Hello everybody. Hope you all had a nice summer holiday and stuff. To help you ease into normal life here’s some tunes that should lift some of the holiday blues away.

DATASHAT – STOP THE MESSAGE (WIDESCREEN EDIT) (HANDSETTE)

Everyone should buy this record just for the cover – Wiliam Shatner’s face stuck on the bodies of the Furious Five (in tribute to the ‘Five’s iconic ‘The Message’  record sleeve) is truly a work of genius (of sorts). Described by some as a novelty record but don’t grimace, it’s actually one of the most fun records of the year.  A cheeky italo/electro re-working of ‘The Message’, this should at least raise a smile before the ironic haircuts get their hands on it and just ruin it for everyone. Sigh. Novelty records eh? What’s the point?

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MACHO – I’M A MAN (WHITE/PRELUDE)

After much searching, I finally managed to pick up a copy of this much sought after (and a little bit camp) 1978 disco classic. Re-issued on limited  white label, this cover of the 1962 Spencer Davies Group’s hit was the result of a collaboration between Jacques Fred Petrus ( Peter Jacques Band and the brainchild behind Chic-lite band Change) and Mauro Malavesi (err, also in Chic-lite band Change), who were considered to be one of Europe’s leading disco pioneers.  An epic eighteen minute disco-rock number that will leave you enthralled and slightly dazed.

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MOONBASE – WAITING FOR A TRAIN (VINTAGE FRANCE)

At last! A record i can really relate to – waiting for a train, and we’ve all done that haven’t we? I wish i could say that this record was about the perils of public transport but it’s actually a ruddy excellent cover of Aussie new wave band Flash And The Pan’s 1982 oddball hit. Originally released in 1983, original copies go for crazy money, so the nice people at Vintage France have included it on their wonderful ‘Space Misson’ 12″ series (which I highly recommend you check out –  this is on ‘Space Misson 3′). A cold yet seductive italo number which leaves you pondering whether Green Velvet listened and took notes. Mmmmm… I wonder.

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ZSA ZSA LA BOUM – SOMETHING SCARY (KAOS RECORDS)

Released in 1988, this classic Belgium new beat/balearic/acid/whatever record, blended the sounds from the emerging house scene and created one of the first good ’hard beat’ records (It’s not as bad as you think!). Listening to it today, it sounds remarkably contemporary. With its mesh of all styles, it still sounds fresh and yes, a bit scary. A Poirot of a record (sorry). 

(p.s. the vocal sample was taken from the 1981 film ‘The Entity’, just in case you were wondering)

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