Coron a.

Taxi - To Miami

Ice MC - Easy

Roberto Zanetti currently owns and operates Dance World Attack Records.

My Wave

2008-09-07T12:19:00.000-07:00

Here's to the start of a new ongoing series. In fact, all of my music series are going to be ongoing, so be on the lookout for the revival of The Italo Disco Living Experiment.

My Wave is all my favorite New Wave, NDW, Cold Wave, Minimal Wave, Synthpop, Synthdance, EBM, & Electronic music thrown into my Good Taste Blender. The result is tracks even Ducky never listened to.
League of Nations were an incredibly minimal and incredibly cold band that existed around '83 and '84. You can visit their fan tribute myspace here. Consisting of three members, League of Nations fills their songs with morose synth strings, ratty snare hits, and deadpan vocals. I first heard them two years ago when I was searching the internet for as much laconic goth music as possible. I was still heavily into guitars and Load-esque music then (No wave was the wave). League of Nations taught me the potential angst of synthesizers. I loved it. I wasn't being bombarded by erratic guitars that wanted to saw my face off. Instead, I was riding waves into cosmic dreamland: dark, dark caves only few people can find and fewer actually enjoy.

League of Nations album, "Music for a New Depression," is justly named, and somehow you can still wave your black scarfs and dance. Of course, the curtains must be pulled. Within "Music for a New Depression," you'll hear pieces of Glass Candy & John Foxx—reasonable references, I'd say, given the similarities much New Wave music shares.

League of Nations - Music for a New Depression

***
I'm turning 21 tomorrow. Come out and celebrate with me!

Tracks Still Spinning No.2

2008-09-05T09:45:00.000-07:00

A German percussionist, George Kranz is the second artist on Tracks Still Spinning to enjoy perpetual success on any DJ's dance floor with his dance hit "Trommeltanz," (otherwise known as "Din Daa Daa"). "Din Daa Daa" provokes feet stompin' due to its primitive nature. Lyrics of language have been replaced with lyrics of emotion; George Kranz screams, yells, and shouts nonsensical sounds to a beat that is driven by a vocal bassline and, at times, non-rhythmic
cymbal crashes & snare bludgeoning. George Kranz owes homage to the German Futurists of the 80's, who were too busy occupying themselves with the Neue Duetsche Welle to write chart-toppers like this one. All of their idiosyncrasies are apparent, though: primitive lyrics and vocal delivery, raw/cold recording techniques (nothing was overproduced), & anti-rhythm. To be German in the 80's was to be of an unusual beat, something the New Wavers would eat up like candy.

The Hot Mix Five of Chicago spinned "Din Daa Daa" repeatedly. I have a cherished mixtape by Julian Jumpin' Perez in which George Kranz is mixed along with a bevy of great tracks. If Chicago's kings of house are unfamiliar to you, perhaps The Ying Yang Twins and Pitbull are not. Their song, "Shake," samples George Kranz. Even the rap industry has their hands on George Kranz, so I'm sure "Din Daa Daa" can blow ya up from your little club you have residency at. With such an infectious chorus,"Din Daa Daa" can cut into any mix. Try snapping into it from a B'More classic.

George Kranz - Din Daa Daa(U.S. MIX)

L'Estate Sta Finendo

2008-08-31T10:34:00.000-07:00

I am finally back from New York and in the city I love: Austin! School has started and it is taking some time to adjust to an actual schedule. Long gone are the lazy days of summer and love. My Italo Disco living now must transition from cut-off shorts & Pepe Goes to Cuba to late night coffee sessions, Austin's party scene, and as much smooth HINRG as possible. Adiós sol. Buenos noches luna!

I picked up a few records in New York, but my favorites are these two treasures.
I bought Secret Ties for my friend James. I actually already have a copy of this awesome record. It was found at Snake Eyes Vinyl, a record store on the East Side of Austin that is no longer in business. It was a bargain bin find, so coming across another 99 cents copy in New York was a heart-warming matter of good fortune for me! "Dancin' In My Sleep" was played excessively Summer '07(a summer of psychedelics, living alone, & true friendship), along with yacht rock geniuses Steve Winwood and Christopher Cross. Don't be mistaken, though. Secret Ties is not an Adult Oriented Rock group; they're a raw italo disco act.

Secret Ties fall under a special niche of Italo Disco. I don't think it has a name but I refer to it as Batida. Batida is Italo Disco that makes you shake. The drum patterns are usually more complex than most Italo Disco and include snare rushes, drum patch changes, and carribean-inspired beats. Cowbell, bongos & congas are preferred. The music is quirky and upbeat, conjuring palm trees and the open sea. All the tracks I've come across share the aspect of being raw recordings. Production isn't as slick and smooth as HI-NRG. Check out Vicio Latino & Cariocas for like-minded music.

