Dream Division - Mosura

Dream Division - Mosura

Polytechnic Youth

All analog John Carpenter-esque Synthwave from Dream Division, who get their first vinyl press thanks to the good folks at Polytechnic Youth. It's revivalist and thus not the most original music, but among the soft-synth copyists going for this sound, Mosura has a convincing air of authenticity. Sonically, the 4 tracks feel more like a soundtrack than an EP, which is not a criticism. Don't expect catchy, Kavinsky-style hooks. Do expect grainy, biting synths oscillating eerily over pulsing, simple rhythms that will have you playing out laser fights and flying car chases in your mind's eye.

Available on cassette from the band's Bandcamp, or 7" through Polytechnic Youth. Which brings me to Polytechnic Youth's rather curious (and effective) model of delivery. A combination of email, Twitter and Facebook updates lead up to a chronologically precise launch time - usually 9pm GMT - at which point said record goes becomes available in a quantity of precisely 111, usually with some sort of hand-stamping, limited edition signature, lathe-cut or other collectible feature. These puppies then sell out within hours to a clearly devoted and satisfied customer base. It's the sort of brand loyalty any company would kill for and must have been exquisitely cultivated in today's ultra-competitive landscape. 

The label also stock through regular outlets on longer run presses, but these collectible launches are particularly eye-catching.

Anyway, back to the matter at hand... with Blade Runner 2049 and Halloween in the same month, Dream Division have a record that neatly joins the dots between the two. I'd muster more enthusiasm if I weren't so jet-lagged. Just buy it.

Alessandro Alessandroni - Afro Discoteca

Alessandro Alessandroni - Afro Discoteca
Four Flies Italy

The sadly departed Alessandro Alessandroni, he of the 'most famous whistle in the world' and over 50 movie soundtracks, has Four Flies to thank, posthumously, for repressing his excellent Afro Discoteca EP for vinyl lovers everywhere. It's a seriously limited repress with just one per customer at Juno, so be quick!

VARIOUS - Library Of Sound Grooves: Obscure Psychedelic Manuscripts From The Italian Cinema 1967-1975

If ever a record title was going to relieve me of my cash, it's this... every word in the overlong title has me screaming 'Shut up and take my money!' while I log in to my Juno account and feverishly hit 'buy'.

I didn't even listen to it, which was a foolish move - I've certainly been burnt in the past. Sometimes just throwing the word 'psychedelic' in front of a genre can conveniently hide the utter dearth of likability in a record.

So, this foolish record collector opened the sleeve full of trepidation... the cover has tits on... good start... actually its collage of 70s B-movie stills is quite cool... 

Tell you what, I wasn't half impressed by the music. Dann reeled off a bunch of 'famous' composers that feature, that I felt perhaps i should have heard of, but in my ignorance I just feasted on a smorgasbord of prominent, funky bass riffs, strong percussion and psychedelic arrangements. there are slow ones, fast ones, funky ones and jazzy ones, but not a dud in sight. Impressively remastered, each song across 2 records sounds crisp, raw and sufficiently powerful that any DJ out there will not find them wanting amongst funk records of the same era.

Listen and buy below

Hohokum - Soundtrack

Ghostly International curate the soundtrack to this indie video game, in which the main protagonist is a kite. A who's who of contemporary synthwave, the artists include Tycho, Com Truise, Matthew Dear, Shigeto and more, all oozing the same brand of rubbery synths and minimalist beats.

A incredibly hip affair - as you might expect from the subject matter - the vinyl itself comes on clear splattered wax, and annoyingly offers about half the track count of the download version.

Still, a pretty good introduction to the world of Ghostly International and their ilk.

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Pick it up here: http://www.ghostly.com/releases/hohokum-soundtrack

Battletoads!

I know what your thinking - I wish someone would release the soundtrack to obscure Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle's computer game ripoff Battletoads on vinyl, right? Well thanks to Iam8bit, your dreams have finally come true. Pressed on (of course) froggy green vinyl, you can pick this up on preorder right now - the first batch was a Comic-Con exclusive that sold out immediately, these are unlikely to last too much longer.

Pick it up here - http://store.iam8bit.com/collections/rare/products/battletoads-vinyl-soundtrack

Midnight Express OST (1981) - Giorgio Moroder

Everyone loves Giorgio Moroder, and everyone loves a bargain, so I thought I'd shine a light on a nice little steal I managed to find yesterday - the original pressing for just 99p on ebay. Absolutely stunning soundtrack to a great film, definitely worth £1!
With Moroder's trademark analogue, driving synth lines and insistent, electronic drums, the record is a charismatic piece of work that enhances the film no end. Have a listen below.

Here's it's Discogs entry if you want to pick one up yourself. There's a repress that looks pretty nice and of course the 1981 OG

http://www.discogs.com/sell/release/961713?ev=rb

Street Fighter 2 Soundtrack on Vinyl!

Here's a mouth-watering proposition for any child of the 90s... Legendary arcade/console beat 'em up Street Fighter 2 (why am I even explaining what it is) is due for a deluxe vinyl release through Japanese label Brave Wave.

Here's what Brave Wave are saying:

The soundtrack release will include new remasters of both CPS-1 and CPS-2 versions of the arcade game, extracted directly from the arcade boards and approved by original composer Yoko Shimomura.

Fans of physical media will be treated with a double album that features liner notes by Yoko Shimomura and Polygon.com writer Matt Leone. Additionally, and for the first time in the series history, we will present with Capcom a limited edition vinyl release, carefully and especially remastered in translucent colored vinyl, with art prints sourced from the Capcom archive.

Sign up for email notifications here: http://www.bravewave.net/genseries/

It's gonna be a mad dash to order this when it finally comes out so here's hoping that day comes when I've got some money!