Overfitting Disco: Recent Episodes
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Music with an emphasis on everything with a steady Disco beat. From obscure 70s soundtracks to weird 80s electronic dancefloor tunes. This blog is Disco 2.0 compliant.
Ten – Hachi No Musashi This semi-obscure anime related pounder caused a few eyebrows to rise when I played it in Tokyo earlier this year as the original 1972 tune was a pop hit in Japan and still well known today. The story of Musashi is also told in Japanese on the flip（日本語バージョン） = Hachi […]
Paula Koivuniemi – Astun Aurinkolaivaan Raffaella’s Tante Auguri gets called I’m Stepping into the Sunship (?) but other than that, it’s all good the way Finnish schlagerkönigin Paula does it in 1978.
The Black Shadows – Life is a Mystery Five guys from Austria wrote and composed this themselves in 1979 and as you can hear, they did a good job. It’s perhaps not quite clear whether they intended the record to be danceable but that’s only a big plus, right? In any case we can and […]
Jean Sharon – Gib Mir…(instrumental) 1978. Don’t worry, even though this is an instrumental version you’ll still get to hear Sharon sing during the catchy refrain bits. For more of Sharon aka Angelika Sohmen-Schmidt, check Love Collection’s Disco Love & Papa Bully.
André Michèl – Helena (Disco Bouzouki) And the versions keep coming. This one is for some reason called Helena but like all the others it’s holiday disco perfection.
Rio – Du Pokerst zu Hoch The title means you’re gambling too high. No year of realese is given but the country was Germany and Rio’s Look timeless semi-safari.
Josy Venon – Metaloid From 1979 and from France. Not much else is known about this one. I’ve used the instrumental in one of my mixes but this vocal side here isn’t half bad either.
Magyar A Vilagruben – Asztronauta Egtuttes Part of the long intro of an exciting Hungarian record from 1980, a couple of decades before the beginning of the reign of Viktor Orban who would probably now see it as another threat to their way of life, their culture, their customs, and their Christian traditions.
Hauser’s Count-Down – Disco Girl In 1980 Austrians, Germans and people in Switzerland were able to buy this rocket of a record made by the endlessly fascinating Tyrolis label.
Peret – Ni Fu Ni Fa 1971 B-side from Barcelona legend Pedro Pubill Calaf, perfect for a hot august Rumba Catalana freakout. Ni Fu Ni Fa means I don’t really care which way it goes.
Alpha – Indio Austria is its own frontier of intrigue and unexplainable musical phenomena. From mysterious private pressings to puzzling commercially realesed non-hits, the country abounds with unexplained and fascinating sounds. Here is one more of the seemingly endless oddities that continue to confound. Whatever this is, it has been one of my most what-IS-this-ed […]
Heino – Barcelona 1985 is famous for George A. Romero’s final part of his zombie trilogy Day of the Dead, Argento’s Phenomena and Re-Animator. Music-wise it was slim pickings but some oddball tracks did appear, such as this one.
Las Grecas – Anabalina Furious Arabic-tinted flamenco funk from the Spanish duo, made in 1976. Yes, there’s two singers, each side of the sleeve show one.
Paula Ferron – Bonjour l’amour Dutch tangodisco track from 1981 wobbles along the slippery path between the completely hopeless and something that would work at five in the morning in a swingers club in Amsterdam. Of course, that’s where most of us would love to be, ja?
Euro Five – Love Train This is the third and to many ears the best version of the 1978 austro tune – the others are credited to Robert Ponger who wrote the thing, and to Dagmara D which is already in the database. All 3 seem to utilize the same basic backing track but this […]
Hermann Herz und Die Infarktis – Nur Die Himmel War Zeuge The only information available about Hermann Herz and the Infarkts seems to be on the sticker of this 1980 seven from Germany, and that is the barest essentials. Still, this track here – “Only Heaven was a Witness” – booms mightily above many a […]
Solarion – Unidentified Missile A very early 1974 entry from Alec R. Costandinos, realesed under his R. Rupen alias. About the slowest bpms in the database yet still very much danceable.
Michael Schanze – Schalt Mal Dein Herz auf Empfang The funky title apparently means “switch your heart to reception” but in any case, the tune was used as a theme for a tv lottery show in 1978. So, what we got here is a German sigla (?).
Volkert Ipsen – Disco, Dunnersdag Abend in’e Kroog’ This 1979 one sounds like a theme from one of the Lass Jucken Kumpel working class ficken&trinken films, quite hummable and after a few biers, very danceable too.
Trans Orange – Black Queen Trans Orange is two Hornung brothers plus Reinhard Grube from Vienna, and this sehr groovy not-on-label seven was out in 1989. Hear more in my Aftershave mix numero 7.
