Root Mix - Voyages Futurs

I just made a mix for the Root Blog and you can check it out here

 
Image by Sabrina Ratté

Dieter Schütz - The Comet (1986)

The follow-up to 1985's Voyage, The Comet is definitely just as odd and seemingly out of step with the rest of what was happening at the time than its predecessor.

For sure this sounds like a mid-80's record, but it's got more of a home-recording kinda vibe all throughout, full of tape hiss and spring reverb, pretty far from the super glossy big studio gated drums and digital reverbs more symptomatic of the times, and this kind of gives The Comet a bit of an outsider/loner feel, halfway between 80's radio pop, new age, kosmische and psychedelic rock, but definitely more on the pop side of things = Schütz certainly had a knack for catchy hooks and the poppier tracks here are catchy as hell!

The only other musician I can think of exploring a similar zone would have to be Adelbert Von Deyen, so if you're not familiar with Schütz's previous LP and dig Von Deyen's 80's output, like Planetary or the fantastic Impressions, you should pick this one up here.

Activated Memory I & II

ACTIVATED MEMORY I from Sabrina Ratté on Vimeo.

ACTIVATED MEMORY II from Sabrina Ratté on Vimeo.

These videos are also part of a solo show starting today on bubblebyte.org.

Matteo Silva - Rasa (1991)

Clara Mondshine - Luna Africana (1981)

This is a killer LP. Pretty much unlike anything that came before it.

I've wanted to hear this LP in all its glory for a while now; Mutant Sounds have had it up on their blog for sometime already, but unfortunately they posted it at the 33rpm speed, and this is a 45rpm.

If you're not familiar with Clara Mondshine AKA Walter Bachauer, he released two LPs in the early 80's, Luna Africana, his first, and the fantastic Memorymetropolis, both a pretty singular blend of crazy futuristic computer controlled sci-fi proto-techno, with a touch of 4th world influences. The closest comparison for me would be Doris Norton, but this is weirder...

It's also interesting to note that Bachauer was involved with the group Between, performing electronics on their record Dharana, and even synthesizer on Peter Michael Hamel's Nada. He also produced two pieces on David Behrman's amazing Leapday Night record from 1987.

Luna

Serge Blenner - La Vogue (1980)

Amazing first LP by Serge Blenner.

Serge Blenner was born in France but ended up moving to Germany in the 70's to study composition and harmony at the conservatory of Mulhouse. He eventually hooked up with the Hamburg based label Sky and released this first LP in 1980.

Definitely taking cues from the Berlin School, but more repetitive and proto-techno, with a slightly darker dystopian OST sci-fi feel on some tracks, this record is full-on sequencer action and synth washes to infinity...

Highly recommended!

Adelbert Von Deyen - Planetary (1982)

Here is another fine LP by Adelbert Von Deyen. This one finds him dropping the acoustic guitar and vocals, after trying that out on Eclipse, and getting back into thee instrumental zone, with full-on drums and distant oceanic Solina strings, somewhere between Atmosphere and the Killer Impressions.

All the tracks are named after planets in our solar system, and oddly enough, the one titled Earth is credited to Dieter Schütz, who apparently "played and recorded" it, predating their collaborative LP Inventions from 1983. Planetary