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This one started as a CD swap with NisaMishap, who tends to like her music on the dark and moody side. I put together some electronic tracks of this ilk and the result was satisfying enough to base a whole mix around the concept of dystopia.

I fully appreciate that this will not be to everyone's taste, as it spans a lot of different genres, from electro to techno to drum & bass to distorted guitar drones to industrial to dark ambient and many things in-between. It's also relentless in its devotion to the gloomy, melancholic or downright angry side of the music that I'm into. But there's also a great beauty in all that.

However, I hope you'll give it a listen and let me know what you think, as I personally (if I may say so) think it's an incredibly powerful experience, and easily the best mix I've ever put together. It feels like a journey through a futuristic dystopia, where each song represents a different aspect of this strange world, finally settling down in some sort of acceptance of a post-apocalyptic world. (Pretentious, me? Never.)

A lot of work went into this and I have to say I'm pleased with the result, it's a pretty epic journey. Enjoy.

Here's the download

European Man - Stories from the Dystopian Border
01. Edgard Varèse - Poème Electronique
02. Anthony Rother - Databank/Nuklearer Winter
03. Anthony Rother - Protektor
04. Panasonic - Uranokemia / Orgue Electronique - Die Liebe ist die größte Kraft
05. Mr. Clavio - Keine Gnade für die sechste
06. Rude 66 - Die Stärke der vernichtenden Schläge / I.B.M. - Kill Bill
07. Front 242 - Neurobashing
08. Squadra Blanco - The Night Must Fall
09. Bourbonese Qualk - Lies
10. SPK - Metal Field
11. Neil Landstrumm feat. The Horrorist - The Boy Who Held His Breath Too Long
12. Audion - Just Fucking / Kraftwerk - Uranium
13. Gescom - Keynell 2 / Frank Bolero - Klkon
14. I-F - I Do Because I Couldn't Care Less / Fliehende Stürme - Kleines Herz
15. Anthony Rother - Back Home
16. Johannes Heil - The World / Vitalic - La Rock 01
17. Joachim Spieth - Strauss
18. Fixmer/McCarthy - Splitter
19. Sven Väth - Mind Games (Selway Semblance Factor Mix)
20. Fixmer/McCarthy - Come Inside (Christopher Kah Mix)
21. Useless - Red X (Cymbalistic Remix by Dima)
22. Adam Beyer - Patches / Drexciya - Black Sea
23. Anthony Rother - Maschinenwelt (Live)
24. Dopplereffekt - Hyperelliptic Surfaces
25. Yeti - Starlightseed Citysightseeing / Sven Wittekind & Robert Natus - Bastards on the Move
26. Autechre - Second Peng
27. Depeche Mode - To Have and To Hold
28. Deftones - To Have and To Hold
29. Aphex Twin - Come to Daddy (Pappy Mix) / Sven Wittekind & Robert Natus - Bounce
30. Sven Wittekind & Robert Natus - Bastards on the Move
31. Breakage - Prophecy
32. Noisia - The Tide
33. Future Prophecies - Rage / Diode - No Mans Land
34. Dillinja - Armoured D
35. Nasty Habits - Shadow Boxing
36. Technical Itch - Mind Killa
37. Calyx - Double Zero
38. Diode - No Mans Land
39. Björk - Bachelorette (Alec Empire The Ice Princess And The Killer Whale Remix)
40. Krust - True Stories
41. Photek - Under the Palms
42. AFX - Analogue Bubblebath 3 Track 11
43. Jesu - Friends are Evil / The Knife - The Captain
44. Amusement Parks on Fire - Local Boy Makes God
45. Suicide - Che
46. Throbbing Gristle - Hometime
47. Autechre - VLetrmx21

In a fit of nostalgia after watching two of the excellent documentaries included on the DVD re-releases of the Depeche Mode back catalogue, I decided to put together a megamix of my favourite DM songs, in the style of the quick-fire megamixes popular in the 80s.

So here it is, all the juiciest bits from the best tracks at a breakneck pace.

