Repress!

Re-release alert! Remastered version of a valuable electro must have!

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The Hacker and Italo Moderni join forces with a masterful electro EP, guided by the French G.O.A.T. from Grenoble. Infused with techno vibes and featuring a remix by the renowned Terence Fixmer, this EP is a testament to the cutting-edge fusion of styles. Drawing inspiration from Liaisons Dangereuses, The Hacker weaves intricate basslines and rhythms, exemplified in the track ‘No Señor.’ ‘Me and My Sequencer Part 1 and Part 2’ unveils a clandestine narrative, a hidden tale shared only between The Hacker and his synthesizers—revealing the magical connection cultivated over the years.

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After a frenzied 2019 debut on Pinkman under his scarcely-used Amato alias, The Hacker brings his seminal sound to Mindri for the sublabel's 3rd release. Exploring desolate cityscapes and windswept tundras shrouded in winter's gloom, he provides 6 club tracks that are suitable for dancefloors at any stage of the night. From feverish 4/4 kicks to stalking electro and a chugging after-hours stomp, stripped back rhythms dominate throughout. Punching their way through misty pads in a relentless chase with metallic synths that are icy to the touch, these are 6 slabs of machine-driven grooves from a master of the art.

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Repress!
Finally we can announce that The Hacker is onboard at the Stilleben ship with some amazing electro that lurks in the shades of Kraftwerk and other fine electronic acts, but with his own significant style and signature. 3 electro songs and one more italo/electro disco that was hidden on a old hard disk. We are very happy to continue the electro journey on Eargoggles Stilleben with this strong and beautiful release... Let The Hacker guide you on a path...

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The Hacker needs no introduction. The 4-track 12-inch 'Nancy' on Electronic Emergencies finds him at his best - oscillating wildly from electro to new wave, his true musical roots. For the title track, he collaborated once more with post-punk hero Michael Zodorozny, vocalist of Crash Course in Science, resulting in a slippery wet dance floor killer. The three instrumental tracks have a gritty feel, breathing over the cold wave atmosphere

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Michel Amato aka The Hacker is without a doubt one of the most successful and accomplished French DJs and producers. Since 1992 he is part of the international techno szene, widely acclaimed as a solo artist as well as persuing thriving projects with Miss Kittin. He is a rare gem.... an artists who always stayed true to his style and his early musical influences of bands such as Cabaret Voltaire, Throbbing Gristle, Einstürzende Neubauten, Depeche Mode or Joy Division. For his new 'Satori EP' on Correspondant he makes no exception! Originally hailing from Mexico, Daniel proclaimed disco caveman and rising Comeme (Matias Aguayo's label), transforms Michel's "White Funk" into a psychedelic disco track. The remix unmistakably bears his signature: 'it's a Maloso'. Offset's remix is a crawling monster. He digged deep and the result is a dark and hypnotic remix of 'white funk'.

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The Hacker – Shockwave pays homage to the spirit of 90`s rave / nu beat / R&S and dutch techno and brings it right up to date to 2012. Shockwave has the demonic stabs of T99 – Anasthasia and the energy of Human Resource – Dominator with the familiar energy flash call to the masses of `ecstacy, ecstacy`. The single contains a massive remix by man of the moment, Gesaffelstein who could possibly be the modern day Joey Beltram. His remix is already a favourite with 2 Many Djs and a clip of him playing it on board the Holy Ship Rave Cruise has already reached over 22,000 views on YouTube. Altern 8`s Mark Archer also provides an exclusive remix full of break beats and hooks from back in the day. Vicks, white gloves and boiler suits are optional. Exclusive new track Bass 4 wraps things up with its deep dark brooding electro techno.

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Sunfear returns to Dark Entries with All at Once, her sophomore LP. Sunfear is the project of Turkish multidisciplinary artist Eylül Deniz. Since 2017, Deniz has been working as a composer, performer, and DJ, with a focus on different facets of ambient and experimental music. Deeply steeped in both music theory and history, Deniz explores electroacoustic techniques, utilizing piano, guitar, voice, and synthesizer. Her aim is self-expressive; these experimental tactics are her narrative and worldbuilding tools.

