Forbidden Overture – Turned On

(think: ‘bathhouse E2-E4’)

Forbidden Overture – Turned On
Release Date: November 4, 2022

Strictly Forbidden
Primal Overture

The master sleuths at Dark Entries bring us Forbidden Overture, another tantalizing mystery from the hidden depths of sleaze. It all began years ago when Bijou Video’s Jules Zinn introduced the label to the soundtracks of the pornographic films of legendary filmmaker Steve Scott and gay superstar Al Parker. It wasn’t until The Magazine’s Bob Mainardi gifted a cassette copy of the soundtrack to the film TURNED ON—a bathhouse fantasy from 1982—that the wheels started turning. The steamy, hypnotic sounds were credited only to “Forbidden Overture…” but who was that? This question remained unanswered for some time, and countless hours of research, Venn diagramming, and elaborate flow charts all proved fruitless. 
It wasn’t until a chance screening of BAD GIRLS DORMITORY, a 1986 women-in-prison movie from gay porn director Joe Gage that happened to reuse some of the same music did the answer become clear: Forbidden Overture was none other than the mighty Man Parrish!​
The soundtrack to TURNED ON consists of two epic side-long pieces, both of which employ classic Man Parrish production techniques. “Primal Overture” slinks along with brooding pads and ominous chords, building and oozing throughout its 27 minute runtime like a sultrier Goblin soundtrack. “Strictly Forbidden” takes a similar groove to a major key, but it’s optimistic chirp conceals a wry, mysterious wink. Says director Steve Scott: “It took us about two weeks to find the right piece for the jockstrap scene. But it’s like anything else—you know when it’s right.”
​Also included is a 20 page booklet featuring photos, archival material, a pull-out poster, and interviews with Steve Scott and stars Al Parker and Scott Taylor. TURNED ON is an exciting musical rediscovery as well as a vital document of queer history.

BILL CONVERSE  – TAKE PARTS

Bill Converse  – Take Parts

Stroke
Take Apart
What You Have
The Last Time
Measurement (Of What?)
Part Fun

Underground hero Bill Converse returns to Dark Entries with Take Parts, perhaps his most muscular and floor-focused work to date. Converse has honed his analog craft since the early days of the Midwest rave scene, absorbing lessons from luminaries like Claude Young and Traxx. His skill as a producer has been established with releases on labels such as Dark Entries, Fit Sound, and Obsolete Futures, and his prowess as a DJ has been witnessed on floors the world over. 
On Take Parts, Converse peels away the layers of acidic gauze that have characterized much of his work, revealing his sharp grasp of dancefloor dynamics and DJ functionality. While the 808’s, 909’s, and 303’s are on full display, Converse does not indulge in retro-fetishism; he channels the future forward impulse of the originary rave ethos. Tracks like “Stroke” and “What You Have” pit seasick chords and analog squelch atop funky but unsettling loops. The flurry of 808 snares on “Measurement (Of What?)” nods towards both footwork and jungle, but feels ultimately planted in a world of Converse’s own. With the acid-electro masterpiece “Take Apart”, Converse implores us to both join him in this new world and reconfigure the one we’re living in now. The 6-tracks on Take Parts present a new focus for Converse, and will excite DJ’s and thrill dancers.

BACK IN STOCK

 