European Man - Mixed Mode
(Download MP3)

Track listing
01 Strangelove (Blind Mix)
02 Behind the Wheel (7" Remix)
03 Shake the Disease
04 Shout (Rio Remix)
05 Stories of Old
06 Policy of Truth
07 Enjoy the Silence
08 World in My Eyes
09 Lie to Me
10 Puppets
11 Fools (Bigger)
12 Get the Balance Right (Combination Mix)
13 Excerpt from My Secret Garden
14 Nothing to Fear
15 In Your Memory
16 If You Want
17 Photographic
18 Big Muff
19 Something to Do
20 Two Minute Warning
21 Shout
22 Everything Counts
23 Everything Counts (Live)
24 Stripped
25 Love in Itself 3

I had some problems locating a download split up into individual, tagged MP3s of the Cybernetic Broadcasting System Top 100 this year so I reckoned I might as well put one up.

Thanks to CBS user statiq for providing the cue files that allowed me to split the files.

I've been through checking the track names against Discogs etc so they should be mostly correct and nicely scrobblable. (I did however leave the filenames intact for future reference.)

Download here

A lot of really great new finds this year, my favourites so far are E.R.P., $tinkworx, Oasis, Dream Disco, Pino Donaggio, Composite Profuse and Alex Valentini.

And there goes another year in which I've totally failed to get into the sounds of today.

The top 100 songs I listened to in 2007

1. G.A.N.G. - KKK (Club Mix) (1983)
Another year, another best of and yet again, a track from 1983 made by an acronym from Italy takes the top spot! It was even harder this time to pick the number one, but in the end this sublime gem of floaty electronic disco won out. It's just perfect, there isn't a single element that could be improved. My favourite bit is the bell-like sequence that first makes an appearance at 1:33. It's anyone's guess why it's named KKK, as the sounds emanating from the speakers are as far from cross-burning dimwits as you could possibly get. As per usual with this sort of stuff, there is virtually no info around about the people who made it or where it came from. But there's a spot-on comment by a user named restless on its Discogs page that nicely summarises the mood of the piece: "Too slow to really dance to it, too floating to be a radio hit, this record sounds like a reverie that was made only for pleasure, and you can hear it." As this is the track that gave birth to the idea of making a slowdisco mix, I feel it is only fitting that I should use this opportunity to shamelessly plug my A Gentle Sway in the Intergalactic Breeze mix, in my humble opinion the best mix I did so far.

2. The Hasbeens - Make The World Go Away (2006)
Having grabbed the top spot of last year's CBS Top 100, this track didn't make all that much of an impression on me initially. But it grew and grew and grew and now feels like one of those timeless classics that I will never be able to get tired of. I don't know what it is, there's nothing about this track that jumps out at you, but it's dripping with a magic, melancholic and slightly fragile feel, beautifully complemented by the sparse vocals yearning to "take this weight off my shoulders". It's the work of Mr. Pauli and DJ Overdose, and even though it was produced in 2006 it still hasn't seen an official release, but is scheduled to appear on a 12" on Clone sometime soon along with fantastic new track Keep Fooling Yourself and the deep cosmic-sounding Ain't the same as before. Just now when doing some research, I discovered they have some other new tracks up on their MySpace page that sound excellent as well. Expect some of those to show up in next year's list!

3. Sally Shapiro - Skating in the Moonshine (2007)
Another perfect pop tune from Sally Shapiro, this comes complete with all the elements that make me love Johan and Sally's music so much. An amazingly sweet chord sequence as always, ice crystal synths, a leisurely tempo, minor key melodies and a wistful vocal about love and longing. Still entirely based on the Valerie Dore blueprint, but why complain when it's this good. It gives you that same feeling you got when hearing a fantastic new song on the radio as a kid and it made you want to run to the record shop, buy the 7", the badge and the poster and felt tip "Sally Shapiro" onto your backpack. :)

4. Squadra Blanco - The Night Must Fall (2002)
I made an effort this year to track down and listen to all of Legowelt's (one of whose aliases this is) prolific output, and while I far from like it all, there are enough hidden treasures to be uncovered to make the exercise worthwhile. The Night Must Fall is a supremely moody and doom-laden soundtrackesque jackathon that has you firmly in its spell from the start. It builds in layers, and there's some great moments: 2:00 when the melody line comes in and 3:25 when the bass changes gear are particularly good. I'm not a fan of horror films, but if they all had soundtracks like this, I'd watch more of them.