All at Once shows Deniz deepening her connection to the guitar, her voice, and the Sunfear project as whole. Deniz says, ”I drew inspiration from Dante's ‘Love That Moves the Sun and Other Stars’, poems by Pessoa, and the works of Lale Müldür, a significant Turkish poet.” All at Once is a darker album than its predecessor Octopus. Its somber atmospherics and brooding tones were informed by the loss of friends in Istanbul, many of whom took their own lives. On “Above,” sparse guitar riffs meet swirling electronics in a doom-laden reverb chamber. “Bright and Wild” unleashes brittle blasts of feedback over its lush drones. Deniz’s voice, drenched in textural processing, intermittently peeks through the murk, like on the quietly despairing “Littleness.” Optimistic glimmers are still to be found, though, like on album-closer, “Form Changed,” which veers into aquatic pop territory with a softly sauntering beat undergirding its ethereal melodies. The artwork was designed by Eloise Shir-Juen Leigh, and the album includes an insert with liner notes and lyrics. All at Once reflects the dark times we live in, but it does not only live in hopelessness; it recognizes that while loss and trauma may change our forms, we must continue to move forward.

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Repress!
We are honored to announce the next 12" in Dark Entries Editions is one of the all time Italo Disco club classics: My Mine - ‘Hypnotic Tango’. My Mine were the trio of Stefano Micheli (vocals, keyboards), Carlo Malatesta (vocals, keyboards), and Danilo Rosati (drums, keyboards) formed from the ashes of Italian New Wave group Ipnotico Tango in 1982. They shifted focus from the experimental post punk sounds towards something more commercial with which to try and enter the market, namely to make a record. At that time Carlo was studying in Bologna and he had heard about producer and arranger Mauro Malavasi famous at that time for the many hits produced for Macho, Peter Jacques Band, Change, Luther Vandross, Ritchie Family. The group handed Malavasi a demo tape and four days later they were invited to Fonoprint Studios to record their first single, “Hypnotic Tango”.

Utilizing new electronic instruments like the now legendary Roland TB-303, Danilo improvised a simple but effective synthesizer bass line and passed it through the Roland Echo until something magical came out. “Hypnotic Tango” was released on Progress Record in 1983 and became an international hit across Europe and US dance clubs in New York, Detroit and Chicago, capturing the imagination of House and Techno producers. In 1987 the legendary Frankie Knuckles remixed “Hypnotic Tango” at Seagrape Studios in Chicago, with assistance from studio engineers Tommy White and Brett Wilcotts. Originally released on Danica Records as the “Powerhouse Mix” paying tribute to the Windy City club atmosphere and adding his own "sighs" in the track as well. The Hypnotic Remix This reissue presents 4 mixes of “Hypnotic Tango” including the “Hypnotic Mix” only appearing together once before in 1990 on Rams Horn Records. All songs are remastered for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. The vinyl comes housed in a jacket with original artwork and includes an insert with photos and liner notes by Stefano Micheli. “Look on the floor and all is spinning round, Someone told me this was just a dance And take a chance I ain't met before..Do you think I really have a chance??"

