Bay Area Retrograde Vol. 2 OUT NOW!

We are happy to release the second volume of our Bay Area Retrograde (BART) compilation, a series celebrating the hidden gems of underground music of San Francisco made between 1978-1988. Today we also release a CD of Volumes 1 and 2, which features 22 of the city’s deepest cuts, many of which have never appeared on CD before.

Tracklisting
SIDE A
Factrix – Night To Forget
Chrome – Meet You In the Subway
Red Asphalt – Red Asphalt
Tuxedomoon – Day to Day
Ki Di Me – Islamatic

SIDE B
Indoor Life – Gilmore of the Fillmore
Timmy Spence – Brand New Dance
Baby Buddha – Little Things
Human Being Men – Human Dub
Wonders Of Science – Let’s Start A Rumor
Zru Vogue – Nakweda Dream

Bay Area Retrograde (BART) Volume 2 is Dark Entries’ second compilation of underground music from San Francisco (and the greater Bay Area) made between 1978-1983. Towards the end of the 70s, San Francisco’s experimental music scene clashed with the aftermath of punk and gave birth to a vibrant underground. By the early to mid 80s the DIY music scene of the Bay Area was a hotbed for experimental and quirky new wave, post punk, and synthpop, quite similar to New York’s No Wave scene and Berlin’s Neue Deutsche Welle. This compilation connects the (transit) lines between these varied musical offerings and tells the secret story of eleven forgotten Bay Area bands.

BART Volume 2 features slow, dystopian horror from pioneering industrial group Factrix; crushing, motorik noise from acid punks Chrome; amphetamine-driven synth punk from Red Asphalt; an early demo, never released on vinyl, from legendary post punk band Tuxedoomon; chilling atmospheric drone from Ki Di Me; leftfield new wave from Indoor Life featuring Patrick Cowley on synths; Los Microwaves more sinister side project Baby Buddha; gay drag icon Timmy Spence delivering an unknown camp classic, a pure instrumental electro-pop workout from Human Being Men; TR-808 fueled synth pop from Menlo Park duo Wonders of Science, and a poetic yet somber and haunting song from the mysterious Zru Vogue.

All tracks have been carefully remastered by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. Each LP is housed in a large 6-panel, 2-sided fold out poster designed by Eloise Leigh, featuring original photos and fliers from each band’s personal archive plus a 36”x24” print of a photograph by Ruby Ray from1978. BART is the acronym for Bay Area Rapid Transit, the main rail transportation system for the San Francisco Bay Area. This LP is by no means a definitive compilation but merely opens the tunnel to the underground of the Bay!

Tracklisting
1. Nominal State ­ Middle Class
2. Batang Frisco ­ Power
3. Necropolis of Love ­ Talk
4. Wasp Women ­ Kill Me
5. Distant Thunder ­ Tin Soldiers
6. Voice Farm ­ Voyeur
7. Danny Boy and the Serious Party Gods ­ Castro Boy
8. Quiet Room ­ Yangtzee River
9. Los Microwaves ­ Silent Screamers
10. Standard of Living ­ N.F.A.
11. The Units ­ Mission
12. Factrix ­ Night To Forget
13. Chrome ­ Meet You In the Subway
14. Red Asphalt ­ Red Asphalt
15. Tuxedomoon ­ Day to Day
16. Ki Di Me ­ Islamatic
17. Indoor Life ­ Gilmore of the Fillmore
18. Timmy Spence ­ Brand New Dance
19. Baby Buddha ­ Little Things
20. Human Being Men ­ Human Dub
21. Wonders Of Science ­ Let’s Start A Rumor
22. Zru Vogue ­ Nakweda Dream

Dark Entries have combined Bay Area Retrograde (BART) Volume 1 and 2 on a single CD! BART is Dark Entries’ compilation of underground music from San Francisco (and the greater Bay Area) made between 1978-1988. Towards the end of the 70s, San Francisco’s experimental music scene clashed with the aftermath of punk and gave birth to a vibrant underground. By the early to mid 80s the DIY music scene of the Bay Area was a hotbed for experimental and quirky new wave, post punk, and synthpop, quite similar to New York’s No Wave scene and Berlin’s Neue Deutsche Welle. This compilation connects the (transit) lines between these varied musical offerings and tells the secret story of eleven forgotten Bay Area bands.

