Josh Cheon has outdone himself with this re-release. The tracks sound as good today as when I first heard them coming across cyberspace care of Mr Dalum’s record collection. Catchy, addictive and moreish; Vocoder sum up the glory of 80s analogue pop.
Lamb. A chicken. Cabbages. Peas. Quinoa. Cream. Providence. Providence seems to be on the tip of all TV chefs’ tongues. People in supermarkets turn, turn and re-turn a steak pie looking in hope for a picture of a farmer in a field: “Beef from Angus cows reared in Devon. “ But what about a record? Does a 12” have providence? Is it the country? The town? The band? The label? The time? What about obscure records, ones tucked away in polythene, wrapped in paper, slotted into an airtight, sunlight proof container? How are these obscurities to be given providence if they are unheard? For these forgotten gems the point of providence is their rediscovery, the moment at which they are transported back into the present. For myself and label boss Josh Cheon the providence of his latest release, Vocoder is the same—Flemming Dalum’s “French Spanish Italo Connection” mix. It appears, despite being the Atlantic apart, we both found this Spanish synth treasure through the hands of Denmark’s premier Italo DJ. Thankfully one of us got ourselves together and sorted a reissue (it wasn’t me by the way.) Dark Entries have gathered some of Vocoder’s best material, a retrospective compilation: Cuadro Sinóptico.
The record screams into action with the electro wave addictiveness of “What Happens.” The track is a crazy mixture of Italo (although Spanish), New Wave, Techno Pop and EBM. The beats are fast, the melodies memorable and the lyrics wild eyed. A brilliant speedy piece of Summertime wave. Vocoder cross over into France for “Radio.” The Linn Drum is in over drive, pumping out a steady stream of beats whilst synthesizers whirl. A superb piece of disco synth wave. The flip returns to Iberia with “Midano.” The BPM is lowered, but the catchy quality is consistent. Bass lines and a synth sideline give the track a more traditional New Wave aspect. “Amor De Robot” closes this doorway to the past. The snares are back with vocals espanol to bring down the curtain. This piece, with its love song lament is arguably the most Italo piece of the 12”. A soulful close.
Josh Cheon has outdone himself with this re-release. The tracks sound as good today as when I first heard them coming across cyberspace care of Mr Dalum’s record collection. Catchy, addictive and moreish; Vocoder sum up the glory of 80s analogue pop. The Spanish outfit cut a sound almost unheard of since. A sound brimming with passion, with energy and charged by the machines of Korg, Roland and Prophet. No need to look inside and out for this ones origins—straight from the sunshine of Spain circa the early 80s, resuscitated by Flemming Dalum and brought back to life by Dark Entries.
Cuadro Sinóptico is available on Dark Entries. Buy at Dark Entries web-shop.
