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Two killer funky disco classics! Greg Carmichael's original version of "I Got A Big Bee" is a gas – with these high-pitched "bee" voices that sound super-cool, and which work well with the cut's twisting and turning grooves. "Dance & Shake Your Tombourine" is an undisputed Patrick Adams classic – with a stellar groove that's right in the Cloud One "Spaced Out" mode, and filled to the brim with some great moog!

A great addendum to Greg Foat's excellent Girl & Robots album – a set that's billed as a remix album, but which actually offers up much much more! The set's got less the feel of reworked material from another record, then a vibe that feels like a continuation of the great trippy jazz that Greg cooked up in the studio – almost as if the label uncovered more tapes that have the group jamming on alternate versions that sound even sweeter than the originals! Loads of keyboards, vibes, and spacey drums – and titles include "Girl & Robot With Flowers Part 5 (with Lumiarja)", "Have Spacesuit Will Travel Part 2 (Linkwood rmx)", "Clear Skies Select Stick (Vakula rmx)", "For A Breath I Tarry (Francis Dosoo's borrowed breath)", and "Girl & Robot With Flowers Part 4 (Cherrystones rmx)".

Robot Rock n Roll issue featuring a lavishly illustrated encyclopedia of hundreds of robot records/bands/etc. Interviews with Captured! By Robots, Gilbert and George (The Singing Sculpture), Arthur Lee Maye (1950s R&B/Baseball star), Blowfly, The Troggs, Snoop Dogg, The Syndicate of Sound, Richard and the Young Lions, Rocket From The Crypt, Archer Prewitt, Andy Starr and Junior Brown. Plus Bubblegum, Martin & Lewis, Shrimpenstein (written by Dominic Priore), Crispy Ambulance, Sammy Davis, Jr., Art Fein's 1950s Chicago memories, Bryan Gregory obituary, lots of comics, reviews and more.

Excellent! The cut's a dancefloor classic – and it's got this wonderful little moogy instrumentation that's a perfect example of the genius of Patrick Adams and Greg Carmichael, who put the whole thing together, and who give the cut a real P&P funky flavor. A real killer, and one that we never tire of!

Amazing sounds from this very hip group – a contemporary combo, but one who play with a depth of sound to warrant their inclusion on the Jazzman label! The style is almost spiritual jazz, but a bit more laidback too – sounds that are cosmic, yet never soaring to the skies – and almost more content to contemplate their own existence in these cool little rhythmic progressions – a very hip approach that draws a lot of power from its minimalism! Instrumentation is a bit trippy at points – but mostly in the way the players fold things together – so that tinkling piano tipples over brooding basslines, or organ lines hum softly to encourage string sounds to start too – a beautifully poetic style that only gets better as the album moves along! This limited EP features four songs that won't be on the vinyl pressing of the full album – "Girl & Robot With Flowers" parts 1, 2, and 3 – and "Have Spacesuit Will Travel (part 1)".

Amazing sounds from this very hip group – a contemporary combo, but one who play with a depth of sound to warrant their inclusion on the Jazzman label! The style is almost spiritual jazz, but a bit more laidback too – sounds that are cosmic, yet never soaring to the skies – and almost more content to contemplate their own existence in these cool little rhythmic progressions – a very hip approach that draws a lot of power from its minimalism! Instrumentation is a bit trippy at points – but mostly in the way the players fold things together – so that tinkling piano tipples over brooding basslines, or organ lines hum softly to encourage string sounds to start too – a beautifully poetic style that only gets better as the album moves along! Titles include "Cast Adrift", "For A Breath I Tarry", "Have Spacesuit Will Travel (part 2)", "Clear Skies Select Stick", "Girl & Robot With Flowers (part 6)", and "Girl & Robot With Flowers (part 4)". CD features four tracks not on the limited LP pressing.

Amazing sounds from this very hip group – a contemporary combo, but one who play with a depth of sound to warrant their inclusion on the Jazzman label! The style is almost spiritual jazz, but a bit more laidback too – sounds that are cosmic, yet never soaring to the skies – and almost more content to contemplate their own existence in these cool little rhythmic progressions – a very hip approach that draws a lot of power from its minimalism! Instrumentation is a bit trippy at points – but mostly in the way the players fold things together – so that tinkling piano tipples over brooding basslines, or organ lines hum softly to encourage string sounds to start too – a beautifully poetic style that only gets better as the album moves along! Titles include "Cast Adrift", "For A Breath I Tarry", "Have Spacesuit Will Travel (part 2)", "Clear Skies Select Stick", "Girl & Robot With Flowers (part 6)", and "Girl & Robot With Flowers (part 4)".