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Dark Entries has raided the bathhouse to bring us Deep Entries: Gay Electronic Excursions 1979-1985, 10 tracks of obscure queer synth bliss. One of Dark Entries' most important missions has been illuminating neglected facets of gay musical history, with crucial archival works by legends like Patrick Cowley, Sylvester, and Man Parrish. On Deep Entries, the label spans 6 years of gay electronics - from sultry to angsty to camp, these songs are overflowing with snappy 808 snares and sinewy analog synth leads. The '80s were a difficult period for many in the gay community as they grappled with the horrors of the HIV/AIDS crisis. The 10 tracks on Deep Entries, varied in genre and vibe, are united in their portraiture of 1980s gay life, and the hope for love or fleeting romance. Previously unreleased cruising soundtracks come courtesy of Patrick Cowley’s “Love Me Hot” featuring vocalist Paul Parker and Boytronic’s “Tonight (Alternate Mix)” set on Hamburg’s famous “Mile of Sin.” Brisbane-based Megamen deliver the proto-electroclash number “Designed for Living,” which prefigures Madonna’s Marlene Dietrich rap in “Vogue.” Trans vocalist Paula "Ula" Villagrá declares, “Everyone is gay!” on Muzak’s “Happy Song,” a skittering tecnopop anthem. Dereck Higgins' “This Was Something” rings like a lost Joy Division cut draped in bizarre effects, and Polar Praxis’ “(I Want) To Be Different” is a seething ode to alterity. Nightmoves’ “Nightdrive,” is best known as the brooding instrumental B-side to their epochal “Transdance.” Transistor Jet’s “Master Of The Universe (BW's f-w)”, Maxx Mann’s “Just Like a Razor” and Bachelor’s Anonymous’ “A Stranger’s Bed” are mood music for the pleasures of BDSM and one-night stands. The record comes housed in a retro bathhouse fantasy sleeve designed by Gwenaël Rattke and includes a double-sided poster with photographs and lyrics. Deep Entries arrives on December 1st in honor of World AIDS day, and proceeds will go to the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.

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Borusiade lands on Dark Entries with their triumphant third LP, THE FALL: A Series of Documented Experiences. The Romanian producer and DJ Miruna Boruzescu aka Borusiade has a track record of genre-bending releases on tastemaking outlets like Cómeme, Pinkman, Cititrax, and of course Dark Entries, who unleashed their stunning 2020 sophomore album Fortunate Isolation. THE FALL builds on Borusiade’s mythos with its 9 brooding and sophisticated tracks investigating the contours of memory and embodiment - the “fragile bridge between body and mind” in Borusiade’s words. Moody basslines and melancholy synths wrestle with muscular rhythms; this is electronic body music for the heart and head. This is their most diaristic work to date, as well, chronicling love and loss through the gauze of reflection. Tracks like “Save Me”, “Recovery and Redemption”, and “The Fall” sprung from painful breakups, periods which Borusiade identifies as some of their most creatively fruitful, finding themselves “making the best music when I was brokenhearted.” There are odes to musical titans we’ve lost: the minimal electro producer Porn Darsteller is comemorated on “Darsteller”, while industrial legends Genesis P-Orrige and Lady Jaye are honored on “Pandrogyne.” THE FALL comes housed in a sleeve using Gautier D'Agoty’s “Essai d'Anatomie,” an anatomical work from 1745, and also includes a lyric sheet. Trauma, from lost love to pandemic isolation, informs THE FALL, situating itself as a gap that can only be accessed through sound and the creation of art. “What can I add? When life gives you drama, make music.”

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Robert Rental takes up residence with Dark Entries again for an expanded double vinyl reissue of Mental Detentions. Robert Rental was a Scottish pioneer of DIY electronic music. Along with his illustrious collaborators like Thomas Leer and Daniel Miller, Rental helped shape the countercultural sound of the UK with his timely melding of Krautrock, dub, and punk. Originally from Port Glasgow, he moved to the south of England with Thomas Leer in the late 1970s, and became involved with the local music scene. Robert Rental however released very little of his solo music - the only solo recording from The 1970s is the 7" single "Paralysis" first released on the homemade Regular Records in 1978, and re-released on Dark Entries in 2020.

Mental Detentions was released as a cassette in 1979, the same year as his masterpiece The Bridge, a collaboration with Thomas Leer. Using an assortment of budget electronics - a Roland drum machine, a kid’s Stylophone keyboard, and an Electroharmonix DrQ - Robert takes us on a gauzy, trip, at once expansive and intimate, minimalist and maximalist. “Stuck” is mangled motorik, like Neu! run through a meat grinder, while “Vox” meanders like an 18 minute ambient fever dream. Robert spoke to friends of his frustration at being unable to replicate his sound in a commercial studio - it was these demos' sound that he wanted to create. Sometimes having only access to the most rudimentary of equipment can sharpen one’s craft - necessity is the mother of invention, indeed. This ethic shines in his work, providing a throughline to the now, as the world feels bigger and smaller than ever.