As for Technotronic, not much more can be said about the best of the best in flash house. They're on fucking Jock Jams! This "Get Up" single has some great remixes on it. If I'm able to rip my vinyl one day, I'll post on Kitsch Club.

Summer's over, or in the words of Righeira: L'Estate Sta Finendo.

Mixed Up in New York

2008-08-21T19:24:00.000-07:00

Kitsch Club is coming at you tonight from New York City! I've been here since last Sunday (8/16/08) and am heading back to the Rio Grande Valley this coming Sunday (8/23/08), before I head to Austin on Monday to get ready for the coming school year at UT Austin. I have roughly two more years of an English major left before I graduate and then decide what to do from there. A graduates in creative writing? Studio art? Hair school? Teach for America? Oh well, that's in two years and I've got the rest of the week to think about NYC and it's Bobby Orlando love.

Despite his influence on Italo Disco's adaptation into U.S. charts via Europop/HiNRG productions, I personally thought of two tracks in particular by artists overseas who have written about New York: Plastic Mode & Costas Charitodiplomenos.
So what to do with two great tracks? Make a medley of course! Working at night (Traktor/No Pre-Cue), I spent Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday on "Mixed Up in New York." The scratches come from a classic Italo hit. Can you recognize them?
* Of interesting note is the fact that Costas Charitodiplomenos is a Greek: the only one I know of that was in the Italo Disco scene. Someone school me because if there are other artists out there as good as Costas, I want to hear them.

Max Ferrari -Mixed Up in New York

***
I picked up some awesome Freestyle & Eurohouse records in Greenpoint yesterday. When I get comfortable in Austin, I'll post my found treasures.

Tracks Still Spinning No.1

2008-08-15T11:05:00.000-07:00

The first edition of "Tracks Still Spinning" is starting funky with the release of Duke Lake's song: Satisfaction, Love & Passion. The magic of this track lies in a combination of organic musicianship and Lake's butter-soft voice. Unlike much of Italo Disco (and particularly Hi-NRG) which is usually sequenced to death, Duke Lake gives you the feeling that him and his jam band are playing in your dance hall. It's that Sweet Sixteen party you always wanted! Thanks to the funky bass-line, the quick strums of a thin guitar, and the keyboard solo at 3:21, "Satisfaction, Love & Passion" sounds like disco music is being made by humans again. This was released in 1984, though, before the robots of House and Techno eventually brought us Gabber and other post-apocalyptic-cracked-out niches of electronic music.

"Satisfaction, Love & Passion" makes it onto Tracks Still Spinning because of its Italo Funk nature. Duke Lake's voice is accessible to Americans and the modern world because it lacks the thick and cheesy accents that supposedly plague Italo Disco. Happy Italian melodies are exchanged for a slicker sound as if Memory Records was trying to incorporate the flavor of American Soul.

Mix Duke Lake at the end of your set, when people are starting to get tired of four on the floor or at the beginning, when you want to show the dance floor how cool you are. You could be like Cory Blaine AKA The Skeleton, though, and mix it during a trance set at the Heath Ledger Memorial Rave!

Duke Lake - Satisfaction, Love & Passion

Italo Disco Living Experiment # 5

2008-08-04T12:15:00.000-07:00

The last Italo Disco Living Experiment is in session! Stefano Pulga—a keyboardist, composer, and producer— completes our experiment. If his name sounds unfamiliar, I'm sure you will recognize the group he was a part of: Kano! As part of Kano, Stefano Pulga played keyboard. Once you listen to his solo compositions, you can easily recognize Mr. Pulga's signature synth lines across records! Besides being in Kano, Stefano Pulga was also a member of the duo Pink Project which produced many medleys of works by Pink Floyd, Stevie Wonder, The Police, and Michael Jackson.

The song I chose to end the Italo Disco Living Experiment is a somber one which reminds us of what's on all our mind's at one point or another. Stefano Pulga's "Alone Again" is a single for singles, creating atmospheric shooting stars that fall with every one of his synth lines. The metallic drums (that nod towards Industrial music) clang in your head, and the snare-rushes that bring on the impending chorus creates a truly doom-laden track. You're sure to be missing someone once you're through with this song. I suggest playing "Jammin" after you're done with this one. Subjectivity is everything, of course, so perhaps some individualists might disregard the context of Stefano Pulga's lyrics and find this track as an acknowledgment of their existential existence? Or maybe not.

* The cover art is from Stefano Pulga's maxi-single of "Come Back." The B-Side features "Alone Again."

