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Sign upNotes on music, craft, and the era
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First half of 1981: Musicaid releases the Simmons SDS-V - the first viable electronic replacement for acoustic drums. The hexagonal pads become the visual symbol of the 80s. A breakdown of the module architecture, the origin of the pad shape and the specific songs - from Spandau Ballet to Prince, Phil Collins and Silent Circle.
1980-1985: four drum machines - the Linn LM-1, Oberheim DMX, Roland TR-808 and TR-707 - set the sounds still recognised by ear. We put them on one pattern and compare the kick, snare, clap and hi-hat. Three ways to get a drum sound - sample, analog synthesis and hybrid - give three different characters. A blind test: how to identify a machine from one hit.
2024. A new spacesynth album drops on Bandcamp - the cover looks like Laserdance 1987. New space disco: revival or synthwave? A breakdown of the boundary and 12 modern projects.
1984. Alphaville release 'Big in Japan', Propaganda record 'Dr. Mabuse'. Germany in the 80s - an independent synth-pop scene with cities, studios, and sound. 12 groups, a map of Germany.
'Happy Birthday' - a familiar party song. Disco Magic created a dance version in the italo disco style: synth bass, drum machine, arpeggio. An arrangement breakdown and version comparison.
1993. 2 Unlimited release 'No Limit' - six weeks at #1 in the UK. The structure is simple: rap verse, female chorus, break, modulation. We break down the Eurodance formula.
1986. Den Harrow releases 'Mad Desire' - and behind the name lies a triple mystery. Silver Pozzoli sang the single, Tom Hooker the album, Stefano Zandri is the face on the cover. A breakdown of vocal substitution.
1984. Discomagic Records presses the Savage 'Don't Cry Tonight' vinyl. Thirty years later - a 180g reissue. Sound, packaging, matrix, condition: how originals differ from reissues.
1987. The Italian label Flea Records releases 'Electrica Salsa' by the project Off. Named after producer Florian Fadinger (nickname 'Floh' - flea). A small label with a big italo catalogue: 244 releases.
1985. The German label ZYX Records releases 'Colder Than Ice' - the voice of American Grant Miller, producer Fancy. American vocals in the German italo machine, cold sound and a bass line that never lets go.
Autumn 1984. Twenty-two-year-old Giacomo Maiolini from Brescia founds Time Records. First release: 'Funny Dancer' by The Atrium, TRD 1001. In 20 years: 1,959 records, 30 million copies in Japan, four British number ones.
1983. Milan and Munich studios built italo disco rhythm from a kick and a clap on 2 and 4. Three drum machines - the TR-808, LinnDrum, and DMX - gave three distinct clap timbres. A breakdown of timing, layering, and reverb.
How a home-organ rhythm box with waltz and bossa nova reached Blondie and Phil Collins sessions: CR-78 programming, WS-1, combined presets and a careful TR-808 comparison.
Why does one kick suggest a TR-808 while a short snare points towards a sampled machine? A practical guide to sources, envelopes, tuning and processing without myths about magic warmth.
1977. Moroder and Donna Summer - "I Feel Love." Space - "Magic Fly." Rockets - "On the Road Again." Kraftwerk - "Trans-Europe Express." Cerrone - "Supernature." Five records that set the electronic sound, cosmic aesthetic, and programmed rhythm. The year that changed dance music.
1979, London. Gary Numan tops the chart with "Are Friends Electric?" The synthesizer replaces the guitar, the drum machine replaces the drummer, the sequencer replaces the bassist. From Kraftwerk to The Weeknd - forty-four years. 20 tracks: precursors, birth, golden era, revival. A map of the genre.
"Potseluy v serdtse" ("Kiss in the Heart") is a Disco Magic track in the aesthetic of 80s italo-disco. A breakdown of rhythm, synthesizers, vocals, and the emotional hook. Sixteenth-note bass, slow-attack pad, reverb clap. 12-inch maxi-single structure. Cover as a genre gesture.
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