Excellent work by the Universal Robot Band – an electronic ensemble put together by producer Greg Carmichael, and featuring that great funky moog sound that he and Patrick Adams were using heavily at the time! The tracks have a funky disco groove – similar to groups on P&P Records, but a bit more conventionally disco at points too – with elements that might have made these guys cross over to a slightly bigger audience in the 70s. The moog is plenty great throughout – going really wild a times, with that unbridled quality that really marks a P&P recording – and the beats often that that slightly funk, sweetly stepping Adams/Carmichael groove too! With all that great keyboard work, there's hardly a tambourine in sight – and titles include "Dance & Shake Your Tambourine", "You're My Music", "Space Disco", "Save Me", and "Sunshine". CD also features a radio mix of "Dance & Shake Your Tambourine".

A contemporary take on the sounds of mid-Century – a very cool batch of tracks that leans heavily on 50s exotica, 60s electronica, and lots of other odd bits – all filtered together in cool production with a really playful feel! The set's somewhere between some of the older retro sounds on the Irma La Douce label, and some of the colder work in recent years by groups who've been inspired by Italian crime and horror soundtracks – although Akron's work is a bit warmer overall. Titles include "Rabbits In Orbit", "A Glimpse Of Hell", "Frog War Chant", "Robot Grind", "Memory Hole", and "Picabu".

One of the rarest albums by Les Baxter – and one of the best! The record features an excellent batch of "space exotica" tracks, set amidst some very lively arrangements, all packaged in one of the greatest album covers of the 50s! Les' writing and leading are as excellent as always, and the record has a beautiful sound that never gets as soppy as some of the other 50s space-age albums. Titles include "A Distant Star", "Moonscape", "Mr. Robot", "The Commuter", and "The Other Side Of The Moon". This CD edition includes a heck of a lot of great bonus material – a selection of mid 50s singles by Baxter, both a-sides and b-sides – some a bit more pop and less exotica oriented, but still plenty off beat and and nicely odd, and some sweeter numbers, too. Includes the 12 tracks from the original album, and 18 bonus tracks, including "Cornflakes", "Toy Tigers", "Sinner Man", "Blue Echo", "Cherchez La Femme", "Molodia Loca", "Please Mr Sun" and much more.

A very weird record – and one of the most compelling albums ever cut by organ whiz Dave Baby Cortez! The record's a mixture of many different styles – the pop soul instrumentals of Dave's earlier career, the funky soul jazz of the early 70s, and some trippier sounds that have a wild spaced out feel – hardly what you'd expect from Dave's early 60s hits! Arrangements are by Sammy Lowe, and the approach is mostly in the small combo format, with some added backings on a few of the cuts – all nicely run through the rougher New Jersey edges of the All Platinum label – which really helps enforce the sound of the record! Titles include the classic "Funky Robot (parts 1 & 2)", plus the cuts "Funk Shack East", "Pretty Eyes", "P's and Q's", "Born Funky", and "Tongue Kissing", which has a spoken voice narrating how to French kiss!

The decoy here might be in the rhythms, which are often electric, but still played live – handled by Robert Irving III on many tracks, with a cool 80s fusion sound that's mighty nice! The style of the album's a nice change from the Miles groove of the 70s – a bit leaner, with almost a Weather Report influence at times, but far less jamming – and still prone to the darker tones that always make Davis' music of these later years surprisingly good. Al Foster handles acoustic drums on some tracks, and other players include Bill Evans on soprano sax and Mino Cinelu on percussion – on titles that include "Decoy", "Robot 415", "Code MD", "Freaky Deaky", "What It Is", "That's Right", and "That's What Happened".

Amazing stuff! This is a totally cool bit of early electronics from the late 60s – and the music is dark and spooky, with lots of weird wild harsh electronics (if you know Dissevelt's other albums, you'll know what we mean!) The whole thing sounds sort of like a mad robot playing a crazy space organ on a merry go round while dropping acid – and that description only gets at half the record! It's a great one if you like spooky 60s electronics, and titles include "Moon Maid", "Sonik Re-Entry", "Twilight Ozone", "Orbit Aurora", and "The Ray Makers". Very cool! Omni Records always fleshes out their releases with loads great bonus material – and they once again go to great lengths on this one! It features the rare stereo version of the album with outtakes, alternates, mono versions more previously unreleased raritites. 20 tracks in all!

