Archive for the italian Category

Move- Move Out of Sight K7

Posted in 1980s, 1986, goth, goth-rock, italian, move, post-punk on March 18, 2012 by Frankie Teardrop

While a good majority of LPs and 12”s have been discovered by now, cassettes seem to be the final frontier. So many tapes out there, demos, official releases, or what have you, many which have yet to be unearthed and accounted for. With that in mind, the next few posts will all be cassette rips, so buckle up and enjoy!

First up, we have an incredibly rare cassette from Move, the stellar Italian post-punk band covered here (expect a better rip, or even better- a potential reissue of that LP in the near future). You can also get their split LP with Gronge over at the always excellent Kentucky Fried Wave.

This cassette was released in the same year as the LP (1986), though this one predates the LP by some time. Only one track from this K7 appears on the LP in a different form, while the rest rely the same successful male/female switch-off.

Move- Move Out of Sight K7
1. Move Out Of Sight
2. Lo Scoglio
3. Plastik Money
4. Re Sole
5. Kronstadt
6. Sweet Move

*download it here*

Dawn Fades- Fucking Face CD

Posted in 1990s, 1995, coldwave, dawn fades, goth, italian, post-punk on June 13, 2011 by Frankie Teardrop

Now here’s one that I’ve loved since the first time I heard it many moons ago, during the early phase of the Wierd Records party. It’s since become a DJ favorite here as well, and never fails to kick things up a notch. Great driving Italian coldwave-styled post-punk here, four tracks long. Aggressive, hard hitting, and chock full of incisive guitars and moody synths, just the way I like it. Reminds me a bit of Lucie Cries, for anyone looking for comparisons/touchstones.

The four piece band formed in 1992, taking their name from the infamous Joy Division track, and this debut CD was released in 1995. It was followed by one full length LP in 1997, just before the band split. However, they can be found on Facebook, for all curious parties.

Here’s the info for this killer disc.

Dawn Fades- Fucking Face CD
1. Fucking Face
2. Sonic Head
3. Not My Life
4. Sixteen Days (Live)

*download it here* (Re-ripped @320kbps on 2.12.17)

Track four is indeed a live cover of the Modern English favorite!

Sequins and Spandex Parts VI & VII

Posted in 1980s, italian, italo, italo disco, mixes, sequins and spandex on May 18, 2011 by Frankie Teardrop

So, it’s been just under a year since the last two installments of the Sequins and Spandex series, and since summer is just around the corner, I figure it’s due time to unveil the next two. Italo is very much summer music for me (and curiously, new beat gets the job done in wintertime, as far as the big beats are concerned), and though it’s raining here in New York, I figure everyone could use a little summer cheer. As always, I’ve had a hard time whittling down my choices, so you get two mixes for the price of one!

Before unveiling the tracklisting, I’d like to thank Shawn of Led Er Est/Further Reductions for the continuous crash course in italo, as well as Nick of Crispy Nuggets for lending me a handful of jams from his back pages. I’ve also re-included the 12” mix of Mad Matrix’s “Men Alone,” a Belgian track in the same vein, since it just works so well here. There’s also a UK artist in the mix, but the track was too good to pass on. Anyway, here’s the tracklisting, and I do hope you enjoy!

Sequins and Spandex Part VI
1. Fires In the Night- K-A-T-A
2. Dancing In the Dark- Mike Mareen
3. Queen of Discoteque- Sissy
4. Blue Room (Extended)- Kirlian Camera
5. Witch- Helen
6. I’d Like To Know- Randy Wiper
7. Girl of the 80s- Go To
8. Sing With Me Tonight- Fresh Color
9. You See- Helicon
10. Follow Me- Karl Olivas
11. Over and Over- Fantasy Life
12. Men Alone (Special 12” Club Mix)- Mad Matrix
13. Darkness- Aquarius

*download it here*

Sequins and Spandex Part VII
1. Don’t Be Cold (In the Summer of Love)- The Stupid Set
2. Black and White (Extended)- Bandeaux
3. Hesitation- Mya & The Mirror
4. Just a Story- Mike Rodgers
5. Hookey- Sylvi Foster
6. A Raving Night- Neurox
7. Right- Fake
8. You’ve Got the Night- Lame’
9. Boogie Tonight- M & G
10. Lucifer’s Friend- Vision
11. Waiting For Heaven- Diviacchi
12. Shoot Me (Extended)- Malcolm & the Bad Girls
13. Happy World (Extended)- Ranko

*download it here* (updated 6.12.18)

PS- I have a good chunk of leftovers for this one. However, in fear of it being overkill, I’ll wait for you kids to digest these one for a bit. Keep your eyes peeled for the next one!

