Party's and Records

Not done the whole record review thing for a while so its defo time to talk about some more rare and special synth orientated vinyl’s in a Skally Gonzo styleeeeeeeeeee. Also we got a propa cyber music extravaganza happening with some of the finest live acts including Silverclub who are one of Manchester’smost respected and long running synth bands, Tommy Walker 3 from the quality and respected Cyberdance label (Big ups to Ali Renault and Casionova)and Red Lasers own Ste Spandex the VHS hoarder / unique production talent. DJ support comes in the form of Me (Il Bosco), Pete Mangalore of Space Docking and Faktion who was recently abducted and replaced with a humanoid version of himself and the Disco Mums who are available as none of em are up the duff again as yet. For event details "CLICK HERE"

Before I start the vinyl bizznizz theres a couple of things I wanna mention. First I need to talk about Severo Lombardoni. 

(One of the many Disco Magic Logo's. I like this one cos it looks like the print you used to get on acid tabs)

Lombardoni was a DJ and producer and the man behind the huge Italian Label and distributer (And I mean massive and amazing) Disco Magic Records. This guy is partly responsible for pretty much every big Italian record ever made. He died last year there was little reaction due to his anonymity outside of the Italo Disco world. This is an official R.I P from Red Laser HQ.

R.I.P G

MadHatter

Next is a radio show that has to be checked. Every Saturday at midnight Manchester Soul and Boogie legend Andy Madhatter does a 2 hour music show of absolute quality which goes out live on 90.1 Peace FM. The recordings are available on Mixcloud and are not to be missed. Andy has been researching and collecting for years before I could even wipe my own arse and as a result his selections are of the highest standards and always an education. Click "HERE" For fukin loads of ace live recorded shows

So after diving into the snatch of the Red Laser vaults and having a good rummage I found some Gems that I instantly wanted to talk about. Here goes

Helen – Witch

Some Italo records really do blow my fukin bollocks off! This four four electro chest pumper released first on OUT records in 1983 then ZYX later that same year is something altogether unworldly. At the same time as Cybertron were making Clear, on the other side of the world a Mr Regazzoni was in his studio making what i consider the Italian version of the foundations of Electro / Electronic Pop. Yet Witch has gone without a jot of recognition for how ahead of its time it was and still is. There’s only one problem with this record. It costs a fortune! However you can get a pricey bootleg on the Dutch ‘Safety copy’ series. Run fast as it’s well worth the money. Just to finish, on the sleave notes the man Severo Lombardoni gets a production credit. Fukin dude. Stuck it on this Mixtape. Click on the Blue text - MDD MIX 089 . mixed By Il Bosco

 Ricardo Cioni – Fog

Yes! Analog drug soup is back on the menu! The production on this electro chugger is amazing. The track is so moody its long intro simmers until its depths reveal synthy chunks swirling upward from the deep and eventually they twist and dance in the discoid liquid. My greedy brain devours it all. I can’t get enough of this beautiful stuff. I project modular regurgitation into a wet neon lit gutter. I end up masturbating in the back of the police van. Bulimic music for not rights

 Motion – You and I

I remember being mesmerised by the synthetic warm feeling I would get from staring my nanas electro blag fireplace. The plastic mould of logs and ash with the red light bulbs inside that when heated turned the silver fans to create that trippy slow flicker effect.  This album only track is the musical equivalent of synthetic warmth. Its a crackling analogue boogie ballad thats great for getting the man made warm feeling (Warning! homo erotic inner gay coming out via creative writing). It’s sweet enough to get the ladies humming along yet weird and raw enough to keep the beards happy too.  The album "Gotta Keep Dancin" only ever seems to have ever been released by the Dutch re-issue label Rams Horn. ZYX and Rams Horn did put out original artists as well so i suppose its not much of a suprise that its only available here. Worth a few bob these days

 Hit Man - Future Times

Holy SHIT!!! Grab your phazers and run for the hills! Here comes the low slung analog boogie monster dragging its knuckles and kicking cans down Flick Bass Avenue.  The beats on this track are heavyweight which only add to the imagery of a dark and ever progressing beast. It is futuristic, murky and atmospheric like a light based art installation in a fembots vulva. Dank! For me personally, it’s the best track to come out of the exceptional Philly World Records. Real deal slo mo disco right here. 

