Obscure By Degrees - I'm Dying (1981)

Fresh off the needle, this is... basically one of my all-time favorite tracks. No real way to explain it other than 'it has the stuff'. Aptly named, this scarce 7" hails from the UK and features one of the catchiest minimal synth tracks you'll hear anywhere. Magical synths and a pulsating beat team up to captivate the ears. Do check this one out if you haven't heard it before. I've seen the title track kick about here and there, but the b-side might be fresh to a lot of you... a pretty nice track as well. Enjoy!

Track List:

A - I'm Dying
B - A Woman Like You

Download (link removed by request of re-issue label)

Ting Voice - Ting Voice (1989)

Nice scarce 12" here, released on Konkurrenz, the same label as quite a few great acts, including Bale Paré, Exkurs, Die Kapazität, and Matthias Schuster (who is featured on this record, although I do not know his exact role). You'll definitely hear familiar sounds on this. Female vocals and plenty of synthwave goodness. Enjoy!

Track List:

A1 - Les Mots
A2 - Slow 3D Pad
B1 - Allez, Allez
B2 - Ting Voice

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Various Artists - Climax (Cassette) (1985)

Well, I have to start this post by saying this is probably the best tape compilation I have ever heard. Probably the best compilation on any format, actually. I almost want to tell you to stop reading this and just download it ASAP. If you download anything from this blog, or forward anything I've posted to your friends, this would be a great place to start.

This tape features some of the best from Belgium. Absolutely crisp, dark, icey, danceable synth perfection throughout. Many of you will be familiar with the Asmodaeus track, as well as the Emotional Violence track called "Feeling The Cold", which has floated around the internet incorrectly tagged as "Asmodaeus - Feel The Cold".

There's an interesting and somewhat humorous note on the insert:

Writers note: it was my intention to make you a cassette with a large amount of variations and I succeeded quite good. You see, I bring you: depression of Asmodaeus, semi-industry with Magthea, romantic stuff from Somnambulist, commercial acts from Emotional Violence, Schicksal and Braindamage.

Haha! ..."and I succeeded quite good"... No arguments from me. Oh, I almost forgot to mention that this is, of course, related to the Climax Productions LP I posted a while back. Well, I think I've rambled enough about this for now. Enjoy!

Track List:

A1 - Schicksal - Time
A2 - Schicksal - Saturday
A3 - Danton's Voice - I Hear The Bells
A4 - Somnambulist - Mystical Landscape
A5 - Braindamage - Captive
A6 - Asmodaeus - Radiation Dance
B1 - Somnambulist - Ashamed
B2 - Braindamage - Braindamage
B3 - Asmodaeus - Meet You In Poland
B4 - Emotional Violence - Spider's Web
B5 - Emotional Violence - Feeling The Cold
B6 - Magthea - City Fever
B7 - Magthea - Saxa Pullations

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Madame Bovary - Be My Friend (In Spite Of All) (1986)

Very nice 7" from France. I sure have posted a lot of French releases lately... I need to switch it up already! Anyway, this should fit right in with all your favorites, great sound on the title track. As a bonus, here's a track from one of their later releases: Tell Me Why. Also quite nice. Enjoy!

Track List:

A - Be My Friend (In Spite Of All)
B - I'm A Runner

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Rudy - Homme Mecanique (1984)

Mega scarce 7" here. I heard it through the grapevine that the artist was contacted as to whether he had any spare copies laying around, and he apparently wants nothing to do with that part of his life or the music industry in general, and destroyed everything he had left... How unfortunate! I'd have liked to find out whether he had some unreleased material... Oh well, enjoy!

Track List:

A - Homme Mecanique
B - Destinee

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Plugpoint Music - Last Chance (1987)

Well, I know Phil from the incredibly great blog A Viable Commercial has been looking for this one for quite a while. So, I guess I couldn't help myself. It doesn't hurt that it's a quite outstanding minimal synth gem. A private release out of Germany, the exact release year doesn't seem to be posted anywhere, so perhaps if someone out there knew they could share? (Update in comments below). Seen this pop up on eBay a few times now, and hasn't gone for terribly unreasonable prices (whatever that means), so if you're looking for it, keep an eye out. Until then... enjoy!

Track List:

A1 - Maybe It's Love
A2 - Sunny Days Are Holidays
A3 - Lonely Is The Night
A4 - Forever Wind Forever Winter
A5 - Fire In The Street
A6 - In The Deepest Throat
B1 - Flowers And Wimen
B2 - Requiem For A Lonely Soul
B3 - Whatever You Need
B4 - Samba Transistora
B5 - Sadness In Your Eyes
B6 - Classical Thing

Download (link removed 11/30/2020 per request of Minimal Wave Records - you can purchase this reissue soon at: https://minimalwave.com/releases)

Michelle Vernon - Roman-Photo (1990)

Now, I know what you're thinking, and it was my initial reaction as well. However, no relation to Ruth -- that I'm aware of anyway. As far as I know this 7" is a stand-alone release by the artist. A nice French minimal wave sound on both sides, once again I fall victim to this style. Enjoy!

Track List:

A - Roman-Photo
B - Y'a Pas De Mystère Dans L'air

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Ruins - Ruins EP (1984)

It's been a while since I've posted something in the funky, italo vein. So I'm going with this nice 12" EP from, you guessed it, Italy. Thanks to Ale for tipping me off to it, some time ago. The song "Fire" has a video, in two different versions actually... One of which I'll embed below, the other you can view here. Check it out and... enjoy!



Track List:

A1 - Fire
A2 - Sexual Desire
B1 - It's Not Too Grand
B2 - Good Name

Download (link removed, check Minimal Wave and buy the record!)

Downers - December Rain (1985)

Well, I figure I might as well run the gamut with Tor Dybdahl releases. Well, almost anyway. As I mentioned in the previous post, Downers were another project of this great Norwegian artist. This is a three-track 7", all of which are a nice listen. The cover art is basically representative of the sound. The version of "Run Away" here is different from that which is featured on The Temptation Tapes Vol. 1 (which you should all buy!). I've also got this slightly different version of "December Rain", which you can get here. Enjoy!

Track List:

A1 - December Rain
B1 - Two Bicycles In Summertime
B2 - Run Away

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Horsemen - Mr. Sunrise (1987)

Here we have one of the few projects by the brilliant Norwegian artist, Tor Dybdahl. Also involved in one of my first posts, Clockwork Orange (as well as Downers and The French Connection). All of the aforementioned are featured on an absolutely brilliant LP called "The Temptation Tapes Vol. 1" on Hommage Records. Trust me it's totally worth buying, you can order it here. In any case, this is a true gem from my favorite Norwegian artist. Enjoy!

Track List:

A - Mr. Sunrise
B - And I Wish...

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Black Fantasy - Evil Places (1984)

Here's a nice minimal synth 7" from the UK that's quite dark and moody (also known as: great). It's definitely not a record I'd consider easy to find, even at exorbitant prices, so these mp3s should do you well for now. Enjoy.

Track List:

A - Evil Places
B - Fade Away From Me

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Réservé - Destination Pour L'Inconnu (1984)

And here's the 2nd 7" to match the release below, which I believe completes the band's discography (but tell me if I'm wrong). Enjoy!

Track List:

A - Destination Pour L'Inconnu
B - Reserve

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