• Music

    Tonino Balsamo – Sta Guagliona Mo Ddà

    February 8, 2023 - By 

    I have something of a love-hate relationship with the city of Naples in Italy, but what always left a big impression on me was the quality of the music coming out of the city of all genres. This particular single is a reissue by Periodica Records of an ultra-rare disco classic recorded by Tonino Balsamo, and has made the rounds as a bootleg before finally being reissued in pristine sound. From the label’s Bandcamp site: “One of the rarest and most requested Neapolitan track around. Originally recorded in 1983 at the Rico Sound studios, the budget made available was not…

  • Music

    Msylma & Ismael – The Tenets of Forgetting (مذاهب النسيان)

    March 21, 2022 - By 

    Saudi singer Msylma & Egypt’s Ismael are two musicians who come from the rich Middle Eastern electronic music scene.  Msylma’s rich, mournful and introspective voice gives depth and emotion to the electro music produced underneath.  I have to admit, though this isn’t the kind of music I normally listen to, it’s so appealing to my ears that I’ll have to see what else these fine folks have produced in the past. Infinite respect to Éditions Appærent for publishing this fine album.

  • Music

    Cabaret Voltaire – Shadow of Fear

    September 21, 2021 - By 

    Today is a terrible day, as we’re reeling over the loss of Cabaret Voltaire multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer Richard H. Kirk.  He was 65 years old. The Cabs were one of the most influential bands of their era, whose work would have serve as inspiration to genres such as Industrial, post-punk, EBM, avant-funk, electro, acid house and techno. The album we share today was the first one by Cabaret Voltaire, with Richard doing the album solo, in 26 years.  It’s as bleak as the old material, though better recorded, and it sounds like a culmination of those early, gritty experimental recordings, that funky drum machine…