 Placebo – Balek

Another album only cut. You can’t test this track for gravity. It’s got so much it would crush your instruments to the size of a photon. This shit was made in 1973!! And what’s more by a bunch of flakey white dudes in Belgium!!! Sometimes the facts behind a brilliant track can just enhance the magic. I never get bored of listening to this and the intro is possibly one of my favourites. Marc Moulin and his boys were an avant gard local weirdo movement that managed to break from the freeform traditions of Jazz and go steady, simple and subtle to create some of the best fusion music ever and Balek is the cream of their efforts. Legendary and ahead of its time by years

 Upfront – Infactuation (DuB)

Sometimes you just gotta get up and dance like a robot that’s on a magnesium binge. Its almost like the disco crashed but the result was so good it didn’t need a re-boot. Upfront kicked a forgettable A side vocal but made the right decision in making a dub version. This to me sounds timeless. Its simple electro house party vibe is perfect for bouncing the disco and when that piano kicks in toward the end it really takes it into orbit. Motherfukers gonna need an oil change after listening to this bastard Im tellin ya. Burns just as bright as the magnesium me and R2Gee2 were smoking last night. Peace!

 Starion – Another Dimension

The track that Starion gave me for Red Laser EP1. When I hear it It feels like some shit is about to go off in a neon cyber city somewhere. Part robot part human is readying himself for some racist abuse by prejudice robot purists in a world where anyone with flesh is persecuted by being made to stand up on monorail journeys and use ‘Humanoid only’ toilets as urinal biscuits can annoyingly erode the titanium skins the robot oppressors. If our mutant hero aint careful he could find himself hanging from a pressure vessel outlet vent like shoes on a telephone wire. Its tense, electronic and downright magical. Face melt factor 10

Necleus – Teknology

80’s electro odd balls Nucleus were leaders of the scene back in the early 80’s. They created Jam On It, which is a stone cold classic without a doubt, but some of their album only tracks are fantastic. This stripped down instrumental off their second album Space Is The Place is a mellow dancefloor cracker.  It’s a trippy electronic meltdown of synth pads and beats and stands the test of time because of its fantastic production and 80’s sci fi ethos. Quality retro bizznizz

 Flexxy – Ball Theme

Im a real sucker for those New Romantic Italo tracks. The ones that have really camp moments that have your bum hole body popping induced by awkward cringing. These are the sounds of Italo that Italo lovers embrace and Italo likers turn off. As with a lot of Italo records the vocal is just too ridiculous to ever play or take seriously. What the fuck were these people thinking! Too coked up to give a fuck I guess. But in true Italo fashion we are given the instrumental B-Side. The music and production is fantastic and is proper disco tackle. Pastel pink chinos, white shirt, powder blue suit jacket and white loafers (no socks obvs) at the ready. We going to Rimini you turds :D

Finally i was asked to do a mixtape for Italian DJ Blog Mischio Dischi Disco.com. I stuck loads of New Red Laser Records stuff that is unreleased plus loads of ace and rare italo and comsic shit. CLICK HERE for a good old listen

Anyways i gotta jet. Shit to do and all

Laters 

Il Bosco

More Red Laser Releases and Random Shit

Before I start any talk of music there are a couple of things I have to document that my bonce had Eureka moments about

First up – I was asked what book would be a good present for a 4 year old. Without even thinking i said “Anythin with robots or monkeys in” A few days later i was thinkin about why i said that. Then i realized ‘everyone’ likes robots and monkeys not just kids. Ok so why? And then i broke it down Gees.

Robots and monkeys are both intriguingly similar to humans but less boring. Monkeys are amusingly chaotic humans in their pre-historic state that do stuff that we hypocritically criticize them for like pissing on their mates, fuking anything that moves no matter the sex, masturbating for all to see, sniffing bum holes, eating things removed from the body, nicking stuff they cant use and ganging up for a bit of the old ultra violence.  At the opposite end of the scale robots are like nerdy amusingly organised humans in their futuristic state that do stuff we hypocritically criticize them for like not walking properly, being top at maths, not being able to run or swim, always calculating the odds of survival in a “Fuck Yeah” situation, being shit at fighting and not fucking anything cos robots are not sexually attractive therefore cant chat up birds very well. What makes both funny is that they are nearly but not quite us. Thats that cleared up

Next i need to know if theres already some kind of theory that says what we see at an atomic level e.g.  atoms and electrons and other really small shit is just the same as stuff at the other end of the scale e.g. galaxy’s, black holes, stars n stuff but depending in which direction you look it seems really small one way and massive the other making General Relativity and the Standard Model actually the same thing. 4D shit gees. Let me know