BART Volume 1 features a Korg-heavy assault from Danville’s utterly obscure Nominal State; two little-known left-field electronic dance gems from Batang Frisco and Quiet Room; Berkeley’s answer to darkwave, Necropolis of Love; a synth-driven drama fest from drag performance troupe Wasp Women; quirky lo-fi gothic pop from one man band Distant Thunder; a gay Hi-NRG anthem delivered by Danny Boy and the Serious Party Gods; two lesser know gems from SF synth legends Voice Farm and Los Microwaves; and the futuristic pulsing synth-punk of Standard of Living and the Units.

BART Volume 2 features slow, dystopian horror from pioneering industrial group Factrix; crushing, motorik noise from acid punks Chrome; amphetamine-driven synth punk from Red Asphalt; an early demo, never released on vinyl, from legendary post punk band Tuxedoomon; chilling atmospheric drone from Ki Di Me; leftfield new wave from Indoor Life featuring Patrick Cowley on synths; Los Microwaves more sinister side project Baby Buddha; gay drag icon Timmy Spence delivering an unknown camp classic, a pure instrumental electro-pop workout from Human Being Men; TR-808 fueled synth pop from Menlo Park duo Wonders of Science, and a poetic yet somber and haunting song from the mysterious Zru Vogue.

All tracks have been carefully remastered by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. Each CD contains a deluxe 12-page booklet designed by Eloise Leigh, featuring original photos and fliers from each band’s personal archive. BART is the acronym for Bay Area Rapid Transit, the main rail transportation system for the San Francisco Bay Area. This CD is by no means a definitive compilation but merely opens the tunnel to the underground of the Bay!

Pre-Order our next 2 releases now. They will ship October 26th

Tracklisting
A. Spacer Woman
B. Spacer Woman (Instrumental)

The next 12″ in Dark Entries Editions is the Italo Disco dance classic “Spacer Woman” by Charlie. Formed in 1983 as an experiment to break the mold of the classic disco dance sound, Charlie was the vehicle for musician and producer Maurizio Cavalieri who had found fame with Italian disco group Firefly. Cavalieri had been listening to the new crop of UK Synthpop and New Wave like Depeche Mode and Heaven 17 and wanted to create a more electronic, futuristic sound. He recruited his friend Giorgio Stefani to help write the song and compose lyrics. “Spacer Woman” was recorded in Vicenza, Italy and released by Cavalieri’s own Mr. Disc Organization in 1983. The track features the signature Italo Linn Drum machine as well as the Roland TR-808 and a Yamaha DX7 for the arpeggiated synthesizer melody. “Spacer Woman” spans over seven-minutes and features the spaced-out vocals of Stefani’s wife, who sings through a vocoder. The single has become a cult revival track since its appearance on the legendary I-f mix CD ”Mixed Up In The Hague” in 2001. This reissue also features the sought after instrumental mix where the sharp synthesized bassline really comes to the forefront.

For the first time ever, the 12” is housed in a silver, metallic picture sleeve with an android female model drawing, taken from the original 7” jacket. Each copy includes a 2-sided post card insert with lyrics. Eerie and unforgettable more than 30 years later, “Spacer Woman” is the ideal robotic space-age love song.

Tracklisting
A. Dancing Therapy
B. Love Games

Dark Entries Editions is honored to celebrate the 30th anniversary “Dancing Therapy” by International Music System, often abbreviated as I.M.S. In 1983 Maurizio Cavalieri and Giorgio Stefani, the same musicians who brought you “Spacer Woman” by Charlie, created International Music System in Vicenza, Italy. Under this moniker, the two would release a pair of albums of stylized and syncopated electronic dance songs showcasing the still-evolving advancement of computer and keyboard-generated music. “Dancing Therapy” was released as a 12” single in 1984 on the Cavalieri’s own Mr Disc Records. It utilized the Roland TR-808, Yamaha DX7 and Linn Drum as the main percussion. Giorgio would hit the two sides of a metal triangle with a drum stick, creating the high pitched tone break throughout the song. Guest vocalist Rebecca McLain, an American ballet dancer, sings about getting lost in music as a means to escape from your troubles. The single anticipated the beats and sounds of Freestyle music as well as influencing the early House scene due to radio airplay on Chicago’s WBMX. On the B-side is “Love Games”, an electro dance song with breakbeats in the vein of Afrika Bambaataa that features Giorgio on vocals.

