impLOG and Kirlian Camera out now!

Dark Entires is happy to re-issuing impLOG’s (Don Christensen of NY group The Contortions) “Holland Tunnel Drive” b/w “On B’Way” 12′ and Uno, a collection of early recordings from seminal Italian act Kirlian Camera.

impLOG was the solo project of Don Christensen after leaving New York No Wave group The Contortions in 1979. He began making music using found sounds, a Univox drum machine, guitar stomp boxes, Casio keyboards and percussion instruments. Eventually Don gave a demo tape to Charles Ball at Lust/Unlust Records, who loved it, and released the “Holland Tunnel Dive” b/w “On B’way” 12” in 1980. “Holland Tunnel Dive” is a monotone lament, with a narrator reciting a list of all that is missing in his life along to a sparse, mechanical beat. A variable speed Milwaukee drill creeps its way into the song, eventually reaching cacophonous levels. After four minutes of industrial motorik, an upbeat saxophone riff breaks out unexpectedly, unsettling the listener even further. On the B-side is a deranged version of the Lieber and Stoller show tune “On Broadway”, featuring lead guitar by Jody Harris of the Contortions. The record perfectly captures the dark and seedy vibe of downtown New York in the early 80’s.

All songs have been remastered from the original master tapes for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. The jacket is an exact replica of the original. On the front cover is an illustration of a hydraulic pump against a taxi-cab yellow background. Each copy includes a double sided insert with lyrics, never before seen photos and liner notes by Don Christensen.

Dark Entries is proud to release Uno, a collection of early recordings from seminal Italian electronic act Kirlian Camera. Keyboardist/vocalist Angelo Bergamini founded the project in Parma in 1979, initially naming it Suicide Commando, before discovering another project using the same name. By 1980, Angelo had recruited singer Simona Buja, keyboardist Fabrizio Chiari and bassist Mauro Montacchini. Their demo cassette, “Dawn”, attracted the attention of Italian Records, a popular independent label. The following year, Mauro left the band and was replaced by Giorgio Vecchi, and the band recorded their first mini-LP, “Kirlian Camera”. Uno compiles the 4 songs from the mini-LP on Side A and the 6 songs from the demo cassette on Side B. Also included is the bonus track “Minitech”, originally released in 1981 on flexi-disc. Kirlian Camera’s clean, minimalist new wave is marked by strong haunting melodies, slow moving synth washes, and stark, dramatic vocals.

All songs are remastered for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. Housed in the original jacket featuring a painting of a royal Italian noble on the front and black and white photos of the band on the back. Each copy includes a 2-sided postcard with a never before seen photo of Angelo and Simona taken from an early concert.

Founding member of impLOG, Don Christensen, found a few boxes of his debut 7″ single Breakfast / She Creatures, self-released in 1980. He is asking us to sell them for him so if you want a original piece of New York No Wave history, now’s your chance to grab one! These copies are in white paper sleeves only, no poster is included

You can catch Dark Entries next weekend at the Bay Area Record Fair

Saturday September 26 – San Francisco – Thee Parkside

Bay Area Record Fair
Saturday, September 27th from 11am – 5pm @ Thee Parkside
$5 entry at 11am, free entry @ noon with RSVP, all ages

RSVP HERE

Our next 2 reissues coming out September 30th!
DE-075 V/A – Bay Area Retrograde (BART) Vol 2 LP
DE-076 Tom Ellard – 80s Cheesecake LP