 So the Wet Play gang of crazies have WGFM #2 about to drop internationally. #1 is pretty much goneski and for a good reason. The shit is HOT!!! Well it’s the same for #2. Yeah so you only get 2 tracks on this one but the fukers are so large you won’t even be bothered. Money’s worth aint about how many tracks you get for your buck it’s how much quality init. I’d rather have two face melters than 20 ear graters anyday ar kid

Wet Play – Where Good Friends Meet #2

Metrodome – My Way

Who can take a vocal? Speed it up to fuck? Fuel it up with acid and go drop a boogie hook? The Metrodome caaaaaaaan. The Metrodome can cos he mixes it with love and makes yer ears feel goooood. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzp No shit if you aint down with this sound you need to un-learn what you have learned G. This is a proper face melter! Someone tell  Katie Piper to avoid listening to this track cos she’ll be back to square one!  If for some reason you get puzzled hearing the pitched vocal then go and listen to loads of early 90’s rave. The scnene was massively into this technique.  This is real dance floor disco music. 11 out of ten for my man Metrodome

Ste Spandex – Pardon My Length

Another discoid tape cruncher from Spandex the cassette collector . He’s been hoarding that shit to keep the production line working so theres currently a Scotch VHS drought in Manchester. Shit gets so hot in Spandexys studio we had to send the whole Ferguson Videostar to the mastering guy cos the track melted the eject button. Looped boogie disco bliss in Spandex’s undeniable style. This cat is the producer that just keeps on giving. The more he releases the better it gets and now he’s finally starting to get noticed worldwide. Theres no way lack of journalistic exposure is gonna hold back Spandex’s march on the underground. His production style is unique yet devastatingly effective.

These Wet Play cats also know how to throw a party. Theyz putting on an all out lazer warfare session with Mancunian underground institution Space Docking on September 20^th at Soup Kitchen in Manchester’s NQ. Serious underground sounds cookin up ya brain. "CLICK HERE" for event

We are releasing so much stuff in such a short period im not sure what CAT numbers we’re at anymore. Anyway Red Laser EP4 test press just came back too and fuckin WOW!!!!!!! This shit just gets heavier and heavier. Kid Machine and Starion have been working on their debut RL EP’s so this meant there was some room to fill on EP4 and we haven’t been let down. Heres the lowdown peeps

Tony Carrasco presents B.Funk feat Sally O – Who What Where When and Why? (Flemming Dalum Remix)

To say Tony Carrasco is a bit of an italo legend and is a fukin understatement . he is responsible for some of my favourite Italo records producing Klien & MBO, Ameresie, Flash 83, Gaz Nevada, Plastic Mode and BFunk. Then take Red Laser Man and Italo legend Flemming Dalum and stick him on the remix and POW!!!!! The result is one of the heaviest tracks on Red Laser to date. Its like ACR and ESG were thrown in the studio with nothing to eat except E’s. An absolute top draw track

Nick Smith – Neon

So the great thing about the label for me is the natural way things happen. For some reason i havnt had to deal with one knobhead yet which is rare in showbiz. Out of the intaweb blue comes Nick Smith based over in Leeds and responsible for the Clandestino parties with fellow top bloke / Dj producer Joe Morris. When i heard this track i could not believe I had got to it first. Then i realised there aint many organised vinyl labels out there so this is a golden time for people like me. This 8 minute acid chugger will blow the socks off tramp in January. Mindbendingly good

Leon x Leon – 1985

The French beer of choice. No sorry thats 1884. My man in Paris Leon x Leon is another guy who came to my attention through hanging out in the same virtual spaces. Again a pleasure to deal with due to the laid back attitude of people in the Italo and Disco circles. Leon x Leon hits the sunshine button with this steady and beautifully made sunset disco beatdown. It chugs hard, drops euphorically and then builds and builds to its hands in the air finish. 5 star neavuex discoteque  monsieur

Il Bosco (With Ste Spandex on piano) - Hard Shoulder

 Make a beat, drop some analog bassline, sprinkle with synth jizz and get Ste Spandex over to The Nest to jam the piano and hit the record button. Thats how we do it in Manchester yo. No computers were harmed in the making of this track. Cos we smashed them up when i started the label. Spandex works the same way as i do. All live Jams and overdubs. The result was 18 minute track that our mate James Holroyd edited to the 4 minutes of dancfloor Italo heaven. Team Laser in effect. High five init

OK TO WATCH FOR THE Pre orders – “CLICK HERE”

LATERS

Il Bosco