Angela –  Fantasy

Fantasy
Painted Love
I Gotta Little Love
Kites

Angela was the studio project of husband/wife duo Angela and Ingo Werner formed in 1981 in Rüsselsheim, Germany. Ingo had classical training in bassoon and piano at the Akademie für Tonkunst in Darmstadt from 1966-70. He joined Krautrock band My Solid Ground in 1971 before going on to form his own project Baba Yaga in 1974.  In the late 70s he formed the ensemble AIR with Armin Stöwe and Reinhard Karwatky. The project debuted with  a a concert at ARS Electronica Competition in Linz, Austria 1980, which they won. Klaus Schulze was on the jury with Wendy Carlos and Robert Moog – but more importantly, Angela was in the audience. Two days later, Ingo told the band he needed a singer, so they asked Angela, and recorded two albums for RCA between 1981-82 before being dropped. Ingo wanted to work on a new project that involved dancers and live video. They recruited American performance artist Jyl Porch, who was living in Munich, to assist with choreography with her friend Kirsten McKenley. Jyl ended up recording her own album first, which gained interest from Klaus Schulze, who helped them secure a deal with EMI in 1983. Later that year, the trio recorded 4 songs that would be released on Angela ‘Fantasy’ single on 7” and 12” formats in 1984.
The music on ‘Fantasy’ was completely created with computer software of Ingo’s own design. The concept of a polyrhythmic, polyphonic, and polydynamic sequencer was realized by Ingo after a visit to Wolfgang Palm in Hamburg. He paired his sequencer with Palm’s legendary PPG Wave Computer System, allowing for more dynamic and nuanced programming. Angela programmed the music, sang, and wrote the lyrics to “Painted Love”, while Ingo arranged and played all electronics and keyboards. Jyl wrote the lyrics for “Fantasy” and the slow and sleazy, electronic disco B-side “I Gotta Little Love”, where she also sings background vocals and the “hot little flame” rap. The original B-side to the 7” version was a cover of the 1967 Hal Hackady and Lee Pockriss song “Kites”, made famous by Simon Dupree and the Big Sound.  All songs have been remastered by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. The EP features the original 1984 cover artwork with a striking photo of Angela styled by Jyl in severe Neue Deutsche Welle fashion, and includes an insert with lyrics and and photos.

Various Artists –  Endangered Species Vol. 1

John King – Munich
The Actor – Picture 210 (Demo)
Brazil – Tvoj Svijet
Jamal Khe – L’Étranger (Ana Gharib)
Nightless – Abemus Mind

    In eleven years of deep digging, Dark Entries has uncovered many curiosities, lone exemplars of the scarsest breeds. They are lurking in Croatia, on the streets of New York, maybe in the back of your own dusty closet – these odd-ball Italo and synth-wave monsters are too rare to live, too divine to die. Once-lost creatures now have a home with Dark Entries’ new Endangered Species series. The inaugural edition features five specimens previously deemed extinct, only mentioned passingly in lore and speculation, but now safely preserved on vinyl.
    The first cut on Endangered Species Vol. 1  is the previously unreleased electro-New Wave gem “Munich” by John King, an artist best known for his work as one half of the Dust Brothers, lauded producers of the Beastie Boys’ legendary Paul’s Boutique. “Munich”, a Danceteria-ready cut produced in 1983, sheds some light on King’s earlier interests, bridging between freestyle and emotive synthpop. Next up is a rare demo version of The Actor’s “Picture 210”. The Dutch duo here channel both the minimalism of Kraftwerk and the Surrealism of Throbbing Gristle to create one of the finest teary-eyed Goth club anthems. Brazil is a synthpop band from Croatia, and they feature with their 1990 cover of Tears for Fears’ “Mad World”, which is sure to turn some heads on the dancefloor. The eerily faithful production belies Brazil’s re-working of the song’s lyrics. “L’Étranger (Ana Gharib)” by Jamal Khe follows, a pearl originally only available on an impossibly rare French 7” from 1983. Khe is from the Ain Beida region of Algeria, and his Arabic vocal melodies perfectly complement the propulsive percussion and airy arpeggios from producer Jacky Bourgogne. Closing the record is the previously unreleased “Abemus Mind” from Marzio Benellil’s project Nightless. Recorded in 1983,  this moody, low-tempo Italo groover features Gregorian chant-inspired vocoders and jazzy piano courtesy of Benelli’s collaborator Marco Falagiani.
    All songs were mastered for vinyl by George Horn. The sleeve is the first in a series of endangered animal designs by Eloise Leigh, featuring the glam tiger in its natural, 1980’s habitat. Also included is an insert with lyrics, photos, and notes. Please assist us in our efforts to preserve this planet’s weirdest beasts.