Stressi – Omat Karnevaalit Stressi was a Finnish futurist band, with the cult track Tatsia. The members were Martti Salminen (vocals, keyboards, bass), Mauri Sumén (the brother of Jimi Sumen, keyboards), Kari Hakanen (vocals, drums). Have a listen how they sounded on this tune Omat Karnevaalit = My Own Carneval, on their one and only […]
Markus – Ab und Los Onetime Neuen Deutschen Welle-figure Markus Johannes Mörl is still active in Germany so if you see him live demand to hear this, a 7″ from the 1983 album Es Könnt Romantisch Sein.
Cocody’s Men – Cocody’s Side B has long been available on comps but for once it’s the A side that has been causing all the anguish: why can’t it be mine? Where are the vinyl sevens of this Canadian realese by Cyril Assous from France, made in 1976? After years in the wantlist, here it […]
Patsy and Co – B.B.B. Yan Tregger production from 1978 chugs along with a lively bassline, joyful voices, forceful percussion and shimmering synths. High bar right from the off. It’s a Tregger after all.
Peter Cyon – Baleares Who is Peter Cyon, the singer of this masterful Deutsche-made disko-schlager from 1980? There’s one Peter Cyon who’s the president of Nigeria. It can’t possibly be him smiling invitingly on that sleeve. Or…can it? Check my Aftershave mix number 7 for more of it.
Veera Telenius – Mani, Mani Veera was 72 years old in 1984. That’s when she recorded her third album which to her amazement sold 70 000 copies. There’s a self-penned disco track on the record, too, (Mani Mani = Money Money) on which Veera wished she could find a brand of soap that would wash […]
Herzbuben – Devor Du Mich Noch Fragst This is the number 254 of the 300 pressings made by Austrians Fono Dor, Alfred Hutter, Wolfgang Schuller und Karo Dame. Herzbuben means a jack of hearts. It’s a good tune.
Birgi Vandermost – Hu-E La La Hu Hu WPL Musikverlag didn’t provide the year of realese but I’d go for timeless.
Die Spitzbuben – Monster Show 1978 Biergartendisko/lowbrow “fun” comedy item from Germany. Spitzbube means rascal in English. Take it or leave it.
Prinz & Prinz – Kleine Segelschiffe Prinz & Prinz – Einsamkeit With permission by Edition Hawara, two teasers of their reissues from the outstanding Youngsters of Vienna album from 1984. Kleine Segelschiffe – Little Sailing Boats – has an especially expansive cosmic ambience.
Disco Band – Agnus Dei (Quitollis Peccata Moundi) On your knees and pray! The music is from Canada.
Gerald Heinz – Expression Naturel The legendary Gerald providing a laidback groove for those sensuous Chat Noir moments.
Maxi Voom Voom – Fly Away To Africa Quite an alias for monsieur Georges Collinet, non? The fast & furious 1977 track won’t disappoint anyone, either. For more of it check my Aftershave mix numero 6.
Régine – Tic Tac Toe Régine Zyltenberg – the first dj to use two record players for continuous flow of music – and Serge Gainsbourg are both dead but the legends live on. Here’s a Gainsbourg-penned tune from Régine’s 1978 album Jackpot.
Traumboot – Samba Durch Alle Strassen An unusually late but great entry from 1987. Traumboot is Tina Daute und Arnuf Wenning, recording on AMIGA label.
Matterhorn Project – Yo-lollo-diuh 1985, Switzo. The band already has one other track in the database, a harder midtempo number. This one jumps along lightly like little Heidi in yodeling frenzy, as you can hear.
Koivistolaiset – Lady Bump Is this the best Finnish cover of the 1975 Penny McLean megahit, or is it the one by Anita Hirvonen (who my parents employed as my babysitter) ? It’s pretty obvious that the Koivistolaiset sisters win.
Mithra – Alchimie 3 Mysterious French production sounding just like the image on the sleeve.
Deborah Johnson – That is Love France 1979. There are tracks by at least six different Deborah Johnsons in Discoqs but this is the only good one. Hear more in my Aftershave mix number six.
Have you heard of Souleymane Faye? My friend, the word is “magnificent”. Don’t get me wrong, the instrumental component of this song by band Xalam is, at the same time, really virtuous, groovy and fresh, while still deeply rooted in Senegalese music. It’s a gem. But it’s Faye’s voice that takes it to that place […]
Cape Verde is the birthplace of one of the most pure and energetic music genres in the world: Funana. It took a leap into the future when, as legend says, a boat carrying Moogs, Korgs and Hammond organs sank near the islands, with its precious cargo reaching shores one crate at a time. The islanders […]
I’m gonna be honest with you and tell you I don’t know much about Georges Happi, or is it George Happi, or is it Georges Deulemkam? Well, he might sign his albums with slightly different names, but there’s something that doesn’t change from beginning to end: the explosive Afrodiscofunkitude of this tune.