A smoking little set from Flaming Ember – a rock group at the core, but one who has plenty of blue-eyed soul in the mix – thanks to great production from Greg Perry, and strong arrangements from HB Barnum and McKinley Jackson – all of whom give the record a vibe that's right up there with the best Hot Wax/Invictus soul sets of the time! There's a nice amount of fuzz in the grooves – that post-Motown style that uses lots of great bass and guitar alongside core Detroit soul modes – and although the vocals have more of a rockish approach, the instrumental undercurrent is a great mix of funk, rock, and soul! Titles include the sweet soul ballad "Sunshine", plus the cuts "Ember Blues", "1200 Miles From Heaven", "Livin High Money Low", "Gotta Get Away", "Heart On Lovin You", "Stop The World & Let Me Off", and "Ding Need Dong". CD features bonus tracks – "Robot In A Robot's World", "If It's Good To You It's Good For You", "If It's Good To You It's Good For You (inst)", "Heart On Lovin You (long version)", and "Stop The World & Let Me Off (long version)".

A strange bit of funk from Yusef Lateef! The record was recorded late in the CTI electric years – and it's got Yusef fronting a funky jazz group on 5 tracks that have a decidely R&B-ish fusion twist. Dave Matthews – of James Brown funky fame – arranged the whole album, and the record is similar to some of Dave's funky jazz records from the mid 70s. A few cuts have vocals, and Art Farmer joins Yusef in the frontline on horns – and the two of them blow together in light melodic lines over the top of funky rhythms from Steve Gadd, Eric Gale, Alex Blake, and others. Titles include "Robot Man", "YL", "Communication", and "Look On The Right Side".

Even more experimental than the first album from The Swell Maps – a set that features some longer songs and a bit more tunes, but also a lot more weird sounds as well! Instrumentation is often slightly more conventional here, but usually taken to some very unusual places – odd tones and phrases that really mark the Maps as a key link between pre and post-punk sides of the British scene – and which give this record a timeless quality that's kept it essential for years! Epic Soundtracks serves up loads of cool instruments along with his drums – including some toys, violin, typewriter, and even a bit of mumbling – and Nikki Sudden drives the whole thing home with his droney guitar and great vocals. Titles include "Let's Buy A Bridge", "Robot Factory", "Big Maz In The Desert From The Trolley", "Mining Villages", "Collision With A Frogman Vs The Mangrove Delta Plan", "Whatever Happens Next", and "The Helicopter Spies".

2 of the best Rufus Thomas funky albums for Stax – back to back on a single CD! First up is Did You Heard Me – recorded in the early 70s with backing by The Movement and The Bar Kays, and with a good raw Stax sound on most cuts! Rufus is certainly in the "funky ___" mode here – doing a formulaic approach to funk that has him taking a theme for a song, and pushing it to the max by shouting and grooving it over and over again. Fortunately, the style still works well here – without the cliches of later albums, probably thanks in part to the album's tight funky backgrounds. The record features three tasty two-part single tracks – "The Breakdown (parts 1 & 2)", "Do The Push & Pull (parts 1 & 2)", and "Do The Funky Penguin (parts 1 & 2)" – all of which stand as some of Rufus' most-collected funky singles. Also features the groovy soul track "6 3 8", plus "Love Trap" and "The World Is Round". Crown Prince is a crowning achievement for Rufus Thomas – a set that bubbles over with funky intensity, and one of the last great albums he ever recorded for Stax! The funky Rufus mode is still in full full swing here – with loads of tunes that have the word "funky" in the title – basically jamming numbers that seem to let Thomas loose on vocals – coming up with whatever sort of catchy lyrics he can over the romping grooves underneath. Titles include two of his best funky tracks "Funky Robot" and "Funky Bird" – plus "I Wanna Sang", "Steal A Little", "I'm Still In Love With You", "Baby It's Real", "Steal A Little", and "Git On Up & Do It".

A wonderful sound library set from the great Piero Umiliani – and a record that's filled with some of his coolest electronics ever! The feel of the record is very much in keeping with the image on the cover – kind of sci fi, but kind of playful too – a wonderful blend of keyboards and moogy bits, often played with a cool little groove – but one that's laidback enough to recall Umiliani's best soundtrack music! Tunes are relatively short – between one and four minutes in length – but really have a great sense of variety and imagination – at a level that goes way beyond some of the overdone repetition you might find in other albums of this nature. Really great all the way through – with cuts that include "Futuristic Jam", "Killer Robot", "Soft Key", "Bric Brac", "Soundmaker Blues", "Gadget", "Danza Galattica", and "Jingle No 1".

