Pino d’Angiò, Italo disco artist and ‘Age Of Love’ composer, dies aged 71

Italian newspaper Il Messaggero broke the news last Saturday, July 6th, describing him as “an icon of Italo disco music.” The cause of death was lung cancer.

Born Giuseppe Chierchia in Pompei in 1952, d’Angiò’s debut release was 1979 single “È Libero, Scusi?” Other highlights from his discography include “Un Concerto Da Strapazzo,” “Fammi Un Panino,” “Genoveffa” and “Ma Quale Idea,” a hit single that sold over two million copies. The track samples 1979 disco classic “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now” by McFadden & Whitehead.

Aside from Italo disco, d’Angiò also composed the harmony and lyrics for Age of Love’s self-titled trance classic. His contribution was “born in a totally random way,” he told Guerilla Bizarre, occurring spontaneously when he was visiting a friend in Belgium. “And then, the worst mistake of my life, I told him ‘do whatever you want with this, but please, don’t dare putting my artist name on any of it.'”

Listen to Age Of Love’s The Age Of Love.

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Jeff Mills is releasing a new album

Out on July 5th via Axis Records, The Eyewitness explores themes of shock and trauma. It follows March’s The Trip: Enter The Black Hole, a black hole-themed album that was accompanied by an immersive audiovisual show.

Listen to “Those Who Worked Against Us (Vendetta Mix).”

Tracklist

A1. Jeff Mills – In A Traumatized World
A2. Jeff Mills – Menticide
B1. Jeff Mills – Those Who Worked Against Us
B2. Jeff Mills – Mass Hypnosis
C1. Jeff Mills – Hold And Command
C2. Jeff Mills – Wonderous Butterfly
D1. Jeff Mills – Sacred Iridescent Mirror (The Pledge)
D2. Jeff Mills – In A Traumatized World (Human Toll Mix)
D3. Jeff Mills – Indoctrination

The full-length is out on July 5th through Axis Records.

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Experience Miaux’s new album

Antwerp-based composer and synth virtuoso Miaux presents her new album, Never Coming Back on VIERNULVIER Records. The record is rooted in the recent film score she composed for the surreal and haunted cult movie ‘Carnival of Souls’ (1962).

“An impeccably tuned ear” – The Wire

“Armed with a synth and devastating song writing skills, her music is minimal, melancholic and timeless, somewhere between Roedelius, Ruth White and electronic realisations of Baroque music” – Roope Eronen

“The general gloom MIAUX spreads on her sandwiches is darker than Tatort and could replace any soundtrack of a Fassbinder movie” – Dennis Tyfus

Stream below

Tracklist

A1. Too much current, too much sand
A2. Put your soul into it a little, ok?
A3. Thank you but I’m never coming back
B1. The old pavilion near the lake
B2. What’s the matter with everyone, why don’t they answer me?
B3. I have no desire for the close company of other people

Released June 21, 2024

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The Greek-Belgian Connection of Les Cyclades

Olive oil dub, ambient, Detroit inspired meta techno.

The Klein blue horizon, gliding seagulls, a ferry purring between two languid islands, dotted with ultra-white villages and ancient ruins… These idyllic visions run through Glika, the ultimate musical project of Les Cyclades. An exciting electronic odyssey from West to East, from Belgian effervescence to Greek mysticism.

In 2020, confined to the neighborhoods of Yser and Mystère in Brussels, Alex and Ludo dream of Greek islands, of scorching sun on their skin, of salty baths, chilled ouzo and braised octopus. But everywhere, time stands still. Must one necessarily move to travel? To levitate? In the absence of Elsewhere, the Franco-Canadian duo will compose the imaginary soundtrack to their escape.

Glika (which means “sweet” in Greek) perfectly synthesizes the musical influences of Les Cyclades: a cosmic saxophone inherited from Alex’s dub and free jazz past, an architect-pastry chef-botanist from Normandy, and Ludo’s “Balearic” tracks, a musician-performer-wine lover who frequented his first raves in 1995 in Houston, Texas.

From a hedonistic encounter on a friendly terrace in the 19th arrondissement of Paris to their chosen exile in Brussels, these hypersensitive jacks-of-all-trades first danced and mixed records. Before creating their own phantasmagorical sonic territories, where cinema and poetry meet more or less human voices, brass instruments, synthesizers and analogue drum machines.

On Yser Mystère – the names of the two stations on tram 51 that physically linked Alex and Ludo’s psyches during the lockdown – Alex’s astral sax balances out the industrial mechanics of a locomotive, against a backdrop of urban soundscapes.

And then a rising bpm dominates Alocasia, with its deep and sensual light foot. So sunny. From one track to another, there are interludes influenced by Xenakis, Vangelis and Jean-Michel Jarre. Seminal heroes of the Cyclades… But soon, the duo unleash hostilities at the helm of Epigone, their meta-techno anthem. “I know”, “You know”, echoes Alex.

Laughs of friends, “mouth noises,” and “bizarre rhythms” still dominate Parc Fou, while DRAM eyes the minimalist techno of Detroit. So dear to Ludo’s heart… And what about PAME, that post-modern Greek epic. Or Glossa, a timeless track that finishes with a fascinating – because diffracted – elegance, this multi-sensory journey through Les Cyclades. Let’s close our eyes. Silencio! Hay Banda!

