Altair Nouveau

http://www.altairnouveau.com

Altair Nouveau - Fall 09 Mix

setlist

Elle et Moi

Sensual is the first word that comes to mind to describe Max Berlin's iconic "Elle et moi" (She and I). A poetic, sexual lullaby that beckons for the evening warmth of bed sheets. Check out the lyrics here. Below is a  great remix from Joakim.

A Stroll through the Technopolis etc.

Here are a few to last you the weekend.

Maritime Tatami by Victrola is wonderfully dark and minimal with incredibly haunting vocals. Simple drums and a chunky, blocky bass sound. The B-Side "A Game of Despair" follows in a similar vein but with chorused guitars. A little more lyrical it doesn't conjure the same sense of future dystopia as "Maritime Tatami."

Victrola - Maritime Tatami
Victrola - A Game of Despair

Lastly a fun-spirited song for Friday to bring you out of the post-apocalyptic sound of Victrola. The Clocks' "Wake Up" has an almost cliche "80s" sound but its hard not to give in to its cheerful chanting. It was released in 1981 on Balls to Play Records. The B-Side is pretty fantastic, I will try to get a copy of it for download but you can preview it here (not sure how long this link will work).

The Clocks - Wake Up

Dream Machine and the Orlando Riva Sound

Orlando Riva Sound, or O.R.S., was a disco outfit from Germany in the late 70s that put out some serious heat. "Body to Body Boogie" is slow and sensuous but to me the real star is the B-Side to the Ariola re-release of "Body to Body," "Dream Machine." "Dream Machine" is a great space disco number that has a little more depth in my humble opinion, but you can be the judge of that yourself. I guess it depends on whether you feel like an evening of back rubs or contemplating singularity.

Both tracks were produced by Anthony Monn who did some wonderful work in the genre through the 70s and 80s and he apparently produced Bolero's "Hold Me in Your Arms" which is a staple in my rotation (See podcast 01).

Orlando Riva Sound - Body to Body Boogie
Orlando Riva Sound - Dream Machine

Roberto Onofri

The opening notes of "Let's Go Out" sound like an introduction to a hi-NRG Italo number but it rapidly transforms into a rough-around-the-edges groove with some real bounce. The female vocals scream and screech, seemingly past the capacity of the microphone and Roberto's lyrics are at times indiscernable and muffled. There is an exquisite break in there with some singing synthesizers so look out for it.

For more information about Roberto check out this interview on Euro-flash.

Roberto Onofri - Let's Go Out

G.A.N.G. and Logic

Here are a couple good ones to make up for some lost time this week. I have been meaning to put up this track from G.A.N.G. for a while. I featured producer Giorgio Dolce here previously. On this one he teamed with Giorgio Giordano to create a soothing and atmospheric groove with a lot of space and simplicity.

G.A.N.G. - KKK

And here is a horse of a different color. There is not very much info online about this song from Swedish group Logic. But I hope you enjoy it anyway.

Logic - Ta Kontakt

Savage Radio

A perfect combination, like peanut butter and jelly, Savage released "Radio" and "A Love Again" together on Discomagic in 1984. Here is "Radio" and a wonderful remix of "A Love Again." I have featured Roberto Zanetti on here a lot as he was a prolific producer of so many outstanding tracks. I was compelled to put these up here because they have been swimming in my mind for the past week. I featured this remix of "A Love Again" in Podcast 04 check it out.

Savage - Radio
Savage - A Love Again (Special Remix)

Plastic Love

Fuzz Dance put out some great material in the first half of the 80s including Mya and the Mirror, Alexander Robotnik, and Zed's "Plastic Love." Its pretty stripped down and moody but I really think this track picks up at 1:55 with the warm electric piano and tickling ambient pops. With some good edits you could make this one sing. I don't have the time lately to tweak one together but maybe you do. I included the instrumental for those of you who might find the vocals annoying.

Zed - Plastic Love
Zed - Plastic Love (instrumental)

Lemonsweet

"Lemonsweet" by Bagarre is post punk, no-wave, Italo, or whatever you want it to be. A rebellious night out to seedy clubs with a mind careening from tabs of acid. The guitar is chorused out and it punches through the trance of percolating arpeggio. She sings with youthful arrogance willingly descending into madness and ecstasy. Its like... so psychedelic man.

Bagarre - Lemonsweet

Rest in Peace Teddy

We lost another great soul singer today. Rest in Peace Teddy Pendergrass.

Phantom of the Opera

Marzio Vincenzi put out some great Space Disco as "Marzio" in 1980 for EMI Italiana. The cover art alone on this album is enough to get searching eBay for gauntlets and chain mail. If only I was a broadsword wielding barbarian living in a future-desert-wasteland with cybernetic pyramids communicating with other worldly beings...We all can dream right?

Marzio had a helping hand from Romano Trevisani and Fiorenzo Zanotti in production and arrangement. Don't miss out on their work on the very groove-enducing track, "Ask the Boss" by Flowchart. I put this up a while ago and the link went dead due to either inactivity or deletion. I got it back up but please let me know when you come upon a dead link and I'll try to remedy it.

Marzio - The Phantom of the Opera

Selection

The term Italo Disco is often derided as a lazy way to describe a wide range of music from the late 70s to the 90s that came from Italy and Western Europe. While I agree that its hard to reconcile Firefly and David Lyme as belonging to the same genre, sometimes its nice to lump stuff together in a generalized package for the sake of ease. Thus is the case with today's post which highlights the disco-funk outfit Selection.

Selection is a little bit Parliament, a little bit Larry Graham and more. The first release in 1980 on Full Time Records, Madly, sounds like they got the keys to the Mothership from Bootsy. But I really have been a fan of "Ride the Beam" lately. It has some great breaks, bridges, and chorus that keep this extended play enjoyable. Selection is Roberto Negroni, aka Naylon. This is the Italo Disco sound before it was called Italo Disco.

Selection - Ride the Beam
Selection - Madly

Back at Ya

Something funky from the States today. I have been bumping this Kerr track and couldn't resist putting it up here. This R&B Boog-a-loo comes from Reggie Griffin of Manchild and George Kerr, circa 1984. Hardcore crate diggers and sample heads might know Kerr as the producer behind Skull Snaps'"It's a New Day" one of the most classic breaks of all time. Kerr certainly was cooking throughout the 60s, 70s and 80s and "Back at Ya" is complete with all the right ingredients to make funk stew. Explore his back catalog of productions for some beautiful soul.

Disco Cafe

http://www.discogs.com/DD-Sound-Caf%C3%A9/release/755656


http://www.discogs.com/artist/La+Bionda


http://www.zshare.net/audio/70960950127ba2cd/

Milkways Intergalactic and the Superstar

Happy 2010! I hope everyone had a wonderful and safe celebration this New Year's Eve. Took me a while to get back on the horse but I have some fun tracks up my sleeve starting with some space disco from Spain. Milkways launched this cerebral funk into the ionosphere in 1978 for Barclay. A thought provoking track for a long and lonely drift through space.

Milkways - Love for NR Part 1
Milkways - Love for NR Part 2 (Ecstasy)

And here is a fun, funky track from The Boomerang Club Band, "Dee Jay Superstar." Italo-Boogie-Hip-Hop from 1983. Funky synth leads, chunky disco bass, and thick accented raps make this a one track party.

Boomerang Club Band - Dee Jay Superstar