Yeah, the guy is right: ORM’s records are A-OK for chillin’ at home, at the disco or the nudist beach. He’s been there, done that.
When she or he plays this, you know the DJ is telling you the night is over and should head home in the best possible mood, guarded by the moon.
Mziuri were an all-adolescent-girls-band from Georgia. The band had various generations, as members usually needed to be within the 11-to-14-year-old age range, but was always constituted by top singers and musicians. Take a listen and tell us if you can believe these (are just) kids.
Hanoi Rocks – Oil and Gasoline Glam rockers from Finland attempted a 4/4 dancefloor thing in 1984 and came up with this. I don’t know if anyone ever danced to it bitd but today, it doesn’t sound half bad (?). “Now, she’s fast, she’s bad and she’s Italian, she makes 100 miles per hour, oh […]
Esa Saarinen – Kuohuviini More explorations of the nature of human existence by a Helsinki philosopher, author and so-so singer lamenting how his sports car driving paramour wants real champagne and not prosecco. Track is from his 1984 album and big bitd among local new romantics.
Ketil Bjornstad – Chefsastronomens Sång This is a Norwegian disco version of a tune from a Swedish space-themed opera Aniara, first performed in 1959. What happens is the following. Controlled by the computer Mima, the pace ship Aniara leaves the poisoned earth, heading for Mars. Through Mimaroben, who is the operator of Mima, the emigrants […]
Berit – Helli Mua Hiljaa (Words) This week’s cover of Words comes from Finland. 1983, the year of massive shoulderpads.
Fabienne Waroux – Non Stop The Music The Bay City Rollers cover week continues with a French entry from 1979. The role model was first out in 1976 as a short album track, then as an eight minute Canadian 12″ – current Discoqs price € 290 – when the tune became big first in Montreal […]
Satu – Soi Soi Soi Soi (Play Play) is a Finnish cover of Don’t Stop The Music, the only disco hit by British bubblegum heroes Bay City Rollers.
Elisabeth Meaulne et Bernard Verley & Catharsis – Le Canard Blanc Esoteric poetry readings set to minimalist musique almost-concrete. Ideal for Isadora Duncan-style barefoot dancing. Year of realese is unknown.
Schnaider – Hoch Im All The Interkosmos space program was formed in April 1967 in Moscow. The participants included all Warsaw pact member states and other socialist countries such as Cuba and Mongolia. Strangely, even United Kindom, France and Austria took part despite them being decidedly capitalist states. The Soviet Union invited Japan to join […]
Brigitte Fontaine et Areski – Ca va Faire un Hit Brigitte Fontaine et Areski – Quand les Ghettos Bruleront 1974 tracks by a legendary French avant gardeuse famed also for her collaborations with Grace Jones, Stereolab, Sonic Youth, Gotan project etc.
Airon – Tumala Unhinged french afroish peak hour blast from 1977. Big all thru last year.
Katy Stott – Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Two different versions in this 1978 resurrection – with only one Cheeps – but luckily no Wooden Soldier. The longer six minute one has an unappetizing intro section so all Chirpy Chirpy freaks will go for the four minute flip.
Les Delfinis – Dolphin’s Theme 1970. Just the right kind of Belgian track to make us all get up from the shag carpet and start to shake wildly, never meaning to stop.
Joffray – Pyrotechnie This French curio is Jacques & Daniel Friedrich and Christian Ruehl, the year 1984.
Stars ‘n’ Bars – Co-Co Another b-side wonder, this time by Swedish prog rockers. Out in 1982.
Unknown vocoder track This is the image of the artist, possibly from Afghanistan or thereabouts. There’s no information in English on the sleeve. They did print the year though, 1985.
Dunja Rajter – Salem Aleikum The gorgeous Dunja is best known for her role in the iconic Schnitzelwestern Winnetou plus her take on Gloria Gaynor’s I Will Survive. For us her brightest moment arrived with this version of the Greek tune, strangely called Salem Aleikum – isn’t that an Arabic greeting? Aren’t we supposed to […]
Jurgen Kerth – Geburtstag im Internat “Ein Zimmer im Internat hat seine Fenster weit offen Musik und Lachen sind auf der Straße zu hör\’n Es feiert jemand Geburtstag – Geburtstag im Internat Die Freunde singen, tanzen und lachen – Das Geburtstagskind es lächelt bloß Vielleicht hätte es lieber zu Hause gefeiert – Geburtstag im Internat […]
This blog was founded fifteen years ago by monsieur Oki Doki. And yet it feels like we have praised Disco together for our entire lives. Never take sounds like this for granted, for they are gifts from Disco Itself. We are just it’s followers. Disco presents us with a mission to reach the lost with […]
Electric Nightmare – The Improbable Love Story Between Cheetah And A Famous Pop Music Star (Back To You Cheetah) Probably the biggest crowd pleaser from me during the past summer and autumn, with a gradually evolving structure and burning hot percussion breaks. The 1979 French album has two side long tracks, the other one Garden […]
Waldo de los Rios – Carmina Burana This is a danceable version of one of the songs in Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana: Cantiones profanae cantoribus et choris cantandae comitantibus instrumentis atque imaginibus magicis (“Songs of Beuern: Secular songs for singers and choruses to be sung together with instruments and magical images”) by the famous Spanish […]
Sequencia – Inka A very late and quite newagey entry (1988!) from Germany but still, with a distinct pan flute feel.