A second amazing look at the Cosmic club scene in early 80s Italy – a book-like package that tells the story of DJ Daniele Baldelli, complete with text in English and Italian, and lots of vintage photos – then goes onto include two CDs' worth of vintage music, all selected by Baldelli himself! As with the first volume, there's lots of electricity in the music – the kind of keyboard-heavy grooves that really defined the sound of Cosmic – mixed with some warm numbers that also show the emergence of some African and Brazilian influences on the dancefloor. Titles include "Salaly Muhamed" by Toure Kunda, "No B" by Explorer, "Song From India" by SFF, "Robot Is Systematic" by Lectric Workers, "Ink Man" by Kevin Harrison, "All Right All Right All Right" by Prima Volta, "Massa Massa" by Zara Thustra, "Air Pocket" by Roger Powell, and "Young Embrace" by Azymuth. One CD is mixed, the other unmixed, and book is full color – over 100 pages long!

A great look at an oft-neglected chapter of underground club – the excellent electronic work coming out of Italy in the early 80s! The Italian approach to the music was certainly influenced by the sounds of New York, German, and England at the time – but it also had its own flavor – a kind of unabashed love of the dancefloor, and a subtle hope that disco would someday come again! The grooves on the set are all spare and electronic, but also quite infectious – with a really strong focus on the hook, and a stripped-down sound that somehow makes them even more compelling. Titles include "Robot Is Systematic" by Letric Workers, "Dance Boy Dance" by Alexander Robotnick, "Stranger In A Strange Land (club)" by NOIA, "Collision (rmx)" by Sphinx, "Pinguins Invasion (hot version)" by Scotch, "Plastic Doll (rmx inst)" by Dharma, "Walking In The Neon (club)" by Peter Richard, "Wonderful (inst)" by Klein & MBO, "I Need Love (inst)" by Capricorn, and "Spacer Woman (voc)" by Charlie.

A giant-sized tribute to the fanzine movement! The book is devoted to DIY zines from the 70s onward – not just the iconic underground music journals – all the great personal and passionate self-published subcultural screeds. Teal Triggs' book is beautiful, served well by the oversized format (13.4 x 9.5 inches) and in full color – with more than 750 illustrations. It's heavy with shots of zine covers and page scans, with loads of rarities celebrated – from Punk and Search And Destroy up to Bust and Giant Robot – even some pages devoted to webzines. Paperback, 256 pages.

Daft Punk have always worn their love of pop, disco, electro, soul and fusion pretty proudly on their robot sleeves – and bless 'em, they're paying more earnest tribute than ever before on Random Access Memories – featuring homages to and collaborations with Chic guitarist/pop soul producer extraordinare Nile Rodgers, Italo disco pioneer Giorgio Morodor, soft rock genius Paul Williams and others! What a big, affectionate, timeless and lovable electronic pop record this is. It might not be the best of Daft Punk from the perspective of longtime fans of theirs, but it's certainly our favorite! Includes "Give Life Back To Music", "The Game Of Love", "Giorgio By Morodor", "Within", "Intstant Crush", "Lose Yourself To Dance", "Touch", "Get Lucky", "Beyond", "Motherboard", "Fragments Of Time", "Doin' It Right" and "Contact".

Rough and raw grooves – way more than you might guess from the "twist" reference in the title! The sound here is more R&B than anything else – lots of heavy drums, honking sax, burning organ, and riffing guitar – but there's also some echoes of Latin rhythms, rockabilly raunch, and some 60s soul elements too – all percolating together wonderfully in a way that sounds like somebody blew the dust off a gritty pile of 45s, then filled them up to blast away in a decades-old jukebox in a tavern on the other side of the tracks! The CD version of Twistin Rumble Vol 1 collects many of the tracks from Twistin Rumble Volumes 1 & 2 vinyl – with plenty of rare gems – including "The Bonecracker" by Johnny & The Debonairs, "Sweet Bacon" by Julian Covey, "Swingin Drums" by Ronnie Kae, "King Cobra" by The Wildtones, "Driving Wheel" by Mac Sims, "Funky Onions" by Matthew Childs, "Where's My Pussycat" by Terry & The Topics, "A Little Bit Of Everything" by Jocko, "Classie's Whip" by Classie Ballou, "Do The Robot" by Marvulus Mickey, "Oh Yeah" by The El Cobras, "I Want To Know" by Merle Spears, "Carl's Dance Party" by Carl Lattimore, "Cruise" by The Ambertones, "Big Bo's Iron Horse" by Big Bo & The Arrows, "Sha Ba Dah" by Higgs & Wilson, "Rooster Knees & Rice" by Clarence & Calvin, and "Hornet's Nest" by Curtis Knight. 29 tracks in all.