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LTD Repress
Severed Heads are one of the longest standing bands to have emerged from the Australian post-punk and experimental scene. They began in Sydney in 1979, and were an early outfit to incorporate elements of 'industrial' noise-generation, tape cutting & looping and electronic sound synthesis. As the project developed, song-structures and vocals were employed in a more-or-less recognizable mutant electro pop style. After many line-up changes featuring Gary Bradbury and psychedelic guitarist Simon Knuckey, Severed Heads became the solo vehicle for composer Tom Ellard.

In 1983 they released a C-60 cassette called “Since The Accident” that grabbed the attention of Ink Records, a subsidiary of Virgin in the UK. Ellard added a throwaway track at the last minute to fill out the cassette, not wanting to leave an unseemly gap on a C60 tape. This track, “Dead Eyes Opened” was catchy enough to get a lot of airplay on the main non-commercial radio station in Sydney. The band was asked to make this song into a 12” single. For this extended version, Tom Ellard and producer Patrick Gibson went to M Squared studio and passed the multitracked recordings through various EQ's and delays. “Dead Eyes Opened” features samples from a radio program narrated by Edgar Lustgarten, a crime journalist from England, referencing a double murder case that occurred in 1924. The rhythms are made by a TR-808 drum machine and an SH-1 synthesizer. A KORG PolySix was used for strings and additional atmospheric elements. The lead solo was a Casiotone run through an Octaver foot pedal. On the B-side are two solo compositions “Bullet” and “Mount” that Ellard recorded at Terse Tapes in 1982.

All songs are remastered for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. Housed in the original jacket featuring the iconic photograph of a girl with a painted face wrapped in some cloth by Juilee Pryor. Each copy includes a fold-out newsprint poster with a large photo of the band wearing Art Unit skull shirts on one side and liner notes and press clippings on the other. 30 years later Severed Heads are still paving the way for powerful, imaginative, and challenging music.

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Dark Entries summons Philadelphia synthesizer scribes The Ghostwriters to rouse their ambient masterwork Remote Dreaming. The late Buchla maestro Charles Cohen and multi-instrumentalist Jeff Cain joined up in 1971 to craft electroacoustic chaos as Anomali, later renaming themselves The Ghostwriters. Their collaborations with choreographers and visual media artists led to their singular style, straddling improvisation and composition, the oneiric and the immediate. Following their debut album, Objects in Mirrors Are Closer Than They Appear, they were approached by ambient outlet Mu-Pysch. Remote Dreaming would take shape in various studios over nine months. Jeff Cain's instruments on this project included electric and acoustic pianos, the Juno 106 synthesizer, and a Mirage sampler, while Charles Cohen used his signature Buchla 200 Series Electronic Musical Instrument. A stark departure from the tightly wound first LP, Remote Dreaming shows the duo unfurling with soothing pianos and psychoacoustic textures, its somnambulant drones just skirting the edges of the uncanny. Although ignored in its time, Remote Dreaming is now heralded as a landmark in 80s experimental ambient music. It is here released for the first time on vinyl, spread across a double LP with five additional tracks, four of which were previously unreleased. Remote Dreaming has been freshly remastered and includes an insert with photos and liner notes. Proceeds will be donated to SOSA (Safe from Online Sex Abuse), a nonprofit that combats online child sex abuse and trafficking.