Bionda e Lupo – Camp Cosmic It’s now called Cosmic Gathering and held in a basically urban enviroment but once upon a time, the festival grounds did look exactly like the image above.
After last night’s party at the number one club in Finland the Kaiku there’s another Overfitting event tonight in Berlin!
The set Frinda di Lanco would have played at the Cosmic Gathering at Dresden this year! Posted with exclusive permission from the dj. Dive in and dance yourself dizzy.
Francis Rimbert – Games Infectious 1979 synth bubbler from France has gradually intensifying beats, credited to both Francis Rimbert and Bionic Orchestra.
Maggie Mae – I’m On Fire 1975: Maggie (born Andrea Cosima Carle) represents West Germany in the Eurovision song contest. Due to her fluttering and hyperenegetic appearance she is already nicknamed “Das verrückte Huhn” (“the mad hen”). The same year Maggie records this, a cover of the massive 5000 Volts hit sung by Tina Charles. […]
Frank Zander – Wuh-Duh Zeit One of Frank’s singles from 1976. Hear it and judge yourself.
Tenpole Tudor – Wunderbar From Great Britain, the fiercely independent and proud Empire famous for Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and it’s ruggedly handsome Royals Queen Camilla and King Charles, comes this 1980 dancefloor stomper. With records like this still around the sun will never set on England!
Wencke Myhre – Oh No No The Cover-versions-that-are-way-better-than-originals week continues with the fabulous Wencke and her take on Bernie Paul’s 1981 track.
Daliah Lavi – Mut Daliah Lavi – Words It’s the gorgeous Miss Lavi, the star of Mario Bava’s I Tre Volti Della Paura / Black Sabbath, taking on F-R David in 1982 and coming up the winner, even though they replaced Words with Courage.
Denn Ich Kann Dich Nicht Vergessen Carnevalito Apologies please! Yes, also for the lack of contributions from my side but especially for the possibly gained impression that “Mingo” is the only good title by Monika, as it is the only one presented here so far. Her ’79 LP indeed contains so many that it is […]
Aircraft – Centobello Disco nurtures itself on the adoration of the emotional. It is the triumph of style over content, taste over stale intellectualism and of sensibility over sensible. On occasion also an italo disco record – or in the case under observation here a finlando disco one – can be a celebration artifice, agitated […]
I Promoters – Onda Verde Ultracatchy sigla from 1981, from a show apparently focusing on enviromental issues (?).
The Nuutti-Grilli Tribute Mix pt 1 The Nuutti-Grilli Tribute Mix pt 2 Originally a grill restaurant, the Nuutti-Grilli or just the Nuutti in the southern Finnish town of Lahti – known as the crime city of the country with record amounts of muggings, porno stores and prostitutes – wasn’t exactly ignored by crowds but since […]
Horizon of Hollywood – Don’t Let Me Down instrumental Heavy synths in a Cherry Laine-penned 1979 semi-obscurity from Germany.
PEU & others – In a Different Way Here are five ways to express your love. Offer the gift of listening. Say please and thank you. Tell your loved ones how much you love and appreciate them. Offer to help someone in need. Write your loved ones a poem.
Invader – – ディスコ スーダラ節 このディスコ スーダラ節は 1979 年のものです。私はアフターシェーブ ディスコ ミックス ナンバー 5 のインストゥルメンタルを持っています。, instrumental in the Aftershave disco number five!!!!!
More from Raja & more It is the oldest and most splendid of all the feasts in the Kingdom of Persia, and the day has been spent by Sidi Mansour in the city of Balsora, taking part in the magnificent spectacles prepared to do honour to the festival with three hundred dancing maidens from Schiraz […]
Gaston Brisson – Dies Irae A surprising 1975 version in cocktail mood of the gloomy Gregorian chant describing a mass for the dead and the last judgement. On the cover Gaston is fittingly seen dressed as an undertaker.
St. Etienne – Allez les Verts Not as good as the Chocolat’s version despite the involvement of JP Massiera but check this: it’s sung by the players themselves plus a chorus with RINGO in it! That’s Gene Kelly in the lower picture, with a supporter flag in hand.