X-Offender- Dreaming 12”

Posted in 1980s, 1986, italian, post-punk, synth, x-offender on December 1, 2010 by Frankie Teardrop

Another excellent Italian release from 1986 up on the slab today, a true gem and rarity. Absolutely no info to be found about these four mysterious fellows, but their label, Urgent Records, also issued early singles by Litfiba and Neon. The band only issued one futher track, called “Wehrmacht,” which appears on the 391 Umbria K7 with Aidons La Norvege, another Italian band.

You can expect some gloomy synth here, with excellent bass grooves and melodic vocals. Definitely essential, especially for fans of bands like Storung and Into a Circle. Two different sounds, I know, but let’s see what you all make of it… Here’s the details:

X-Offender- Dreaming 12”
1. Dreaming
2. What Is Smile?
3. Help To Helpless
4. The Stone Wood

*download it here*

As a brief aside, I’ve recently constructed two DJ mixes for various publications. The first, for VESSEL, features a more synth-driven sound while the second, for Zaptown mag, is of the coldwave/post-punk variety. Here they are, for your listening pleasure:

VESSEL playlist
Zaptown playlist

Atelier Du Mal- Noblesse Oblige Demo K7

Posted in 1980s, 1984, atelier du mal, italian, minimal, minimal synth, post-punk on November 10, 2010 by Frankie Teardrop

Up next we have a killer demo tape from Italian minimal synth band Atelier Du Mal. I’m usually not too fond of cassettes, as I find the sound quality to be very sub-par on the whole, but this one is a real gem. Barely sounds like a cassette, let alone a demo, for that matter!

This is the band’s only official release, though track two, ‘Back to Taiwan,’ has been reissued as part of the Crollo Nervoso DVD set, essential listening/viewing for fans of obscure Italian wave.

Enough chatter, here’s the info:

Atelier Du Mal- Noblesse Oblige Demo K7
1. A Promise
2. Back to Taiwan
3. Another Kind of Madness
4. Waiting for Someone
5. Staticita
6. Palau
7. Marienbaad
8. Decadence (Underground Life)

*DOWNLOAD LINK REMOVED* – this tape has been reissued by Mannequin! Pick it up here.

That’s all for today (major treat coming soon- stay tuned), but I’d like to draw your attention to the De Press LP post from years past. Freshly re-uploaded, for those who missed out the first time. Thanks to all for keeping me on my toes!

Tally-Oh!- Hit the Beast 7”

Posted in 1980s, italian, minimal, minimal synth, post-punk on October 31, 2010 by Frankie Teardrop

Last but not least, to complete our Halloween trifecta, it’s back to Italy for an uber-rare single from 1984.

Strangely enough, there are conflicting reports on this release. While the sleeve clearly says Tally-Ho!, many sources claim that the band’s name is, in fact, Tally-Oh! Not sure where the truth lies, but my guess is that someone made a typo on the album sleeve or around the net, or perhaps the band meant for it to be somewhat confusing. Perhaps someone can shed some light on this mystery?

Either way, you can expect some excellent, upbeat, synth and beat driven tunes here. A little jerky and bass-heavy for post-punk heads, but complete with those minimal grooves we all know and love. Definitely a must hear!

Tally-Oh!- Hit the Beast 7”
1. Hit the Beast
2. Transmission

*download it here*

Paranoja- Proibito 7”

Posted in 1980s, 1986, coldwave, italian, Paranoja, post-punk on October 31, 2010 by Frankie Teardrop

Unfortunately, our Halloween eve’s plans have been dashed by a case of the plague, so instead, I’ve been spending the day uploading a slew of rare releases to include over the next few days. For those reading along on this otherwise glorious Sunday, expect a few treats coming your way.

First up, we have a rare (and rather expensive) Italian 7” from Paranoja, released in 1986. Some nice mid-tempo post-punk grooves contained within. Pleasant and bouncy, with gloomy vocals and atmospheric synths to keep the track grounded. Definitely a treat for those obsessed with the Italian tradition!

Paranoja- Proibito 7”
1. Proibito
2. Remuse

*download it here*

Krisma- Cathode Mamma/Nothing to Do With the Dog LPs

Posted in 1970s, 1980s, Chrisma, italian, Krisma, minimal synth, synth, synthpop, synthpunk on October 12, 2010 by Frankie Teardrop

I have a pretty huge backlog of things I’ve been meaning to post, so I’m going to chip away at them over the next few days, so bear with me, folks! To kick things off, I’ve had several requests to post some more tracks by Chrisma/Krisma, so here’s my two favorite LPs from this Italian synthpop outfit. Contained within this zip file are 1980’s Cathode Mamma (the band’s debut after switching from a ‘Ch’ to a ‘K’) and 1983’s Nothing to Do With the Dog (aka Fido on some releases), their third LP. There are still three more out there, but these two should keep you satiated for now! Here’s the info:

Krisma- Cathode Mamma LP (1980)
1. Cathode Mamma (Neue Version)
2. Many Kisses
3. Peggy Guggenheim
4. Rrock
5. Rien Ne Va Plus
6. Cathode Mamma
7. Telegram
8. White Knife
9. Last Chance to See Man

Krisma- Nothing To Do With the Dog LP (1983)
1. Nothing To Do With the Dog
2. I’m Not In Love (10cc cover)
3. I Must Know Your Name
4. Girls Drumming
5. Eye to Eye
6. Boys Drumming
7. Carefully
8. Find a Friend
9. Heroes of the Sea
10. Everybody Drumming

*download both LPs here*

For your viewing pleasure, here’s the official video for “Nothing To Do With the Dog,” one of the band’s biggest singles and an international breakthrough at the time.

Chrisma- Discography

Posted in 1970s, 1980s, Chrisma, italian, Krisma, minimal synth, synth, synthpop, synthpunk, vangelis on August 27, 2010 by Frankie Teardrop

Here’s one of two posts lined up to get you through the weekend. First, we have what I believe to be the complete discography of Italian band Chrisma, a synthpunk outfit active in the late 1970s. The band combined a Marlene Dietrich kind of vibe with krautrock, Chrome-esque guitar lines, disco rhythms, and primitive synthesizers for a futuristic and incredibly eclectic sound. Very ahead of their time, as far as I’m concerned, especially when you hear the drastic jump in styles between the first 7” and the debut LP.

The band takes its name from combining the first names of members Christina Moser and Maurizio Arcieri. Their earliest recordings were made in Vangelis’ home studio, which more than likely explains their futuristic sound. There’s even a rumor kicking around that Vangelis himself performed on Chinese Restaurant, but he is not listed in the album credits.

While the band was formed in Italy, they sang the majority of their songs in English, which helped earn the band a few fans stateside. You can still hear “Black Silk Stockings” (IMO, the band’s best track) in various clubs to date. In 1980, the band changed their name to Krisma and took a more synthpop turn, releasing five LPs and a slew of singles. Perhaps I’ll cover them someday in the future, but otherwise, here’s the full Chrisma output- two LPs and two 7” records. I didn’t include a few of the other 7”s, as the band would double up on album cuts for b-sides. Here’s the rundown:

Chrisma- Amore 7” (1976)
1. Amore
2. Sweet Baby Sue

Chrisma- Chinese Restaurant LP (1977)
1. Thank You
2. Black Silk Stocking
3. Lola
4. C-Rock
5. What For
6. Wanderlust
7. Lycee
8. Mandoia
9. Thank You

Chrisma- U 12” (1977)
1. U Part I
2. U Part II

Chrisma- Hibernation LP (1979)
1. Calling
2. Aurora B.
3. Rush ’79
4. Hibernated Nazi
5. Gott Gott Electron
6. We R.
7. So You Don’t
8. Lover
9. Vera Platz

*download all four here*

In case you’re not sold on downloading this discography, peep a performance of “Black Silk Stocking/Lola” here, complete with a latter day interview with the band, for those fluent in Italian. Awesome.

If you dig on these records, feel free to purchase the excellent reissues from Medical Records!

Klein & M.B.O.- First LP

Posted in 1980s, 1983, american, chicago house, house, italian, italo disco, Klein and M.B.O., minimal synth on May 21, 2010 by Frankie Teardrop

Second on the slab is this fantastic LP from Klein & M.B.O. It’s a little more disco-tinged than what I usually post around these parts, but there’s still some great minimal synth grooves kicking around here, combined with some classic italo production. As it stands, the project was not only successful in its native land, it also inspired the budding Chicago house movement.

The project was conceived by Tony Carrasco (USA) and Mario Boncaldo (Italy), two standout musicians in the disco scene. Vocals were performed by Italian jazz singer Roosanna Casal and a US singer named Naimy Hackett, while Davide Piatto lent a hand with some of the arrangements.

Despite the misleading title, this isn’t the band’s first release. However, it contains nearly all of the tracks released on various 12” singles, including the vocal version of “Dirty Talk” from 1982, their most famous track. In fact, it seems as if this release is simply a reissue of De-Ja-Vu, released a year prior on another label. I haven’t heard this LP, so I can’t be sure if the mixes are exactly the same, but my guess is that this LP is a clever reissue, released to capture the project’s growing influence in the US.

With that in mind, here’s the breakdown:

Klein & M.B.O.- First LP
1. The Big Apple
2. The MBO Theme
3. Wonderful
4. Dirty Talk
5. De-Ja-Vu
6. I Love You

*download it here*