5. Sally Shapiro - My Fantasy (2008)
As of yet unreleased, this is a slightly unexpected departure for the Shapiro sound. My Fantasy takes its cue from very early 90s trance (before it was even known as such) by the likes of Age of Love, Cosmic Baby, Virtual Symmetry and the early Eye Q sound in general, and proceeds to layer a typically Sallyesque vocal on top of it. It works surprisingly well and has been on constant repeat in my playlist since I first heard it a few weeks ago. As the pre-release version contains some cheeky little stolen snatches, the track will be reworked before release and might for all I know be a completely different piece of music by then.

6. Man Friday - Winners (Larry Levan Demo Mix) (1986)
At first listen I was convinced this was from the 70s as it has a raw funk-like feel to it, but there's some distinctly 8-bit-sounding aliasing on the bassline which made me suspect it must be a later production. And indeed, it turned out to be from 1986, presumably just before the first house records started coming out of Chicago. Nevertheless, it's a powerful testament to the "less is more" principle. A very lo-fi and stripped down bass and drums groove accompanied by staccato guitar chops picking out the chord progression underpin an emotional soul vocal. Tight, visceral and super funky whilst still maintaining a plaintive, melancholic mood, it's quite unlike most other stuff out there. Watch out for the cool dub-like delay effects at 3:22.

7. Angie Care - Your Mind (1984)
Time for the first proper italo track of this countdown (or is it countup). Your Mind, is to my mind (sorry) the best example of the swooning, romantic sound characteristic of the productions by the Nicolosi brothers. This is just as good (if not better) as Valerie Dore's trio of Nicolosi-produced hits from the same period. Favourite bit here has got to be the synth cascades from 5:17 onwards. If you like this sort of stuff, be sure to check out the Tribute to Nicolosi mix composed strictly of tracks with this sound.

8. Para One - Ski Lesson Blues (2006)
I have always been a sucker for grandiose chord progressions and this track has them in joyful pseudo-classical abundance! Super-regimented and stiff, all arpeggiated 16th notes and 4/4 patterns, this is almost Bach-like until the mournful melody comes in at the 2-minute mark. Utterly beautiful.

9. Legowelt - Congo Zombie (2005)
The second Danny Wolfers production within the top 10, this is the shit. Seriously. You might even feel tempted to spell it "da shit", but it would probably be advisable not to. This track combines all the elements that make Legowelt such a unique artist. Jacking hammer beats, deep sub-surface bass, spooky atmospherics, cute little melodies and a deranged spoken vocal about zombies in Congo. Amazing.

10. Rupesh Cartel - Ghost White (Ralf and Iza Remix) (2007)
This is all about the breakdown at 2:53 and the absolutely angelic pad sequence that takes off from there on. For added enjoyment, there's even little subdued distorted Hardfloor-esque 303 licks in the background. Mmm. The original is a good, competent electropop track from a good, competent electropop band from Sweden, but it's the remix that really makes it shine.

11. Squarepusher - Planetarium (2006)
Squarepusher has always been another good source of those twisting, turning, heavenly chord progressions that I crave so much, and this track off his latest album is one of his best so far. Some of these harmonies and melody lines almost have a Mad Mike-like feel, it's that same electronic jazz quality as in tracks like Inspiration and High-Tech Jazz.

12. Above & Beyond - Alone Tonight (2006)
And while we're on the subject, here's another chord progression. Firmly on the trance side of things production-wise, but in reality a magnificent pop song in disguise. It comes with all the hallmarks of the genre, swirling synth riffs, atmospheric breakdown, uptempo 4/4 beats but with a great male vocal, and a certain classiness that a lot of other producers don't reach.

13. EMAK - Tanz In Den Himmel (1982)
Part of the so-called minimal synth genre, this is a really gorgeous and full-bodied little instrumental with the saddest melody line the cosmos has heard for a very long time. EMAK (short for Elektronische Musik aus Köln) produced three whole albums in the early 80s but none of their other material reaches the fragile beauty of this number.