Broadway – X – 15 A Patrick Adams production from 1977 with a single, repeated and gradually intensifying segment. Quite progressive for the era.
Wazmo Nariz – Tele-Tele-Telephone Wazmo Nariz – Wacker Drive GB 1978 but sort of timeless and very Overfitting, too.
The Second Generation – Dancing in the Sun The Los Diablos holiday hit gets the fab Geoff Love treatment in 1972.
Sven – My Firebirdguitar Veteran German schlagermeister went disco in 1979 with grandiose results. There’s also a German language version.
The New Dutch Organ Group – Summerdisco The first New Dutch Organ Group single in database was Holland Disco (1978) way back in 2013 and it caused pandemonium during that year’s Camp Cosmic. This second one (1979) is not quite as immediately sensational but still as fun as they come.
Creation – Spinning Toe-Hold I’m not quite sure if this is the right track. The 1979 Japanese lp I have has Spinning Toe-Hold listed in English but no other credits for it, like who the artist is. Also, this is listed as A5 on the sleeve but on the vinyl A5 is a vocal tune […]
Here's a new italorelated mixtape from Disco Al Dente, posted with permission. It's hot outside and if you put this on, inside as well.
Nighttrain – Ick renn’durch’n Park It means I ran thru the park, and it’s a version of Nick Straker Band’s 1979 hit A Walk in the Park. Better than the original in fact.
Black Sun – Back to Bombay Flash, a French 1975 jazz funk&psych hybrid is quite undanceable but once more, the b-side delivers.
Les Clochards – Hallo Boogie Man 1977 Swiss versions of KC & Sunshine Band’s I’m Your Boogie Man and Jennifer’s Do It For Me. The latter can be heard on my new Aftershave mix volume five.
Viona Latenstein – Sandsturm The singer sure has the absolute most spectacular fashion sense. And she does the classic tune perfectly well, too.
Spotnicks – Drop Me in the Middle of the Universe A 1983 tune from the ex-surfers, sounding 99.44% like something by The Rockets.
Georg Turic- Casy Jones This bizarre 1978 attempt at dance music is from an Austrian tv show called “Schulversuche-Schulereform” performed by students of Der Pädagogischen Akademie des Bundes of Vienna. The song Casy Jones is apparently about American locomotive engineer John “Casey” Jones so the bunch must have been first grade students too excited to […]
https://soundcloud.com/discoaldente/mixtape-obscura-006-disco-banana It’s + 31 and this is Finland, not Bangkok, so we are adding degrees with this to make it even hotter. You should strip too and do the same. Posted with permission of the mixer.
Synthetic Cha Cha Band – Why Can’t We Live Together The Timmy Thomas classic cha-cha-protodiscoed in 1973.
Zack – So Gut Enterprise is rubbish but b-side So Gut is real gut, with a gruff vocal, jumpy wavish beat and disco girls adding sugar with the chorus.
Brendon – Gimme Some Brendon from UK gets to do a version of the Casey&Finch (K.C & Sunshine Band) classic, with a banging beat exactly like the one on the Coro delle Lavaindaie by Nuova Compagnie Di Canto Popolare.
Love Generation – Israel Germany 1972. Regardless of the subject matter this is very good protodisco.
You danced to the original version – now here’s more of the nuDisco-ambient track from Canada, a trippy new mix for your feet as well as for your head. Posted with permission of the artist.
Superbanda – Hombre Araña Spanish theme for the late 70s tv show, made in the US. I hate everything connected with superheroes but somehow got into this album, can’t explain it.
Armi – Marleena Danny – Siellä jossakin Danny – Romanssi Finnish schlagerdisco king was at it again in 1986, with his then-mistress now-dead collaborator Armi. Siellä Jossakin is a version of Anno Domini, Marleena and Romanssi are original compositions. The former is somewhat in the style of Vamos a la Playa only more lollipoppy while […]
Satin Roulette – Rollerman pt 2 Who says Belgians cannot bring on boogiestyle? If I was still rolling along the streets happily in my quad skates – see those in the pic – I’d be humming this one from 1981 but I’m too pissed off with scooter riders terrorizing towns.
Mister Oobe – Chakra Machine 1977 space disco perfection from Italy by an alias of Tonet. According to yogaists Chakras are energy centers of the body, collectively known as Tantra.
Jean-Luc Ferre – Le Chat Just how many versions of Le Chat did come out in France in 1976? It may not rival El Bimbo as the most covered one yet but it’s getting close.
