Musically Proper

Originally known as Crystal in 1972, a long-haired French pub band playing local gigs, Rockets took shape in 1974 when they teamed up with mastermind producer and “6th band member” Claude Lemoine.

Lemoine convinced the entire band to shave their heads, paint their skin in metallic silver, wear gray contact lenses, and adopt full alien personas.

While their German contemporaries Kraftwerk were lean and precise, and Tangerine Dream were ambient and hypnotic, Rockets blended heavy synth-pop with high-tech rock showmanship. Stadium shows featured live lasers, vocoder alien vocals, and a 10-foot bazooka that shot literal fire over the audience.

‘Ideomatic’ is from their 1981 album π 3,14. A darker, tech-focused cult masterpiece that’s proof the group was more than just a gimmick.

Syntoma emerged from Mexico City in the early 80s and released one stellar LP, No Me Puedo Controlar, in 1983.

Using Korg and Yamaha synths, the trio created dystopian operas, exploring sci-fi themes while keeping a sense of fun and tropical rhythms beneath it all.

The band is said to have dubbed their style “electropical-urban.”

Incredible discovery by Slab Goody of a rare mixtape from The Pool. The tape was made after his debut album 333 (‘Jamaica Resting’, ‘Dance It Down’).

The first side features a mix of punishing synth wave and funky electro with the second side diving into ambient textures and score-like compositions. The genius of Patrick Keel aka The Pool runs deep.

The tape was discovered in Michigan after one collector originally bought it in Pennsylvania. Fascinating considering the tape originated in Austin, Texas where Keel is from. See stories for pics.

Nini Raviolette! A French post punk legend. You won’t find her one album release, Suis-je normale?, on streaming, but her tracks are scattered across underground French compilations.

‘Inidicateur ou dragueur’ instantly caught my ear, reminding me of one of my favorite garage rock/psych albums, Reverse Shark Attack, by Ty Segall and Mikal Cronin. This track is the ultimate lo-fi blend of raw drum machines, blown out garage psychedelia, and danceable no wave attitude.

Not many dance tracks get this messy, this distorted, or this obscure. Nini handled synths and vocals while a group of underground French artists filled in guitar, bass, drum machine, and production.

Tom Ellard of Severed Heads might be one of the most prolific electronic producers of the 20th century. Between 1979 and 2000, Ellard produced over 20 studio albums, alongside dozens of EPs, singles, cassette-only releases, and solo side projects like 80’s Cheesecake.

Released in 1982, 80’s Cheesecake is a prophecy of what the future of electronic music held. Showcasing proto chiptune (‘The Ritualistic’) and even proto acid house (‘303B The East Is Red’), putting Ellard on par with Charanjit Singh as a precursor to the genre.

The featured track here, ‘Word’, lies somewhere between industrial and electro funk. I can even hear the seeds of lo-fi house in there a la Delroy Edwards. Ellard described his own unique blend of tape loops, bizarre sampling, and dance hooks as “fungal disco”.

From the liner notes: ”Recorded over 1982 at Terse Tapes (in order of lust/acquisition) Kawai S100F screeching fartbox, Roland SH1 + CSQ100 horsey, Tascam 3440 recorder oh s**t dropped it down the stairs, Electro-Harmonix Memory Man, Electric Mistress, Graphic-Fuzz butterpedals, AKAI GX-625 “Jayne Mansfield”, Roland TR808 drum computer, TB303 piece of crap why did I buy this, Tascam 80-8 recorder “Sammy Davis”, Korg MS-20 “Gronk”, MS-10 “Shag”, Ibanez DM1000 sample delay with “Fairlight” written on it, and various televisions, radios, cassette decks, and crap.”

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