The vinyl comes housed in a glossy jacket with original artwork featuring an iconic photo with each band member in side profile view. Each copy includes a post card insert with lyrics and liner notes.

Pre-Order our the special double vinyl edition of Patrick Cowley and Jorge Socarras “Catholic” due out November 12th!

Tracklisting
01 Memory Fails Me
02 Robot Children (Do You Love Your)
03 I Never Want To Fall In Love
04 I’ll Come See You
05 I Remember
06 Cars Collide
07 She Had Her Nerve
08 Eddie Go To My Head
09 Room
10 Soon
11 I Am Your Tricks
12 In And Out
13 Lost Horizon
14 You Laugh At My Face
15 Burn Brighter Flame
16 Hurdy Gurdy Man

Dark Entries and Honey Soundsystem have teamed up to release “Catholic”, the lost opus of disco pioneer Patrick Cowley and Indoor Life vocalist Jorge Socarras. Perhaps one of the most revolutionary and influential people in the canon of disco music, Cowley created his own brand of Hi-NRG dance music, “The San Francisco Sound.” Born in Buffalo, NY on October 19, 1950, Patrick moved to San Francisco at the age of 21. He studied at the City College of San Francisco and met Jorge Socarras in 1973 through mutual friends. The duo’s first collaboration was a ten-minute trance-inducing epic that Cowley composed for a performance piece by Socarras in 1975. Patrick, who played drums, guitar and keyboards, provided the perfect match for Jorge’s vocal talents. Between 1975 and 1977 they recorded an album’s worth of material before Socarras moved to London and Cowley started playing synthesizers for Sylvester. Upon Jorge’s return to San Francisco in 1979, the duo would re-record some of the “Catholic” songs with Patrick’s newly acquired equipment. Meanwhile, Socarras met the musicians with whom he would form Indoor Life, and in 1980 Patrick co-produced their first album. The “Catholic” album was offered to San Francisco’s Megatone Records who passed on it. Fast forward to 2007 when Honey Soundsystem was contacted by John Hedges, former co-owner of Megatone Records. Hedges’ was moving to Palm Springs and invited the crew over to his basement to collect over 2,000 records from his collection. Among the archives were three moldy boxes of quarter inch reel to reel tapes featuring unreleased music by Cowley, including the “Catholic” material. The reel was passed on to Stefan Goldmann of Macro Recordings in Berlin who was able to track down Jorge Socarras and clear the rights. “Catholic” was finally released on CD in 2009.

“Catholic” is a genre-bending concept album that ranges from minimalistic proto-techno to synth-driven post-punk, pre-dating the dance punk acts LCD Soundsystem and The Rapture by almost 30 years. It shows a much broader range than any Cowley or Socarras material available and gives a totally new perspective to one of the most inspiring eras in music history. Influenced by Tomita, Wendy Carlos, the Velvet Underground, and Roxy Music, “Catholic” prefigures acts like Talking Heads, Units, The Human League or Chris & Cosey. Patrick forges a unique electronic sound from his collection of synthesizers, modified guitars, and self-constructed equipment while Jorge’s vocals go from hypnotic to camp, singing about gay love juju and tackling classics by Donovan and Stoller & Leiber.

Featuring over 80 minutes of music never before released on vinyl, this compilation contains two bonus tracks not featured on the CD release. The tapes were meticulously restored by mastering guru Rashad Becker at D+M in Berlin, then remastered for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, CA. The vinyl comes housed in a glossy dual pocket gatefold featuring the intended album cover from the original “Catholic” photo shoot in 1979, and the original hand-lettering by Arch Connelly aka A. Style intended for the first 45rpm single. Inside the gatefold sleeve contains lyrics and an essay from Jorge Socarras. For the 32nd anniversary of Patrick’s death, Dark Entries and Honey Soundsystem present a glimpse into the minds of these two geniuses. These recordings shine a new light on the experimental side of a disco legend who was taken too soon. All proceeds from “Catholic” will be donated to the San Francisco AIDS Housing Alliance.