Stefano Pulga - Alone Again

People go, people come, people stay
I don't want to be—oh no—alone again

***
Hype Headz are playing their first show in San Antonio. I can't decide if I'm going to spin an Italo Disco set or maybe an Acid House one. Maybe both! If you live in Austin, you should make the one hour trip and change things up for once. I'll update about the party once it's over.

Italo Disco Living Experiment # 4

2008-07-27T18:23:00.000-07:00

You know you've reached the fountain of youth when the djay's spinning Baby's Gang!
Baby's Gang fulfills all requirements as an Italo Disco/ Hi-NRG staple: classic arpeggiated basslines, clear breakdowns, full party-shouting choruses, stabbing synth lines, and vocalists with accents. Not only do the vocalists of Baby's Gang have accents, but they are children who like to hang out in space, so they are the perfect fit for the fourth Italo Disco Living Experiment.

I mentioned last post that I didn't djay at the Hype Headz party because I was straight tripping over girl issues. I should of played "Jammin" by Baby's Gang. The title explicitly expresses what this song is concerned with and "Jammin" delivers its promise as a track that will get no less than your heart pumping. The lyrics are iconic and was the Hype Head'z Italo Disco anthem. "Jammin" was heavily dropped Fall '07 during 606 Elmwood pre-parties and after-parties. I was just getting into good Italo Disco then, straying from over-played space disco like Charlie- Spacer Woman and Mr. Flagio -Take a Chance. I was also needing a break from all the coldwave and NDW I was listening to—it was making me morose! Baby's Gang was an appropiate Italo Disco introduction because it is the cheesiest and catchiest.

As part of the Italo Disco Living Experiment, "Jammin" reminds you that sometimes all the flash and pomp of partying is just that: flash and pomp. This song is about the music and no one's every been directly hurt by music. You're jamming. How can you not have a good time?

Baby's Gang - Jammin

dance all night long
life is music
***
I'll finally introduce myself next post and show you where I direct my creative energies. Kitsch Club isn't just about music. It's about style.

Italo Disco Living Experiment # 3

2008-07-16T13:39:00.000-07:00

The Creatures delineate the line between fantasy & reality in which Italo Disco living flirts with.
Palm trees and feathered hair sometimes becomes so lofty that one does not realize his or her true location in life, especially when taking disco naps at 8 p.m. in preparation for party o'clock. A nine to five becomes trivial when a night of music can take you to cosmic worlds unknown to most people, but Italo Disco Living is still living, and life needs variety. We can't all be Gary Low, and The Creatures know this, so that's why they've come up with "Believe in Yourself." The remix of this track builds until the vocals come in at 1:50, giving plenty of time for djays to progressively mix this song in. Hearty lyrics promote high self-esteem and independence while a Deep House diva yelps in the background. At 3:17 the track breaks beautifully, calling for a split-second transition.

Believe in Yourself!

#Two more installments of the Italo Disco Living Experiment are left and then you'll be ready for some tracks that would of melted your face off before! The next Kitsch Club installment is going to be Tracks Still Spinning: featuring a slew of Italo, Freestyle, Hi-NRG, Cosmic, Acid House and Jacking tracks that never get old!

boy don't be so shy
instead of dreaming, you've got to run

***
I mentioned that an Alberto Carpani (of Albert One fame) mix would be a good A-Side for my mix. Well, here's Lato A of Driver for your listening pleasure. "Pertini Dance" by S.C.O.R.T.A. is amazing. I've been looking for this Italian version for a while. If anyone has the single, send it to me because the English version sucks!

Bullfighter

2008-07-15T23:18:00.000-07:00

Max Ferrari - Torero Mix

Here's my first Italo mix for the Romantics that are still waving their red capes. Cruise with it in your Ferrari or just jam it softly on your stereo when the night gets late. M Like Moon might be my favorite track due to their sparse dreamscapes. The Kitsch Club can croon, though. Many Italo heavyweights are featured on the mix, such as Savage, P. Lion, Miko Mission, and Ivan, but I left out their anthem tracks in fear of saturation levels. I like sugar instead of saccharine. At 29:50, you can fit this on the B-Side of a C-60. I recommend an Alberto Carpani mix for Side A. Thanks to Tejano Bounce for posting it on their blog!