A cool sci-fi story from two of the three brothers who created Love & Rockets – a tight little tale about robot culture, with a vibe that's like some of the best work from the early years of the magazine! The drawings here are most strongly in the famous style of Gilbert Hernadez, but you can also feel the influence of Mario as well – and the high-quality printing has the black and white images really popping off the page, wrapped up in a nice color hardcover! 126 pages, with bonus notes as well.

An absolute treasure of tripped-out, space age symphonic funk from 101 Strings! On this set the undocumented group of session players run through a whole bunch of spacey cuts, complete with fuzzed out electric guitar and sitar, weird period electronics, and more than a few funky drum breaks. It's the kind of record that could only be born of the late 60s scene – filled with huge, stratospheric string charts that soar with pure classical chops, as filtered through the groovy, anything-goes era of late 60s space age grooves. The tracks are as groovy as the titles, which include "Re-Entry to Mog", "Bad Trip Back to '69", "Trippin On Lunar O7", Where Were You In 1982?" and "A Disappointing Love With A Desensitized Robot".

A beautifully illustrated little book devoted to the coolest musical toys of the past half century – from the collection of Eric Schneider – and featuring a forward by DJ Spooky! It's all about the images in this book, photographs of these incredible, colorful musical kitsch relics of their time – classic toy organs of the 50s & 60s, robot voice changers, noise generators, musical kits, toy drums, rhythm machines, kiddie turntables and more. A wonderful look back – we remember many of these from childhood, and boy do we wish we still had our old Mattel Magical Musical Thing! Hardcover, 190 pages.

A crowning achievement for Rufus Thomas – a set that bubbles over with funky intensity, and one of the last great albums he ever recorded for Stax! The funky Rufus mode is still in full full swing here – with loads of tunes that have the word "funky" in the title – basically jamming numbers that seem to let Thomas loose on vocals – coming up with whatever sort of catchy lyrics he can over the romping grooves underneath. Titles include two of his best funky tracks "Funky Robot" and "Funky Bird" – plus "I Wanna Sang", "Steal A Little", "I'm Still In Love With You", "Baby It's Real", "Steal A Little", and "Git On Up & Do It".

An incredible compilation of dancefloor soul & disco from the early 80s – rare, extended and previously unreleased mixes by NYC legend John Morales – featuring essential material from Logg, Universal Robot Band, Tony Adderly, Class Action, Inner Life and more! Morales was a part of the DJ remix scene that made club ready soul gems out of a bunch of the pop and soul hits of the day, but this compilation on BBE goes deeper than that for the cream of the crop of the post disco grooves of the day, most running on the long side for that unstoppable dancefloor approach, while keeping the song based soul sound fully in place. Essential! CD version has 19 tracks on 2CDs: "Ain't No Mountain High Enough Part I" (JM 4AM mix), "Breaking Down (Sugar Samba)" (JM After-Session M&M mix) by Julia & Company, "Barely Breaking Even" (club version) by Universal Robot Band, "I Ain't Mad At You" (JM extended M&M mix) by Tony Adderly, "Never Can Say Goodbye" (demo version) by La-Rita Gaskin, "All Over Your Face" (JM After-Session M&M mix) by Ronnie Dyson, "(Knock Out) Let's Go Another Round" (JM After-Session M&M mix) by Inner Life, "You Got (That Something)" by Logg and more, "Down For Double" (JM After-Session M&M mix) by Cubie Burke and more.

The icy cool second album from German avant electronics gurus Der Plan – a great batch of raw electro pop from the nascent new wave of the German scene! Some of the darker touches of the earlier album give way to some quirkier grooves here – with tunes that largely carry a skewed pop sensibility – but done with a spare, kind of haunting sound! Great stuff with some early use of samples and many other touches that pave the way for myriad pop experimentalists to come. Titles include "Lebdoch", "Renate", "Meine Freunde", "Ich Bin Eien Computer", "Robot Bolero", "Eenerale Essen Erdbeereis", "Kleine Schlager-Revue", "Sie Hat Mich Verlassen", "Pausen-Sassa" and many more from the original release – plus a healthy bunch of bonus tracks – "Wat's Dat?", "Rot Grun Tod", "8 1/2 B", "Film Noir 1979" and more.

Even more experimental than the first album from The Swell Maps – a set that features some longer songs and a bit more tunes, but also a lot more weird sounds as well! Instrumentation is often slightly more conventional here, but usually taken to some very unusual places – odd tones and phrases that really mark the Maps as a key link between pre and post-punk sides of the British scene – and which give this record a timeless quality that's kept it essential for years! Epic Soundtracks serves up loads of cool instruments along with his drums – including some toys, violin, typewriter, and even a bit of mumbling – and Nikki Sudden drives the whole thing home with his droney guitar and great vocals. Titles include "Let's Buy A Bridge", "Robot Factory", "Big Maz In The Desert From The Trolley", "Mining Villages", "Collision With A Frogman Vs The Mangrove Delta Plan", "Whatever Happens Next", and "The Helicopter Spies".