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Cybernetic disco maestro Patrick Cowley returns to Dark Entries with From Behind, a collection of grooving and ecstatic covers of 60s garage and soul cuts. Best known for his chart-topping disco anthems, Cowley left us with an incredible body of work before his tragic death in 1982 due to AIDS-related illness. Since 2009, Dark Entries has been working with Cowley’s friends and family to uncover the singular artist’s lesser-known sides, including his soundtracks for films on compilation albums School Daze, Muscle Up, and Afternooners. From Behind reveals yet another facet of Cowley’s myriad influences; garage and soul. As a tripped-out teenage music freak who arrived in 60’s San Francisco, it should come as no surprise that these psychedelic sounds, both heady and visceral, infuse Cowley’s oeuvre. Recorded during Cowley’s most productive period, ‘80-’82, these tracks show the master flexing his virtuosity while paying loving tribute to the songs that shaped him. A rough draft of Loverde’s “Iko Iko” contorts the jaunty Dixie Cups classic into a slithering, monstrous bathhouse groover, the song’s signature claps draped in cavernous reverb. An unexpected hi-NRG cover of The Doors’ “20th Century Fox” has Paul Parker on vocals, ironically twisting the original’s overt heterosexuality. Via Cowley’s vocoder, The Who’s “Shakin’ All Over” is transformed into a haunting meditation on the loss of bodily autonomy that AIDS inflicts, while the Moody Blues’ “Ride My See Saw” appears in instrumental, amped up and synthesized for dancefloor impact. We’re also graced with instrumental demo versions of The Seeds’ “Pushin’ Too Hard” and The Electric Prunes’ “Too Much To Dream (Last Night),” which later appeared on Paul Parker releases. Things close out with a swinging version of the Four Tops’ Motown classic “Baby I Need Your Loving”, Cowley later reimagined for R&B artist Carl Carlton. The record comes housed in a sleeve designed by Gwenaël Rattke and includes an insert with photos and liner notes written by Louis Niebur. Arriving on October 19th in celebration of what would have been Cowley’s 74th birthday, From Behind gives us yet another glimpse into Cowley’s world: iconic, erotic, and more than a little cheeky.

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Repress!

On Back Up: Mexican Tecno Pop, Dark Entries brings us 10 divergent tracks of Mexican electronics from 1980-1989, full of skittering analog drum boxes and saucy synthesizer hooks. 8 of these songs were culled from the 2005 CD-only compilation Backup: Expediente Tecno Pop on AT-AT records. Also included are two previously unreleased cuts. This release marks the first time many of these songs will have appeared on vinyl; it is also the first ever vinyl compilation of Mexican New Wave and post-punk.

While synth pop and obscure electronics from Europe and the United States have been extensively documented, much less attention has been paid to such offerings from the periphery. Back Up serves as a vital document of Mexico’s flourishing DIY scene in the 1980’s, surveying a wide range of styles and moods. By using home recording techniques, the bands featured here were able to circumvent relying on the expensive studios of the era. Tracks by Avant Garde, Vandana, and Silueta Pálida mine the kind of dreary-but-infectious wave that long-time Dark Entries fans will celebrate. Meanwhile, Volti and Artefacto offer a floor-ready pop sound that has echoes of NY freestyle, with Latin percussion and boxy beats. But darker turns are present as well, with Década 2’s New Beat-inflections and electro experiments of Syntoma and their side project Escuadrón Del Ritmo.

Back Up: Mexican Tecno Pop was remastered by George Horn at Fantasy Studios. The sleeve is a neon retro-futurist design by Gwenaël Rattke. Also included is a 12-page booklet printed on neon green, pink, and orange paper, which features photographs, band biographies, lyrics, and liner notes.

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Dark Entries returns to Mexico with Back Up Dos: Mexican Tecno Pop 1982-1989. Following 2021’s Back Up compilation, Back Up Dos delivers 10 more tracks of synth-pop and New Beat, 7 of which have never before appeared on vinyl. From mutant drum machine beats to irresistible synthesizer hooks, fans of the fringes of the 80s will find songs to stir their cold, dark hearts. But Back Up Dos does more than mine retro kitsch; it documents the development of a rich DIY music scene that is still underexplored. As affordable samplers and digital synths spread throughout the decade, post-punk and new wave gave way to more aggressive EBM and cyberpunk sounds. The scene also developed in opposition to the political climate of the times: the rise of the drug cartels and a reactionary turn in national politics. Using home recording techniques, these bands took cues from the electronic wizardry of the Human League and Wax Trax Records while reflecting the vibrant and chaotic Mexican cultural landscape of the era. On Back Up Dos, impeccable pop anthems from Casino Shanghai and Los Agentes Secretos sit alongside gnarled obscurities from Ford Proco and María Bonita, showcasing a decade of sly deviance and enthusiastic experimentation. This album comes housed in an 80s-inflected neon sleeve designed by Gwenael Rattke and includes a 12-page booklet with photographs, lyrics, and notes. Back Up Dos compiles synthetic music produced in Mexico at the crossroads from Tecno Pop to Post-Industrial, nourished by culture shock and stories of dystopian worlds.