Tracklist

A1 Glika
A2 Yser Mystère
A3 Alocasia
A4 Short Hero
A5 Epigone
B1 Parc Fou
B2 DRAM
B3 Niko
B4 PAME!
B5 Glossa

Hi Score will release Glika on May 17th, 2024

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Hypnotone’s iconic 1991 self-titled mini album reissued

Hypnotone’s iconic self titled mini album reissued and released just in time for this Summer (Solstice).

Exclusive liner notes by band member Tony Martin “The Hypnotone Story: From Manchester to Creation” and including after hours favorite “Sub” and  Balearic hit “Dream Beam” featuring vocals by Denise Johnson.

Formed in the vibrant milieu of Manchester’s legendary Hacienda nightclub, Hypnotone emerged from the creative partnership of Tony Martin and Martin Mittler. Tony, initially involved as the in-house lighting designer, and Mittler, a bar staff member, fused their interests and talents amid the fervor of the late ’80s Acid House movement that pulsated through the club. Their musical venture began earnestly after an introduction to Alan McGee, head of Creation Records. This connection would soon lead to a record deal, propelling Hypnotone into the heart of the emerging electronic dance music scene, releasing 2 albums, multiple singles and standout remixes for artists such as Primal Scream, Sheer Taft, and The Lilac Time.

With Creation Records’ support, Hypnotone crafted their unique sound combining state-of-the-art digital samplers like the Akai S1000 with a collection of classic analog synths. Their debut self titled mini album includes after hours favorite “Sub” and Balearic hit “Dream Beam” featuring vocals by Denise Johnson. Hypnotone not only shaped their distinct sonic footprint but also influenced the broader trajectory of electronic music. Their journey, marked by innovation and a deep affinity for Manchester’s music scene, exemplifies the transformative power of the era’s cultural and technological shifts in music.

This is another must have for collectors and fans of early British (pop) house music, and very happy memories.

Files under Ambient / Dream House / Soft Bleep

Tracklist

A1. Hypnotone – Dream Beam
A2. Hypnotone – Junovia
A3. Hypnotone – Potion 90
A4. Hypnotone – Italia
B1. Hypnotone – In Joy
B2. Hypnotone – SBX
B3. Hypnotone – Sub

Musique Pour La Danse will releases Hypnotone on June 21, 2024

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Lefto presents Jazz Cats is back with volume 3!

Lefto Early Bird showcases the next generation of Belgian jazz artists on its third comp on Sdban Ultra, out this May.

Lefto presents Jazz Cats is back with volume 3 and still doing what it does best: putting you in the front row of what the thriving Belgian jazz scene currently has to offer and revealing a melting pot of the musical talent coming out one of the smallest countries in Europe. Never change a winning team they say, so we’re happy to have Belgian DJ and eclectic connoisseur Lefto on board again.

Although you expect the compilation to be talking jazz, volume 3 explores a broader array of styles, genres, and sounds than ever before, arriving at a point where the young cats of today don’t bother no more. It may focus on the Belgian scene, but let’s face it, seeing the influences, this one could be compiled from all over the world. 

From the empowering and bittersweet voices of Oriana Ikomo and Adja, over the more acoustic-electronic productions of Moodprint, Ciao Kennedy, Kassius and echofarmer. It’s even expanding the Jazz Cats universe to dub and bass-heavy tracks with Kin Gajo and Le Ministère, Ethio-jazz from Azmari, while sending you back to earth with bodies’ swirling sax and drums. That saxophone still rings in your ears when you end up in the orbit of the march-like drums of Bodem, Orson Claeys‘ piano testing your ability to follow him, slamming the breaks to go smooth cruisin’ with HONEY (Morricone meets Khruangbin, anyone?), to crashing in a raging tempo on that last track of Bruno x Soet x Moene. And there you are, back with us.

Watch Orson Claeys’s ‘Conversations’ – Live at Music at Mari’s

Another release in less than two years!”, says Lefto. “I am very impressed by the amount of creative “jazz” talent we’ve managed to compile over the last couple of years. Thanks to the internet, young musicians find inspiration from around the globe and incorporate diverse influences into their work. Given the history and heritage of jazz in this country, it has managed to create a healthy jazz scene supported by festivals, venues, press, and labels. Therefore, I am very proud to present to you the third installment of Jazz Cats. This compilation is dedicated to the young and hardworking musicians who are the present and the future of Belgium’s jazz scene.

Tracklist

A1. Oriana Ikomo – NEVER FORGET
A2. Moodprint – Eartha
A3. Kin Gajo – Exit, Gajo!
A4. Adja – Told you so
A5. bodies – brioche
B1. Orson Claeys – Conversations
B2. Bodem – Kleine Mars
B3. HONEY – Bossa dolce
C1. Azmari – Sheep Party
C2. Le Ministère – De l’Amour
C3. Ciao Kennedy – Parcifal Pt. I
D1. echofarmer – beginning would have been outside
D2. Kassius – Escapism
D3. Bruno x Soet x Moene – OTT

Sdban Ultra will releases Jazz Cats Volume 3 on May 3, 2024

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