14. Sophie Rimheden feat. Annika Holmberg - Can You Save Me? (Mont Ventoux Remix) (2007)
On paper, all Mont Ventoux remixes are pretty run-of-the-mill electropop-by-numbers, but there is always something in their productions that lift the tracks from the swamp of mediocrity into the realm of great pop music. Here's an even better example of a song completely rescued by its remix. The arrangement of the original totally fails to capitulate on the slinky vocal melody and feels rather ham-fisted, but Mont Ventoux succeed in elegantly harmonising the song to squeeze the maximum bittersweet pop essence out of it. It's quite reminiscent of Saint Etienne at their mid-90s best.

15. Joe Yellow - Lover To Lover (1983)
So italo it hurts! Opens with the immortal line "Sandy, dance with me, I'm your big lover" it's a perfect example of what makes italo disco so irresistible. Happy-sad little synth riffs, crap English, cheap production and lots of drama. The main synth riff is so catchy it's impossible to get out of your head.

16. Alba - Only Music Survives (1985)
Super-sentimental, soaked in syrup and raised on Eurovision, but oh so wonderful!

17. Red White Rose - No One Puts Baby in the Corner (2003)
Refreshingly unique neo-italo from Gothenburg producer Rutherford with a totally gorgeous vocal. I like how it starts out with a plain 8th note octave bass that then gradually becomes more intense by adding one note at a time first at 1:07 and then again at 2:06.

18. Din Stalker - Herr reporter (2007)
This one's shamelessly melodic and crammed absolutely chockful of chord changes and harmonic frolics, and you're probably aware by now that I am quite fond of those. Din stalker is a solo project by one of the guys from Slagsmålsklubben, making music with a definite Amiga demo scene feel to it.

19. Legowelt - Hazy City Nights (2004)
A deep, hypnotic track with a title that describes it perfectly and an amazingly emotive delay-heavy riff starting at 0:48. Watch out for the key change at 5:09. Spellbinding.

20. Triola - Leuchtturm (Wighnomys Polarzip) (2005)
I'm not normally a fan of Kompakt, too minimal and not enough music in their music, but this one certainly has a very healthy dose of music in it. A deep and dubby modern production with beautifully moody and atmospheric pads. Evokes very much the same late night mood as Burial's music.

21. Komatrohn - Statist 2.0 (2005)
Komatrohn is a criminally under-acknowledged Swedish producer who's been making tracks for quite a few years, released a few EPs, but is currently releasing his music for free on his website. This one is a banging little number with a sad melody on top, just how I like it.

22. Venise - Roissy (1988)
Venise and the rest of the recently resurrected Superradio Records stable are part of a rare breed of artists seemingly completely without pretense and self-awareness. When you first set eyes on their promo pictures and record sleeves (check out Venise's incredible MySpace page for a taster), you might think that someone is having a laugh, and listening to their music will probably do little to dispel that impression. But the more you dig, you realise that these people are for real, that they love what they do and still to this day produce this incredibly naive and amateurish but wonderfully charming and captivating music. What it lacks in technical proficiency, it more than makes up for in charm. What's so refreshing is that even the tracks produced today sound like they've been made on a 4-track porta with only the cheapest of synths, a big old reverb and a very rudimentary understanding of how to program the things. Roissy is my favourite from their catalogue, and yet again I find that restless has been there before me and left a spot-on description of this track on its Discogs page (who is this guy?): "...by some kind of magic manages to reach something very special, with its heartbreaking melody and approximative girl voice that sounds like a japanese schoolgirl lost in an airport, trying to sing in English in some kind of retro-futuristic karaoke."

23. Sally Shapiro - Jackie Jackie (Spend this Winter with Me) (Dyylan's Subzero Nocturne) (2008)
I still think this track went a little too far on the syrup allowance, I struggle with that spoken section for example, but the fact remains that it's a spectacularly well-crafted composition and this remix really brings out the best in it with its elegant and sparse arrangement.

24. Blank & Jones - Perfect Silence (Martin Roth Hardtrance Remix) (2004)
Did you really think you'd get a top 100 without some banging euphoric trance? Well, think again, because here it is. Totally maximalist and heavy on the air-punching quotient, this one never fails to arouse.

25. Zombi - Sapphire (2006)
Synth prog revivalists with their finest effort, a 9-minute epic of mesmerising synthesizer work.