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Dark Entries picks up Severed Heads yet again for Ear Bitten, a double LP reissue of some of the band’s earliest material. As originary Aussie industrial legends - although founder Tom Ellard would balk at being branded as such - Severed Heads shaped the continental subcultural sound with their kitchen electronics, chaotic tape loops, and quietly infectious nursery-rhyme-esque melodies. In 1979 Ellard, Richard Fielding, and Andrew Wright abandoned the moniker Mr. and Mrs. No Smoking Sign and adopted the edgier name Severed Heads “to pretend to be an industrial band such as Surgical Penis Klinik & Throbbing Gristle.” Noise-rockers Rhythmx Chymx had placed an advertisement in a local shop looking for a band to share the costs of pressing an LP. The Heads set about recording a Dadaist racket on a pair of open reel dictaphones and a cassette deck using a TRS-80 computer, Kawai Synthesizer 100F and Korg Mini Pops drum machine. Ear Bitten was released in 1980; original copies now fetch obscene sums, in part due to most of Severed Heads’ copies perishing in a fire at Richard’s home. The band’s next endeavor was a cassette titled Side 2, a collection of free-form experiments fashioned as Ear Bitten’s second side. For this reissue, Dark Entries has collected both Ear Bitten and Side 2 on the first disc, presenting the album in its full form. Disc two includes the original first version of Ear Bitten, which was only unreleased because it was recorded in a format not suitable for pressing. The album comes in a gatefold sleeve designed by Eloise Leigh and includes photos, liner notes, and reproductions of the original Xerox inserts from the 1980 issue. Ear Bitten delivers 22 tracks of pain you can dance to!

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Dark Entries Collected Music Graphics Compiled by Josh Cheon and Eloise Shir-Juen Leigh To celebrate 15 years of Dark Entries, this zine showcases the label’s visual aesthetic, bringing together some of the most iconic designs that we’ve released. While Dark Entries’ sonic mission has included sounds as diverse as synth-pop, Italo disco, darkwave, house, and techno, it is equally staggering to see the breadth of visuals the label has encountered and collected over the years. Included here are selected typography, logos, and illustrations from the label’s extensive catalog — well over 300 releases to date. Designs have been created using DIY analogue techniques as well as more contemporary digital approaches. A full discography is included at the end for reference and an essay by Shawn O’Sullivan (Led Er Est, Further Reductions). This zine serves as a source of inspiration for artists as well as a means of preserving and documenting these distinct graphics. DARK ENTRIES RECORDS is a San Francisco-based record label that was born in July 2009. Helmed by Josh Cheon, a vinyl-focused DJ and collector, the label has focused largely on excavating the 1980s underground era – but releases have spanned from sultry vintage disco to bleeding-edge contemporary techno. Graphic designer Eloise Shir-Juen Leigh has been responsible for most of the label’s artwork, whether reproducing original designs accurately for reissues or creating exciting new ones. Much care and attention is given to each release to represent the music in a memorable way as well as tell the stories behind these projects. Hand-stamped and limited to 200 numbered copies. 64 pages with neon cardstock covers. Measures 5×7 inches.