Hanne – Aslak The Sami are the descendants of nomadic peoples who had inhabited the northern parts of nordic countries for thousands of years. They are by nature proud, fierce and independent and by all accounts, they are also tireless lovers. Here now we have Hanne, the Queen of Finnish disco, telling all about her […]
Here’s a new one L’Amore Nero from Disco al Dente, with permission of course. Tracks include Pretty Perversion by Styloo and Sal Wood’s Heat the Beat so what are you waiting for? https://soundcloud.com/discoaldente/mixtape-obscura-004-lamore-nero?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing
Manfred Holub – Der Sound von Dein Stern instrumental According to Wikipedia Manfred Holub is an Austrian “pop rock singer, guitarist and accordionist”. Welcome to Overfitting Disco, Manfred!
Nummisuutarit – Juokse Sinä Humma The folk-surf band gone disco is already in the database but THIS is the one that really counts. 1980. Searched it for ages and suddenly BANG!
Yuji Ohno – Living satellite 10 of Jupiter Yuji Ohno – Landing on the surface of Venus SciFiDisco from Japan with jazzy elements, made in 1981.
Richard Lord – Renault Sport Disco After the 24 hour endurance test of the Le Mans sport car race the drivers most probably rested a while and then set off to Regine’s for a fabulous end-of-the-race disco party with Diana Ross, Amanda Lear and the Queen of the Night Herself (Remain In Party). This is […]
April Orchestra and Patrick Vasori – Female Chorus The tastiest one from the 1986 French library album.
Databook – Zighidizazazero Extremely 80s in every way. Made in France and speeded up a bit could possibly go well with Marcia Baila by Les Rita Mitsouko.
The General Sound – Disco Summer The words “The General Sound” seem to have have slipped to the side quite a bit and the overall design may leave something to be desired, yet the 1977 track itself is perfect.
BeatAmaX – Save Me Boys from Dusseldorf got the Pirate Look nailed and could be had dancers moving to their 1986 tune, too.
I’m no expert in afro and know little about italo so those particular genres have been lacking here lately. Luckily Graf Gonzo of Disco al Dente sent a whole expert shoulderpadshaking italo mix for all you paninari – Paninaro, Paninaro, oh, oh, oh Armani, Armani, ah-ah-Armani Versace, cinque Paninaro, Paninaro, oh, oh, oh Paninaro, Paninaro, […]
Richard St Germain – Galactic Express Moody French banger from 1978. Check my Aftershave mix numero 4 for more of it or better still come to Le Discobar in Paris on the 22th.
No Smoking All Stars – Factory Robot Propaganda track commisioned by the Finnish ministry of health in 1980 contains a vocoder voice and an interesting Moroder-isch instrumental section.
Herb Alpert – El Bimbo The perhaps not-so-surprising choice for the first disco offering from the legendary trumpet player. The version naturally includes his trademark marimba bits, making for an extra loungey and elegant addition to the coming summer’s poolside soundtrack.
Henrik – Philadelphia 1776 This is a typically puzzling entry from Finnish producers Jarmo Jylhä and Erkki Puumalainen, leaders of the pack at JP Records. They put out now locally legendary gas station disco obscurities like Disco Turbo, Super Turbo Special and Disco City, under one-off sublabels. Philadelphia 1776 is apparently about the American day […]
Michael Garrison – Departure Intergalactic travel is currently an exciting topic worldwide. Almost every day, there are news stories of recent space launches and accomplishments. The sounds of Michael Garrison enable humans to begin to explore the solar system and the rest of the universe in their own minds.
Maryam – Habiba ma p’tite Gazelle (Version Instrumentale) Ssidi Kur from Mansour had a beautiful wife, whom he loved passionately, and never left her if possible because the wife was very small and very excitingly danced the dance of the first Hemmâm, where there is a lady retiring dressed in a magnificent robe, covered with […]
Los Marismenos- Yo Creo En El Amor One of the quintessential groups from Andalucia goes disco in 1978, with a tune described on the sleeve as a mix of flamenco and the sounds of Philadelphia and Munich.
No love in New York, only discotheques “..obsessed by physical beauty, by clothes, by gossip, by style…” – that’s how Newsday magazine described the protagonists of Andrew Holleran’s Dancer From The Dance, a cult novel from 1978 about a group of men who begin to dance in New York City around 1970. The book focuses […]
Siw Inger – Und Ich Tanz’ Allein In Den Morgen What the delightful Siw has here is a cover of Holland Disco by The New Dutch Organ Group that caused a bit of a stir at one of the early editions of Camp Cosmic, held deep in a mysterious Swedish forest. This version is more […]
Costa Cordalis Greek holiday minimix Let Costa the embodiment of Greece himself guide you on a musical tour of the magic country!
Susan Lawrence – Sir Another German schlager singer – real name Renate Emma Elisabeth Lawrenz – does good with a peak hour banger. Hear more of the 1981 tune in my Aftershave disco volume 2.
The Tornados – Love and Fury About the earliest record in the database. 1962 and (surf)disco already. Made in the UK.