Max Ferrari - Torero Mix
1. Mirage - Get Down 0:00-2:28
2. The Kitsch Club - Can't Stop Saying I Love You 2:28-5:48
3. M Like Moon - Sunlight 5:48-9:54
4. Ivan - Sueños de Papel 9:54-12:34
5. Lucia - Marinero (Remix) 12:34-16:24
6. Eddie Huntington - U.S.S.R. 16:24-19:19
7. Miko Mission - Two for Love (Disco Mania Remix) 19:19-22:23
8. Paul Paul - Good Times 22:23-25:06
9. Savage - Radio 25:06-27:14
10. P. Lion - Kings of the Night 27:14-29:50

***
Savage - Radio

There is an incredible amount of praise and trivia I can write about Roberto Zanetti of Savage. This producer has taken me everywhere and started me from nowhere but horrible Bobby Orlando singles. "Radio" is just one of Savage's many classics. It's desolate and mixes incredibly well with Paul Paul and P. Lion. I'll have a full Savage post later.

Eddie Huntington - U.S.S.R.

A Backstreet Boy? Homosexual sex appeal? Playboy? Eddie Huntington is an enigma. The popping xylophone is why I chose "U.S.S.R." for my mix. The video is great,too: just a day with Eddie.

Miko Mission - Two For Love

Pier Bozzetti is the ultimate Italo Disco artist. This video is drenched in vaudeville, camp, and cheesy special effects. The original song is as great as the remix; it just doesn't ride at high-tension enough. Props for the Italo vixen.

Lucia - Marinero

A Spanish Madonna. I love the bouncing curls, but eyes that do not blink are unnerving. Lucia is one of the few Italo Disco artists who stocks her singles with Caribbean melodies which is a personal favorite Italo niche of mine.

Love, Christopher

It's Always Someone's Summer

2008-07-14T13:56:00.000-07:00

Summer '08 has been good to me: hot Italo Disco days and House music all night long. Hype Headz and Cul n Sweet jacked an after-party Saturday night. Who could ask for more than an empty house with wooden dance floors & a head full of mushrooms? Max Ferrari ended up jazzing the djay's set with live drumming while Kidd Citrus breakdanced to Gloria Estefan. Once the remainder of the party got tired of us, they left the room to us! I got to mess around with equipment I dream about and spinned Kano- "It's a War". Thanks to Shiny Kid for the photos. She just posted a major update. Go read her blog!

Kano - It's a War

***
I'm posting my mix next update + the next Italo Disco Living Experiment.

Italo Disco Living Experiment #2

2008-07-07T19:53:00.000-07:00

If life is looking dull, hold on to Moral Support!

Moral Support was a Canadian act that supported the Italo lifestyle. They liberally propagated their school of thought with song titles such as "Chasing Rainbows" & "Insanity." Experiment #2 is named "Living with Passion." Spanning a little over nine minutes, "Living with Passion" journeys from the factory to the street, musically reflecting dystopian lyrics with heavy breathing and industrial guitars. Italo Disco Living is more than a choice. It's an affirmation that comes with the proverbial struggle, so turn it up.

You can live with passion here.

no more walking incognito, doing as i'm told
politics—total effects, i wanna run the show

July Shows/ More Twins

2008-07-03T14:58:00.000-07:00

JULY 11th
Culnsweet are throwing a sick party at Creekside Lounge. It's on the eastside—which is promising since anything east of I-35 is super hyphy.
You can read about Scott Cooper, a UK bloke, on Tejano Bounce. Be sure to check out the rest of their blog,too, because they have too much pimply fresh matter to talk about in one post.

Considering that I'm not twenty-one, I might not even make it to the show, but I'm sure Culnsweet will be mixing it up post-club at an afterparty. Ask around so that you're not left out.

JULY 17th
Your Aweston Hype Headz are making their debut at Beauty Bar on the seventeenth. Along with Orion and Abominatron, Tummy Toast and DEEJAY YAYYAY of Hype Headz are going to play. Be on the lookout for appearances and performances by Ferrari and the wonderful Shiny Kid as well. We're looking to have a fuller set up by the show, complete with my Boss sampler and Caitlin's Tokyo Motion Dive video mixing console. I've never been to Beauty Bar, but a show seems like the right way to break the ice.

***

Here is more of The Twins if you have not had enough:

Italo Disco Living Experiment #1

2008-07-01T17:38:00.000-07:00

The Italo Disco Living Experiment is now in session:
The first track to start off your new direction in life is "A Little More Alive" by The Twins!

This German-New Wave-Italo band wrote, arranged, mixed, mastered and produced their own gems every step of the way, taking total control as complete artists in a genre that was saturated with producers who built hit singles with lego pieces. Besides HI-NRG tracks like "Face to Face" and crooners such as "Ballet Dancer," "A Little More Alive" bounces along a beat that almost demands punky pogo jumping. Play it after a morning shower or post-first kiss-euphoria-mushy mush.

WARNING: I made the mistake of attaching this song to a girl and now she won't leave me because this song won't.

I feel a little more alive.
You and me, we're drifting with the tide.