26. Bloc Party - Where Is Home? (Burial Remix) (2007)
I don't really have that much time for the indie rock of the original artist here, but this remix is in my opinion the best piece of work Burial's done so far. His trademark dark and moody atmospherics are given a boost by the addition of a proper song structure.

27. Popular Computer - Next Level Pope (2006)
A quite cosmic-sounding (in the cosmic disco sense) modern production with a stunning melancholic feel. Stay with it until the end and you'll be rewarded with a great big parping electronic accordion.

28. Covenant - The Men (2006)
Oh Covenant. They're one of those bands (like VNV Nation) you're not really supposed to like but there's something about their pompous and doom-laden synth anthems that gets under my skin. They're also a great live act. I've seen them twice this year and it's been a thoroughly enjoyable experience both times (even though the style sensibilities of the audiences leave a lot to be desired, that cybergoth gear... what on Earth are they thinking?); they present themselves well and the singer has a very amiable stage persona unlike many other bands in the EBM/futurepop genre. This one is my favourite from the Skyshaper album and isn't actually a million miles from Underworld come to think of it. Their lyrics are almost uniformly bad however. But who cares about lyrics?

29. Decadance - On And On (Fears Keep On) (Dub Version) (1983)
1983. What a year. It just keeps on bringing the goods. This is a really great track on the border between dark synthpop and italo, and now that I'm listening to it again, makes me wonder if it didn't deserve a higher placement in this top 100. A CBS mainstay, it's a grower and it took me a good few listens to appreciate its greatness, but once there, it's not letting go. I prefer the Dub Version to the original because it emphasises the piano part more. Listen to the break at 3:03 where the piano chords come in. Heavenly.

30. Thanya - Freedom (1982)
I have Casco's amazing DJ set down at Cosmobar in October to thank for coming to properly appreciate this one. One of the very first Il Discotto releases, it was included on I-F's Mixed Up In The Hague Vol. 2, but never really caught my attention until I heard it played in a club environment. It's pretty dry and stripped down for an italo track, not a reverb in sight, but works its magic in subtle and devious ways. It also features an unusually accomplished vocal for italo, sung by an American vocalist by the sounds of it.

31. Den Harrow - Future Brain (1985)
If there is such a thing as the stereotypical italo track, this is probably it. It's got it all, the hooks, the synths, the handclaps, the backing vocalists going "waoh waoh", the pretty frontman who doesn't actually sing on the record, bonkers lyrics about a "future brain" of whom it's asked whether it's "sane to make a sample of my love" eventually reaching the conclusion that "you're to blame cause you don't know how stupid you are" and most important of all, the feelgood factor to make everyone jump around and sing along if you play it towards the end of the night. As such, it was the perfect choice to give name to the club where I've had some of my most fun nights out this year.

32. Squarepusher - Tommib Help Buss (2004)
It is a rare honour only bestowed upon a select few to get more than one track featured in the hallowed sharevari top 50. Squarepusher qualified by writing this quiet and understated little melody of unusual beauty.

33. Kleerup feat. Robyn - With Every Heartbeat (2007)
In a musical climate where most pop music is utterly devoid of merit, it made me happy to see such a great song reach number one in the charts. This really is perfect pop.

34. Miss Kittin & The Hacker - Hometown (2007)
A very strong comeback track for electroclash's finest. As always, it's the chords that grab me. They appear at 2:11 in case you're interested.

35. Sophie - Broken Tale (1986)
An example of the over-produced, over-the-top style of italo disco more aimed at the pop charts than the dancefloor that became prominent after about 1985. Great track nevertheless, saxophone solo and all.

36. Annie - Heartbeat (2004)
OK, I know it's highly likely that I was the last person on Earth to discover this modern classic, but at the time it came out, all I had heard by Annie was The Greatest Hit, which I didn't like at all, so never bothered with checking out anything else with her name on it. And although I'm still not too keen on most of her material, this is an amazing song that deserves the same pop stardom as Robyn's similarly-titled ditty.

37. Klapto - Mister Game (Alden Tyrell Vocal Remix) (2006)
Another one that I have Casco to thank for. It says 2006 because that's the year the Alden Tyrell remix (which treats the original with respect but takes it one notch higher on the universal scale of goodness) came out but the original is yet again a track from the magic year 1983. What's going on here: smooth, sensual synth stabs counteract a female chorus more defined by its rhythm than its melody.