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Dark Entries again shines a spotlight on bathhouse disco don Patrick Cowley with a newly remastered release of Kickin’ In. Although Cowley tragically passed from AIDS-related illness in 1982, he left an extensive archive of unreleased tapes, many of which Dark Entries has had the honor of releasing. While working as a lighting technician at The City, SF’s disco cabaret, Cowley saw rising star Frank Loverde perform. Cowley asked Loverde to contribute vocals to some material in progress, and Frank, Linda Imperial, and Peggy Gibbons joined Cowley in the studio. The resulting songs included “Kickin’ In,” a 9-minute cybernetic disco stormer that taps into the essence of Cowley’s hi-NRG sound: equal parts spaced out and zoned in on the dancefloor. In May 1978 Cowley joined Loverde on stage at The City to perform “Kickin’ In” as they opened for disco diva Sylvester.

“Kickin’ In” was initially released in 2015 via Honey Soundsystem who found the tapes in the basement of Megatone Records owner John Hedges. This newly remastered version was made possible due to the discovery of the original multi-track recordings of "Kickin’ In," allowing for a fresh mixdown by Jim Hopkins as well as the creation of a new instrumental version. Also included are two impeccably sleazy Cowley jams recorded in 1980, “Thief of Love” and “Make It Come Loose.” Cowley narrates excerpts from his erotic journals on these raunchy slow-burners, capturing the vibe of SF’s leather bars and backrooms. “Thief of Love” features frequent Cowley collaborator Paul Parker on background vocals. This reissue of Kickin’ In includes features an illustration by Gwenaël Rattke that originally appeared Cowley’s erotic journal, Mechanical Fantasy Box, as well as a postcard with lyrics. “Patrick parted the veil and entered a dark world of forbidden vices, wondrous musical panoramas and bold, strident, hopeful possibilities. Patrick brought the future to us and laid it at our feet.” – David Diebold, Tribal Rites

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Dark Entries again shines a spotlight on bathhouse disco don Patrick Cowley with a newly remastered release of Kickin’ In. Although Cowley tragically passed from AIDS-related illness in 1982, he left an extensive archive of unreleased tapes, many of which Dark Entries has had the honor of releasing. While working as a lighting technician at The City, SF’s disco cabaret, Cowley saw rising star Frank Loverde perform. Cowley asked Loverde to contribute vocals to some material in progress, and Frank, Linda Imperial, and Peggy Gibbons joined Cowley in the studio. The resulting songs included “Kickin’ In,” a 9-minute cybernetic disco stormer that taps into the essence of Cowley’s hi-NRG sound: equal parts spaced out and zoned in on the dancefloor. In May 1978 Cowley joined Loverde on stage at The City to perform “Kickin’ In” as they opened for disco diva Sylvester.

“Kickin’ In” was initially released in 2015 via Honey Soundsystem who found the tapes in the basement of Megatone Records owner John Hedges. This newly remastered version was made possible due to the discovery of the original multi-track recordings of "Kickin’ In," allowing for a fresh mixdown by Jim Hopkins as well as the creation of a new instrumental version. Also included are two impeccably sleazy Cowley jams recorded in 1980, “Thief of Love” and “Make It Come Loose.” Cowley narrates excerpts from his erotic journals on these raunchy slow-burners, capturing the vibe of SF’s leather bars and backrooms. “Thief of Love” features frequent Cowley collaborator Paul Parker on background vocals. This reissue of Kickin’ In includes features an illustration by Gwenaël Rattke that originally appeared Cowley’s erotic journal, Mechanical Fantasy Box, as well as a postcard with lyrics. “Patrick parted the veil and entered a dark world of forbidden vices, wondrous musical panoramas and bold, strident, hopeful possibilities. Patrick brought the future to us and laid it at our feet.” – David Diebold, Tribal Rites

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Dark Entries celebrates its 15th anniversary by returning to where it all started, our initial darkest entry: Eleven Pond’s masterpiece Bas Relief, an ultra-obscure album from 1986 that would become a definitive dark pop holy grail. Eleven Pond was James Tabbi (vocals, acoustic guitar), Jeff Gallea (drum machine, synthesizer, vocals), Jack Schaeffer (guitar) and Dan Brumley (synthesizer, samples, vocoder, melodica). They met in Rochester, NY, while attending art school, brought together by their shared love of 4AD and Factory Records. Taking cues from acts like Joy Division, Fad Gadget, and For Against, Eleven Pond’s infectious basslines, churning guitar riffs, and atmospheric synths will charm all fans of moody music. But what really makes Bas Relief shine is the timeless songwriting on classics like “Tear and Cinnamon”, “Portugal”, and the anthemic “Watching Trees.”

