RADIUS Records :: Giving music back to the people

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(10.15.06) To make it as a record label is a difficult task. So many independent labels
never get out of the stocks. Nevertheless, one indispensable element for
getting an imprint off the ground is a passion for the music they are
releasing. One label with a belly full of this vital component is the
Belgian label: Radius Records.

Radius Records began back in 2003 established by Spacid, a Belgian DJ with a
passion for classic disco, italo and electro. The label was born with an
admirable philosophy; the re-issuing of long out of print italo disco
classics, similar to what Morgan Geist was attempting to achieve with his
Unclassics collection on Environ. But this is not just what the Radius
mantra is all about. Radius is not only responsible for getting deleted gems
back onto the shelves of record stores, but adding a twist to those classic
tracks with remixers such as Alden Tyrell and Bangkok Impact. With this,
Radius release their own artists too. Like so many, this reviewer included,
Radius was infected with the spaghetti dance bug after the release of I-F’s
All Mixed Up In The Hague. Enough cannot be said for what this mix did for
the revitalization of italo disco, not to mention the efforts of the mix
robot brigade of the Cybernetic Broadcasting System.

Radius released three 12″s in 2003, all re-issues of disco classics from the
1980s. This was a brave move, a move that exemplifies Radius’ focus on the
music. With the re-issuing of releases there is very little financial gain.
But unlike so many bootleggers nowadays, Radius did it by the book and gave
the italo audience three vinyl discs of disco gold. The Theme of Radius
series mapped out for the modern day listener some of the best tracks of the
1980s disco scene, tracks that were long out of print and gathering dust on
collectors shelves. The series featured long lost monster italo numbers,
tracks like “Hypnotic Tango” by My Mine, “Gimme Love” by Cellophane and
“Penguin’s Invasion” by Scotch. But it was not just italo showcased on these
wax slabs, but killer disco tracks like the cult followed “Ultimate Warlord”
by The Immortals. It was from tracks like these that life was breathed into
Radius Records. But this label was not just about reissuing, this label was
about more.

In 2004 the label brought out a modern synth pop record in the form of
Bijou, a collective of talented electronic musicians. The label began to
blend the old with the new, sticking to it’s mantra of re-releasing top
notch italo and disco tracks but now giving them a modern twist with the
help of some well known electro men. Radius gave B.W.H.’s “Stop’and ‘Livin’
Up,” a classic featured on I-F’s All Mixed Up In The Hague, back to the
electro disco faithful with two fresh new mixes, one by Bangkok Impact and
the other by Putsch ’79. Next Radius offered up another one of their own
artists, Elitechnique with the excellent We Shall Control EP.
Elitechnique’s style of smooth electro, with italo leanings, recently
featured in Serge’s fantastic mix, Vintage Future.

Of late, Radius has returned to re-issuing dusty italo classics. The label,
in September, put out a re-release of Casco’s Cybernetic Lover, this time
featuring Dexter with some new wave influences. Radius have just gotten
together with another pioneer of italo and disco rediscovery, Flexx. The
Belgian pair have just put out a new vinyl pressing of two long lost italo
artists, Mr. Master and Blackway, a 12″ that leans towards the darker side
of spaghetti dance.

Radius is a label that is wide awake when it comes to what people want.
Electro and italo disco are on the up, and are growing in popularity
everyday. Sadly, for many, this 80’s Italian sound, and disco beats, are
difficult to find. Not all robots live near vault like record stores that
house original copies of disco. Radius is giving this music back to the
people who want it, and are doing it legally unlike so many bootleggers that
are re-distributing deleted records without the artists’ consent. Radius is
a label with a passion for the music it releases, and it is this that has
helped this label survive and flourish in the harsh world of music.

Radius / Myspace