Peter Dracula Sextet – Nessuno Mai Yes, this is how Boney M’s Take The Heat Off Me originally sounded in 1974 when it was called Nessuno Mai = Nobody Ever.
Grace Jones – Anema e Core Like Asha Puthli, Amanda Lear and the Rockets, the Amazing Grace appeared in a number of episodes of the cult Italian tv show Stryx in 1978. This was set in a strange Decamerone-style world pulsing with psychedelic colors and topless dancing girls, all inevitably nearly ruined by typically lame […]
Stressi – Tatsia A futurist band from the small Finnish town of Imatra realesed one album in 1981 and before this, a single that has slowly but surely gained a cult following. Here it is.
Peter Schleischer – Der Teufel in Euch A 1980 austro version of Rolling Stones: Sympathy for the Devil, far better than the original.
Joey Spineti – Jesahel Jesahel instrumental Another disco version – this one’s from Canada – of the hippie hit penned by Ivano Fossati & Oscar Prudente. The latter is in the database for his stunning Stadium, the former for his equally impressive Tema del Lupo.
Yes Sir I Can Boogie the American remix & others The US mix is 6:40. It starts very clumsily as you can hear, but soon turns into a respectable remix. After this, there’s a couple more tunes in the same mood.
Beautycase Orchestra – Fiesta Canadian version of a hot cha-cha evergreen kicks off with swaggering percussion and means business. A big personal fave.
Porno – Liebe im Bett 1 One of those beatless things – supposedly made for beating off – you can lay over any instrumental. In this case, it’s over a Jean Musy track.
Zamfir – Pipe-Line Listening to the Zamfir track from Kill Bill in the Quentin Tarantino-hosted Netflix doc Django&Django I realized there’s a soft disco tune in his 1981 Rocking-Chair album. Despite the title it’s unrelated to the surf classic, being like background music for an aromatherapy session.
Bas-Boris Bode – Der Junge, Den Es Zweimal Gab – Van Ling, Der Chinese Bas-Boris Bode – Der Junge, Den Es Zweimal Gab – Eishockey Mikael Martin the star of the Dutch-German tv series from 1985 did (sort-of) sing on two tracks on this ost. Thankfully he does not appear on the 2 best tunes […]
Bob Crewe Generation – Mammy Blue A groovy American take by Bob Crewe Generation on the massive euro hit. The fabulous Bob Crewe co-scored the Barbarella film, had several disco records out and had big dancefloor success with Street Talk in 1976.
Kari Vepsä – Eldorado Classic Goombay Dance Band tune as interpreted in 1981 by the Finnish artist behind the amazing SORMUS, posted here a few months back.
Richard Österreicher und sein Orchester – Disco Mouse Richard got a quite unexpected Larry Page-style drum sound going with this Austro outing on Amadeo label more known for classical and Yodel stuff.
Maani – So So So Di Bi Una instrumental vocal Smooth and glossy French seven from 1978 sounds like a theme tune from a cabaret production at Le Lido on the Avenue des Champs-Elysées, only with an odd vocal distortion kicking in later on. For that part and more, go here:
Thierry Morgane – Black Magic Dance In a black magic ceremony dancing allows the participant to become able to connect with a demon or the devil himself by freeform oscillation or by choreographed moves. Usually the dancer turns around a circle and also turns around themself (note the politically correct disgarding of “himself” and “herself”) […]
Yvonne Harlow – Ramona Yvonne played the nightclub singer Stella Shining in Enzo Milioni’s giallo La Sorella di Ursula / The Sister of Ursula in 1978, containing murders committed with the aid of a big wooden dildo and massive sex scenes bordering on hardcore. The a-side of Yvonne’s only solo seven has been in the […]
L.A. People – Vitamin C The most blatant ripoff of YMCA ever it may be but this Japanese tune still sort of fun and uplifting (?).
Blue Ears – Jesus Cristo The instrumental b-side, credited to the interestingly named Blue Ears. Year of origin is unknown but the record seems to be French.
Alain Barriere – Amoco Another one of Alain Barriere’s enviromentally conscious protest songs, focusing on the infamous spill caused by oil tanker Amoco Cadiz in 1978. Preachy or not it’s amazing to dance to. Weirdly enough though it has been included in mixes here and there it doesn’t seem to have been posted individually until […]
Bruno Victoire – Noubigale Song Another French monster with an instantly grabbing Long Train Running intro and shades of Voyage. Go get.
Alain Barriere – Hiver Hiver means winter. Apparently monsieur Barriere is not a fan of that season but the tune is great.
Daniel Vangarde – Le Tango Me Fait Pleurer A lesser known killer tune from the always reliable monsieur Vangarde, made in 1979. Hear more of it in the Aftershave Disco mix numero 3.
Son Lalin – Muineira de Chantada It may come as a surprise to many that the bagpipe is the traditional instrument of northern Portugal and the Galicia region of Spain, where it’s called Gaita Galega. Here’s some of the latter variety now, from 1978 and discofied of course.