Revolution-minded hip hop from the Black Opera collective – with production by J-Bizness, 14KT, Astronote and Nick Speed. Titles include "The Black Opera" with Melody Betts, "Manute Boll", "Dark Comedy" with scratches by Rhettmatic, "Monstors And Robots", "ThrILL" feat Fyza, "Fantom", "The Magician" with Vaughn G & Jade Latham and more.

A couple of lost proggy and surprisingly funky early 80s albums by keyboardist Tony Carey – his Explorer and Yellow Power LPs – together in cool 2LP gatefold set from Medical Records! Just a few years earlier, Carey was playing with Ritchie Blackmore in Rainbow – but the sound of this solo material is a world away! It carries a bit of a late era Euro disco vibe – mixed with some starker, more walloping sounds that are more indebted to new wave. It's got hypnotic keyboard grooves, compelling beats and cosmic atmosphere to spare – the kind that'll be welcome to connoisseurs of artists as varied as Giorgio Morodor, Alexander Robotnick, John Carpenter and Devo! Explorer is the slightly sparer record and Yellow Power is the more polished one -which features alternate versions of the majority of the Explorer songs and some completely different titles, too– and it ultimately serves as a more fleshed out version of the preceding LP. Both were recorded in 1982 at Hotline Studios in Frankfurt. Really cool, mostly instrumental grooves! Explorer includes "Enjaw J", "Transit To Nowhere", "Megawar", "Blue Fusion", "No. 8", "No. 14", "Rabbits" and more. The Yellow Power LP includes "Hai Samurai", "Tojo", "Queen Of Scots", "Blue Fusion", "Peking Duck", "Radio Tokyo", "Dynamite" and more.

Some of the noisiest music we've heard so far from Cherrystones – a sweet set that's heavy on fuzz and electronics, but which still holds onto the strong sense of beat from before! There's a pretty dark vibe to most of the record – a bite that goes way beyond downtempo, and which reminds us of the way that Cherrystones first shook things up years ago – opening ears to corners of sounds that weren't always treated in the same way as funk – a journey that's taken us miles to get to the place of this striking little set! Titles include "Bruised Meats", "Dirty Washing", "Molecular Battler", "Moonstone", "Red Nails", and "Robots Kin".

Some of the noisiest music we've heard so far from Cherrystones – a sweet set that's heavy on fuzz and electronics, but which still holds onto the strong sense of beat from before! There's a pretty dark vibe to most of the record – a bite that goes way beyond downtempo, and which reminds us of the way that Cherrystones first shook things up years ago – opening ears to corners of sounds that weren't always treated in the same way as funk – a journey that's taken us miles to get to the place of this striking little set! Titles include "Bruised Meats", "Dirty Washing", "Molecular Battler", "Moonstone", "Red Nails", and "Robots Kin".

Great electronics from the Indian scene of the 80s – music that's a lot warmer and more evocative than you might guess from the "robotic" in the title – thanks to plenty of roots in the Kollywood soundtrack scene! The instrumentation is often spare, but still echoes the fuller scope of Bollywood brilliance – and at some level, Ilaiyaraaja's music here represents an 80s take on earlier Bollywood funk – sometimes a bit quirkier, due to the instrumentation – but hardly ever cold or stark at all, and very different from the kind of electronics that were brimming big on the European scene. Part of this quality really comes from the vocals – sung by singers who include KS Chitra, Malaysia Vasudevan, SP Balasubrahmanyam, Vani Jayaram, and others – often in styles that have the playful back/forth approach of Indian film lyrics. The set's a treasure through and through – with 17 mesmerizing tracks that include "Kadal Mele", "Mancha Podi", "Adi Rani", "Poo Poo Kkum", "Ilasa Sirusa", "Eswarane", "Needhi Idhu", and "Poongatre".