38. Burial - Distant Lights (2006)
Best track from Burial's debut album that I was a bit slow to pick up on. Beats the follow up by a wide stretch in my opinion. And that's all that needs to be said as you've all read more than enough about Burial this year as it is.

39. Ryuichi Sakamoto - The End Of Europe (1981)
I discovered this through Dave Clarke's mix CD World Service 2 on which he overlays it with an acapella of Underground Resistance's Transition underpinned by a Technasia track to devastating effect. (May I take this opportunity to say how amazing Dave Clarke is, his set at Sonar was by far the best of everything I saw and heard there.) I was astounded when I found out that this was made in 1981 as it has a very modern, visceral feel to it. Music for the apocalypse without doubt.

40. Time - Holding on to Love (1986)
Reverb-drenched and juicy italo cut of the same ilk as the Sophie track above.

41. DC Pöbeln med Guggi & 17 - Bettan står i baren, baren är mitt mål, Bettan är baren (1985)
Incredibly cool and totally misguided all at once. You can't appreciate the full appeal of this track unless you know Swedish and understand what he's talking about in the Närke accent he's doing his best to hide but which nevertheless shines through. It is pretty hilarious. Pleasantly surprised to see this gain a place in the top 20 of this year's CBS Top 100. It was none of my doing, I didn't vote this year!

42. Simian Mobile Disco - It's the Beat (The Teenagers Remix) (2007)
Amazing organ- and string-led remix of one of the year's biggest hits.

43. Clio - Faces (1985)
Wistful and hyper-melodic italo gem.

44. Dennis Parker - Like an Eagle (1979)
Epic NY disco workout from 1979. Grandiose and sweeping, I can't help but thinking that this would be Big Gay Al from South Park's favourite song. Cheesiness aside, it really manages to capture some sort of very urban New-York-in-the-70s-at-night kind of feel, but seeing as I've never even visited the place, I am of course horrendously unqualified to make such a statement. But still. Oh, and don't miss the magnificent video whatever you do (I wish I had an outfit like that for the next time I DJ).

45. Pascal F.E.O.S. - Synaptic (2006)
Relentlessly driving, can't stop won't stop modern tech house. Most of this stuff tend to bore me these days, but on his Synaptic album, Pascal manages to get all the parameters set to bootyshaking.

46. Change - The End (1980)
More NY disco, although this one floats several hundred thousand feet above the city, deep in space. Brilliantly ethereal space disco reminiscent of Giorgio Moroder and The Droids and undoubtedly a source of inspiration for the likes of Maximilian Skiba and Lindstrøm.

47. Heartbreak - We're Back (2007)
Heartbreak is local London italo bod Ali Renault (heavily featured in last year's countdown) with suave Errol Flynn lookalike Sebastian Muravchik on vocals. This is the standout track from the Disco Fright EP they released together with The Revolving Eyes and at the release party of which the previously mentioned Casco gig took place. These guys are criminally underrated and deserve to be global pop stars. All together now: "But we're back, from the disco to the radio!"

48. Cellophane - Music Colours (1984)
Slightly annoying intro but just wait for the glorious release that arrives at 0:40! Masterful vocal and a joyous chorus too.

49. Johan Agebjörn - Mega man II re-mix (2007)
Sally Shapiro man let loose on the Mega Man theme tune makes for glorious chord change mayhem. Best bit is at 2:31.

50. Polarius - Fallin Snow (2003)
This track snatching 50th takes the total Danny Wolfers count within the top 50 up to four. A pretty amazing achievement, but also reflected in the fact that Legowelt did take over the top spot of my overall artist chart this year. Fallin Snow is a lo-fi heads-down affair which makes for a wonderful mix tool with an infectious groove and the best humming ever to be committed to vinyl at 2:03.