Maria Sole – The Crucified Is Dancing Rock-and-Roll Hail Maria, the Papessa, the Pope of iconoclast dance tracks!
Ivano Alberto Fossati & Oscar Prudente – Tema del Lupo Classic flute 1978 tune Theme of the Wolf finally in the database!
House of Life – Darkroom Murderer From the people behind A Pure Place – the best genre film in ages – comes this celebration of dangerous Berlin decadence, with permission of the artist. Wait until you hear the whole track!
Pierre Briffa & Bernard Lamastre – Une Nuée d’Ètoiles Top tune from a library album Francaise from 1984.
Forbes – Sweet Kiss of Fire Quite a boogie tune from what was apparently a Swedish boy band recording in Germany. The year: 1977.
Overfitting Disco 14th Birthday mix by Jussi Kantonen Us defenders of the marginal, freed from any school of influence, have been at it for 14 years now and we ain’t about to stop.
Antonio Maria Mayolas – 2001 Odisea Del Espacio Who knows how many disco versions of the Also Sprach Zarathustra tune in the database already, yet up jumps Antonio Maria Mayolas with one more. This is from 1978 .
It’s not too hard to understand the correlation between the sausage and the pet name for the male sexual organ. Rather interesting, the sausage is called Frankfurter in Vienna- a fact that should be further investigated. Meanwhile, some music. Tina 4 – Die Ganze Nacht Art Mayr Band – Mona Lisa Aniko Benkö – Rattenfänger […]
Kari Vepsä – Sormus Highly sought after early 80s Finnish disco curio with kitschy/symbolist lyrics about a wedding ring discovered inside a mystical floating lily flower. Hear more of the story in my new Aftershave disco mix.
Angel Kotev – The Lonely Rider Bulgarian album has interpretations of mostly 60s tunes like the theme from Pink Panther and some done-to-death Beatles songs but also a couple of more interesting originals like this one.
Liz&Oskar – Miky (original Miky) Their seven Hejo Hej Ich Bin Glucklich is already in the database and as expected, people cried for more from the mysterious German duo. This one’s from 1979.
Paco Cepero – Ibiza Senor Cepero is a famous flamenco guitarist who also composed tracks for the likes of Julio Iglesias. In 1976 he apparently had a great time at Pacha on Ibiza as that is when he put out this pre-Santa Esmeralda mix of flamenco and disco.
Petula Clark – Downtown ’77 One of the biggest tunes ever had to have a discofication and here it is, and by the original artist herself no less. Hear more of it in my Aftershave 3 mix, and see the Last Night in Soho film – opening everywhere as you read this – too for […]
Erste Allgemeine Verungsicherung – Kuss Die Hand, Schöne Frau Austro tune is pretty late for us as it’s from 1987 but why not.
Halloween Dance It is the time of burning leaves, The crispness of the air has awakened Memories both dark and hidden, Memories of past feasts partaken. I ‘see’ a bonfire raging on a hilltop With my people all gathered around Our prayers to the Gods I shout, Yet, in my dreams I hear not a […]
P.L. – Come On And Do It A German cover of the Poussez! classic, first out in 1982 and then in 1986.
Esa Saarinen – Poikarakkaus An unexpected 1984 radio hit in Finland from a small independent label Vaaralliset Levyt / Dangerous Records, by a professor of philosophy at Helsinki university and the co-director of the Systems Intelligence Research Group. Poikarakkaus translates as boy love, and the lyrics describe two guys getting it on inside a cathedral. […]
Leroy Vohn & The Blue Things Guardians – Blue Things Concerto As Halloween is approaching there’s no better time to post of this 1978 one. Why nobody has done it before is inexplicable but here it is, the Evil Dance segment, the main reason to get the album. Leroy Vohn is an alias of Renato […]
Roberto Carlos – Amigo & Jose Velez – Romantica Found a whole boxful of sevens in a junk store of a small town, disgarded vinyls from a long forgotten disco called Bogart. Lots of Baccara, Boney M and Dshinghis Khan. Over half of the records were Spanish, Italian and French night club schlagers though, pulsating […]
The Planet Robots – Alpha-Base Lunare Once again the b-side is the side. This one’s from Italy and made in 1979.
Nummisuutarit – Geronimo Classic Red Indian-themed American surf tune discofied by a bunch of Finns in 1980.
Dietmar Mainka – Ah, Wie Herrlich The essential track from Dietmar’s 1979 lp “to dance and sing along to”. I played this at last summer’s Cosmic Gathering at Chemnitz in Germany and yes, they jumped.
The Balls meet Les Fleurs du Mal – Je T’aime Listen to this Jane B and see what you think. Made in Germany in 1986.