Great electronics from the Indian scene of the 80s – music that's a lot warmer and more evocative than you might guess from the "robotic" in the title – thanks to plenty of roots in the Kollywood soundtrack scene! The instrumentation is often spare, but still echoes the fuller scope of Bollywood brilliance – and at some level, Ilaiyaraaja's music here represents an 80s take on earlier Bollywood funk – sometimes a bit quirkier, due to the instrumentation – but hardly ever cold or stark at all, and very different from the kind of electronics that were brimming big on the European scene. Part of this quality really comes from the vocals – sung by singers who include KS Chitra, Malaysia Vasudevan, SP Balasubrahmanyam, Vani Jayaram, and others – often in styles that have the playful back/forth approach of Indian film lyrics. The set's a treasure through and through – with 17 mesmerizing tracks that include "Kadal Mele", "Mancha Podi", "Adi Rani", "Poo Poo Kkum", "Ilasa Sirusa", "Eswarane", "Needhi Idhu", and "Poongatre".

An electro classic – and one of the best tunes to come out of that whole Italian disco scene! The single's got a nice midtempo popping beat, and it's pressed up in a cool format that has a much bigger label than a regular single.

A seminal 70s set from this key Aussie band – one that almost had more of an impact here in the US than they did in their homeland! The sound is pretty tight, even though there's some larger horns on some cuts – and The Saints have a razor-sharp guitar edge that doesn't profess to be punkish, but which sits alongside nicely with the other harder Sire work of the time. Titles include "Run Down", "This Perfect Day", "(I'm) Misunderstood", "International Robots", "No, Your Product", "Memories Are Made Of This", and "Lost & Found".

Strange stuff! "Automatic Lover" is a clear Kraftwerk rip off, complete with robotic vocals, and a cold German backing. Very different than anything else Sylvia ever did, and proof that she was certainly a nutter!

Chicago deep house player & producer Glenn Underground's deepest and most soul jazz-steeped effort to date! We really thought Glenn stepped up his game pretty decisively on the previous full length for his Strictly Jaz Unit label – and Forgotten Art is another major leap forward. This is modern instrumental club music at it's most soulful, jazz aware and able – the beats and rhythms drive the sound, but there's so much vibrant, live energy here – keys, horns and eclectic percussion in particular. Classic dance music from 70s jazz & disco to benchmark house influences flow in and out, but it's also profoundly contemporary without copping to current trends – in other words, it's straight up built to last. Nah, Glenn. . .we won't forget this one! Titles include "Strumming & Thinking", "Forgotten Art (Music)", "Safe At Home", "Robots & Bumblebees (A Tribute To Patrick Adams)", "Shiloh (A King's Return)", "Silent Pimp (Peace In My Place)", "Tabernacle", "What's Next" and "Peace For Nippon (Japan)",

Spacey funk and electronic sound library grooves from the mid 70s to early 80s – great stuff with a focus on the neon lighted, pulsating synth enhanced sounds of a perceived future – and previously unreleased! It's earliest material in the set is a Bernard Estardy track from 1975 that feels like a real precursor to the later grooves to come – Moog heavy spaciness that's more akin to early 80s grooves – which this set is heavily steeped in – with material by Marc Monsen, John Fiddy & Sammy Burdson, Gunter Greffenius, James Saunders and many more. Electro disco theme music, dramatic synth sequences, space funk and synth sounds galore! Includes "Robotory" by John Fiddy & Sammy Burdson, "Evasion" by Claude Perraudin, "Jupiter" by Gaston Borreani, "A Chance To Win 1 & 2 (Edit)" by Milan Pilar, "Video Funk" by VDB Joel, "Hercules" by Chris Evans-Ironside, "Tic Tac Ring" by Bernard Estardy, "Space Race" by Sammy Burdson, "Point Of Impact" by Gunter Greffenius and more. 16 tracks in all.

A classic! Where would electronic pop be without Gary Numan's "Cars"? Alongside Kraftwerk's classic 80s albums and Yellow Magic Orchestra's first LP, this album by Gary Numan ranks as one of the most essential synth driven LPs. Brilliant pop numbers that awash with robotic tones that will forever vindicate 80s new wave. Includes "Airlane", "Metal", "Complex", "Films", "ME", "Tracks", "Observer", "Conversation", "Cars" and "Engineers".

A reissue single that brings together 2 of Atlantic's funkiest sides ever! "Funky Nassau" is an incredible cut – famous, but one we never tire of! This incredible jammer has one of the maddest rhythms you'll ever hear – bass and drums so fierce that they must have been programmed by robots to be so precise – dancing freely all over the place, yet still coming down "whomp" on the beat! The Clarence Reid cut is great too – with a snapping funky soul groove that's very much a sister to "It's Your Thing"!