51. Mark Tower - You Aren't Fall In Love (1983)
52. The Field - Over the Ice (2007)
53. Oppenheimer Analysis - The Devil's Dancers (1982)
54. The Unknown Soldier - Babylon's Gifts (2006)
55. Blotnik Brothers - Love Song (2007)
56. Katy Gray - Hold me tight (1985)
57. Proceed - Laut (2007)
58. Papa Dance - W 40 Dni Dookola Swiata (1984)
59. Purple Flash - We Can Make It (1984 Instrumental) (1984)
60. Glass Candy - Miss Broadway (2007)
61. Junesex - Fast Food Messiahs (Carl A. Finlow mix) (2004)
62. Daniel Wang - All Flowers Must Fade (2007)
63. Trilogy - Not Love (1982)
64. Para One - Liege (2006)
65. Covenant - Ritual Noise (2006)
66. Mike Mareen - Dancing In The Dark (Galactica Remix) (1985)
67. Umo Vogue - Just My Love (1984)
68. Ferry Corsten - Kyoto (2004)
69. Rhythm Talk - Groovin' (Active Club) (1984)
70. O'Gar - Playback Fantasy (1983)
71. Para One - Midnight Swim (2006)
72. Discomania - Everybody Wants To Be Me (2004)
73. Mr. White - The Sun Can't Compare (2006)
74. Angel City - I Won't Let You Down (2005)
75. Cloetta Paris - Broken Heart Tango (2007)
76. Paul Hartnoll - Patchwork Guilt (2007)
77. Smith n Hack - Falling Stars (2007)
78. The Teenagers - Homecoming (2007)
79. New Baccara - Fantasy Boy (1988)
80. Above & Beyond - Tri-state (2006)
81. L.E.B. Harmony - Feeling Love (1978)
82. Vince Watson - MidiSensual (2006)
83. Covenant - Brave New World (2006)
84. Klaxons - Magick (Simian Mobile Disco Remix) (2007)
85. Squarepusher - Welcome to Europe (2006)
86. Above & Beyond - Hope (2006)
87. Wanexa - The Man From Colours (1982)
88. Antena - Camino Del Sol (Joakim Remix) (2006)
89. Mikado - Romance (1982)
90. Fox the Fox - Precious Little Diamond (1984)
91. LCD Soundsystem - Someone Great (2007)
92. Enter Shikari - Stand Your Ground; This Is Ancient Land (2007)
93. Coco Bill - Evita (1984)
94. Aril Brikha - Last One (2007)
95. Ivan - Fotonovela (1984)
96. Prism - The White Shadow (1980)
97. Glass Candy - Rolling Down The Hills (Spring Demo) (2007)
98. Air France - Karibien (2006)
99. DJ Hell - Hot On The Heels Of Love (Dave Clarke Remix) (1994)
100. Kai Del Noi - The Dream (Club Mix) (2005)

And as an added attraction to our album the Chicken Soup Mix of Join... eehmm, top 10 gigs of 2007:

1. Everything and everyone at It's Automatic, Macbeth, London
2. Front 242 at Gothic Festival, Waregem, Belgium
3. Casco at Cosmobar, London
4. Dave Clarke at Sonar, Barcelona
5. Covenant at Electric Ballroom, London
6. Duracell at Old Blue Last, London
7. Nitzer Ebb at Gothic Festival, Waregem, Belgium
8. Boris Divider at Sonar, Barcelona
9. Alexander Robotnick at Plastic People, London
10. Proceed at Islington Academy, London

(I just did a word count on this post and it's 5,384 words, i.e. half of what goes for a 3rd year dissertation at a British university. Maybe I got a bit too carried away.)

Ever since my early noughties rediscovery of italo disco, I've been a massive fan of the first three Valerie Dore singles and their unique melancholic and string-laden swooning sound. I never bothered to dig deeper however, apart from tracking down everything else with Dore's name on it; only to discover it was pretty rubbish (from Lancelot onwards).

But recently I stumbled upon a few other tracks that shared the same sound and the same bittersweet harmonies, one of them was Only Music Survives by Alba, another was Your Mind by Angie Care. And through some Discogs browsing and email conversations with Johan Agebjörn (of Sally Shapiro fame), I suddenly realised that all these productions had a common link in a team of song writers and producers all sharing the surname of Nicolosi. It even turns out they're behind quite a few other italo favourites of mine that I previously had not thought related! Just a Story by Mike Rogers, Funky is on by Funky Family and Distant Planet by The Voyagers being the most noteworthy.

Johan recently wrote a journal post recounting the story behind Valerie Dore and including more info on the Nicolosi family, and I thought it'd be a great idea to provide it with an accompanying mix featuring their best work. So here it is, I hope you enjoy European Man - A Tribute to Nicolosi.