With only 500 copies in it’s initial release, Bas Relief resurfaces with a fresh remaster that corrects a pitch shift from previous reissues. Each copy is housed in a screen printed jacket, like the 1986 edition, and includes a lyric sheet, two postcards and a bookmark. Bas Relief is a true lost relic of the cold 80’s and an essential piece Dark Entries history.

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The seductive sounds of Portugal swing to Dark Entries on Rock Rendez Vous: Música Moderna Portuguesa 1985-1986, a compilation of vintage Iberian synth, wave, and postpunk gems. The legendary club Rock Rendez Vous (RRV) opened its doors in Lisbon in 1980, heralding a new era in the Portuguese underground. Although touring acts like Killing Joke, Danse Society, or Echo & the Bunnymen graced its stage, RRV more vitally served as ground zero for a new generation of Portuguese bands, one simultaneously in touch with broader international musical movements while being invested in establishing a national sonic identity. Rock Rendez Vous culls 9 tracks of prime Portuguese indie tunes from the Música Moderna Portuguesa compilations released in 1985 and 1986, documenting the heyday of this movement. Jangly and brooding postpunk gems like “Levante” from Jovem Guarda, Projecto Azul’s “New Sides,” and Essa Entente’s “Festa Final” are well-represented here. Meanwhile, quirky Balearic-laced synthpop gems like D. W. Art’s “Mate” or Zona Proibida’s “Musak” add a subtly regional flare. Rock Rendez Vous: Música Moderna Portuguesa comes housed in a sleeve designed by Eloise Leigh featuring a photo of the club RRV, and also includes a double-sided insert with lyrics, photos, and liner notes.

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LA goddess Angelyne’s neon-draped sophomore LP Driven to Fantasy steers its way to Dark Entries as part of the ongoing celebration of our 15th anniversary! "Who is Angelyne? Angelyne is a voluptuous, blonde, self-made star who drives a hot pink Corvette; wears her clothes short and tight, and is influenced by Barbie and Marilyn Monroe.” In 1984, a series of billboards popped up in the LA area featuring the lone word “Angelyne” along with a mysterious woman posing provocatively. The campaign created an instant stir, making her one of the first icons who was "famous for being famous", and it led to the recording of her second solo LP. Released in 1986, Driven to Fantasy features 8 tracks of bubblegum-hued new wave with a distinctly LA flavor. On sassy titles like “Sex Goddess”, “Skin Tight”, and “Flirt”, Angelyne fused the glam and grit of southern Californian punk with flashy synth-pop style. This will be the first time that this cult record will be in print since its original release, and comes on pink Corvette-colored vinyl with a 2-sided poster featuring lyrics. Angelyne is more than just a billboard or a rock star; she’s been an actress, a visual artist, and even a political candidate. Celebrate a true Hollywood legend with this historic reissue.

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Ortrotasce comes to Dark Entries with Dispatches From Solitude, their latest LP. For over a decade, Nic Hamersly has been using the Ortotrasce (pronounced: or-tro-task) moniker to unleash brooding-yet-propulsive darkwave anthems upon the world. Hamersly’s work explores the intersection between industrial and synth pop, drawing a line from the sounds of the past to the present. Recorded during the Covid and post-Covid era, Dispatches from Solitude brings 8 tracks of tightly wrought synth-pop exploring grief, romance, and our strange world - which just keeps getting stranger. The cover art was designed by Hamersly, and the record includes a postcard with notes. Dispatches From Solitude will thrill fans of classic industrial-laced wave bands like Hard Corps, Fad Gadget, and SPK

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