Raw underground funk from Los Sospechos – featuring members of Budos Band & Menahan Street Band – excellent numbers created for the soundtrack to the film Postales! "Jano's Revenge" starts with and revolves around a killer bass groove with a nice & pulpy kick to it – with funky horns with just a bit of a Latin, or even southwestern flair. The drums & percussion are also Daptone worthy and there's some grooving organ in the mix, too! "Mirror Door" has even more swelling organ sounds, and a great flavor of it's own, with the horns and organ playing over a drum machine groove that's anything but cold and robotic! Both tracks are Car-Del Productions, the work of Michael Deller and John Carbonella of The Budos Band.

One of the darkest of the Brutal 500 Series – a batch of tracks from Japanese combo EP-4 – with a distinct post-punk feel overall! The group formed in the early 80s, and has a sound that definitely shows that origin – lots of spare, cyclical lines that work in brooding rhythms that are heavy on the basslines, and on drum parts that kind of spark up nicely from the darkness! There's almost a slight Byrne/Eno quality to the music – and titles include "Coco", "5 21", "Robothood Process", and "Tide Gauge".

Great electronics from the Indian scene of the 80s – music that's a lot warmer and more evocative than you might guess from the "robotic" in the title – thanks to plenty of roots in the Kollywood soundtrack scene! The instrumentation is often spare, but still echoes the fuller scope of Bollywood brilliance – and at some level, Ilaiyaraaja's music here represents an 80s take on earlier Bollywood funk – sometimes a bit quirkier, due to the instrumentation – but hardly ever cold or stark at all, and very different from the kind of electronics that were brimming big on the European scene. Part of this quality really comes from the vocals – sung by singers who include KS Chitra, Malaysia Vasudevan, SP Balasubrahmanyam, Vani Jayaram, and others – often in styles that have the playful back/forth approach of Indian film lyrics. The set's a treasure through and through – with 17 mesmerizing tracks that include "Kadal Mele", "Mancha Podi", "Adi Rani", "Poo Poo Kkum", "Ilasa Sirusa", "Eswarane", "Needhi Idhu", and "Poongatre".

Music found online, then collected here in one sweet little set – a great illustration of the way that in the 21st Century, internet sound files have come to represent a whole new level of digging! All the cuts here were issued digitally first, and are making a wax debut here – as a brilliant testament to the rich new sounds bubbling out there online – from fresh Neo Soul to warm jazzy grooves to some sweet cosmic beats! There's a vibe here that's every bit as great as the first volume – and the track selection is sublime – like having one of the world's few tastemakers hip you to the coming sounds of the next generation. Titles include "Where You Gone" by INT, "Journey To The Shore" by Dopegems, "Muscles" by Bonnie Banane, "Freak Out" by Natronix, "YBMJ" by Monkeyrobot, "Dealing" by Up High Collective, "Boomboxin" by Moodprint, "7th Week" by Roux Spanna, "Paintball" by Monster Sneaker, and "All Matter" by Modlee & Vlooper.

Digital music in a physical realm – a great little project that collects together a range of groundbreaking sounds from the online music scene – then puts them together in a well-presented compilation! The music here is all pretty darn fresh – a wicked batch of 21st Century soul, hip hop, nujazz, and more – all the sort that might have been issued on labels like Compost or Sonar Kollektiv a decade ago, but which hardly makes it on record these days! Yet thanks to the great efforts of Heavenly Sweetness, these grooves are getting some great exposure – almost like catching a great slice of Gilles Peterson's radio show. 2CD package features both volumes 1 & 2 – 29 titles that include "Drum Talking" by Mo Kolours, "Grandma" by Bobby Blunt, "Fall In Love" by Badbadnotgood, "Hold On" by KRTS, "Una Peripecia" by Buddy Sativa, "Journey Through My Mind" by Bug, "Conflict Of A Man" by Erimaj, "Kalimba Song" by Abjo, "Controlled Feelings" by Opolopo Voltage, "Where You Gone" by INT, "Journey To The Shore" by Dopegems, "Muscles" by Bonnie Banane, "Freak Out" by Natronix, "YBMJ" by Monkeyrobot, "Dealing" by Up High Collective, "Paintball" by Monster Sneaker, and "All Matter" by Modlee & Vlooper.

The eerie synth-stoked score for Halloween 3 – featuring tripped out, cosmic horror keyboard compositions for a flick that cast off the lurking "shape" for cyborgs, witchery and masked faces that melt into piles of insects! Whatever you might think of the movie – or even if you don't want to see damn thing – the soundtrack is completely excellent! The sound is great – and nearly, if not wholly analog synth-based, and recorded to 24-track tape – therefore perfectly suited to vinyl listening! Titles include "Chariots Of Pumpkins", "Starker And Marge", "Robots At The Factory", "The Rock", "Challis Escapes", "South Corridor", "Goodbye Ellie" and more.