Download mix (46 MB)

Tracklisting:
1. Alba - Only Music Survives
2. The New Company - Tomorrow
3. Nico Band - Let It Show
4. Philadelphia - T.S.O.P.
5. Valerie Dore - It's So Easy
6. Angie Care - Your Mind
7. Mike Rogers - Just a Story
8. Angie - Clouds
9. Valerie Dore - Get Closer
10. Ranko - Happy World
11. Valerie Dore - The Night
12. Susanne Meals - Forever
13. The Voyagers - Distant Planet
14. Domina - You Got My Soul

Went to see Casco last night and what an absolutely mindblowing set it was! A non-stop of the absolute best italo disco ever produced. Every single track was a classic and the small but enthusiastic crowd went crazy with each new one he whacked on. And whacked he did. Rarely did he play a track for longer than 2 minutes. A pretty unorthodox DJing style he had too. He basically never bothered with finding a cue point, just put the needle down somewhere, played around with the pitch control and did some nudging for a bit until they were synced and then bam.

As it turns out, Casco (or Salvatore Cusato) was apparently also involved in producing the B.W.H. tracks among other things on the House of Music label despite not always being credited.

Just noting this down to try and remember all the tracks he played, not necessarily in the right order, while the memory is still fresh in my mind. Read the below list and weep if you weren't there. ;)

Mr Master - Dog in the Night
B.W.H. - Stop
B.W.H. - Livin' Up
Casco - Cybernetic Love
Klapto - Mister Game
My Mine - Hypnotic Tango
Sun-La-Shan - Catch
O'Gar - Playback Fantasy
Flexx - Love Theme from Flexxy Ball
Faxe - Time for Changes
Koto - Chinese War Game
Koto - Jabdah
Time - Shaker Shake
G.A.N.G. - KKK
Sphinx - Collision
Dharma - Plastic Doll
Doctor's Cat - Feel the Drive
Klein & MBO - Dirty Talk
Giorgio Moroder - E=MC2
Giorgio Moroder - From Here to Eternity
Mr. Flagio - Take a Chance
Pineapples - Come On Closer
Alexander Robotnick - Problèmes d'Amour
Bo Boss - Tequila
Charlie - Spacer Woman
Capricorn - I Need Love
Cellophane - Gimme Love
Scotch - Penguin Invasion
Thanya - Freedom
Brand Image - Are You Loving?
Divine - Shoot Your Shot
Bobby O - She Has a Way
Los Angeles T.F. - Magical Body
Cyber People - Polaris
Mito - Droid
Trilogy - Not Love
Gaznevada - I.C. Love Affair
Giorgio Moroder - The Chase
Azoto - Exalt Exalt
The Immortals - The Ultimate Warlord
Azul y Negro - The Night

Wow. What a night. A massive heartfelt thanks to all you incredible people who made our first night such a runaway success! It's Friday night/Saturday morning, I've just got home (sadly no afterparty seemed to materialise), and there is no way I can wind down now so I thought I'd write this little note.

The night exceeded our wildest expectations, I was worrying all week that we hadn't done enough flyering, that no one would have found out about it, that everyone would be going to see In Flagranti over at Our Disco etc etc. But you proved me wrong. What an amazing crowd. I'm seriously speechless. One of the happiest days of my life without doubt.

Wow. Just had to say that word again. Huge thanks to our guest Ralph a.k.a. Love's Tru Flavour as well, who did an amazing performance in perfect holiday rep stylee!

So with this first one having gone rather well, we really hope we get the chance to do this soon again. As we now know there is a following out there for this kind of stuff, we should be able to splash out on some live acts etc in the future. We will do our best to keep you informed.

Once again, massive thanks, you were amazing, we love you.

Erik (a.k.a. European Man)

Four days left to go...

In the meantime, I created a special tag radio station consisting of all the artists on our flyer. Have a listen directly on the site, or if you prefer to use the Last.fm app, use this link.

Now this is a bit of an experiment as the station has been created on an artist basis rather than a track basis, so there might be some odd choices. But that's all part of the fun.

Also, don't forget to come down to London's only true italo disco night Future Brain on Wednesday.