At the same time "Elaste Volume 01" demonstrates how everything old is new again, it also shows how you just can't beat the real thing. The story behind this compilation began circa 1976 in a luxurious Italian discotheque on the Adriatic coast. It was called Baia Degli Angeli (Bay of Angels) and featured "various floors, fountains, swimming pools and lots of glitz of the Jet Set", until it was closed due to a drug raid. Following that, Daniele Baldelli, inspired by the sound of Baia, started DJ'ing in a new club called "Cosmic".

1. The Rah Band "Electric Fling"
2. Clive Stevens & Brainchild "Mystery Man (remix)"
3. Love International "Dance On The Groove (And Do The Funk)"
4. Doctor's Cat "Crash (Mooner's edit)"
5. Heaven 17 "I'm Your Money"
6. Logic System "Clash (Chinjyu of Sun)"
7. Memory Control One (MC1) "Basic"
8. Peru "Oriental"
9. Eloy "Horizons"
10. Chris & Cosey "This Is Me"
11. Chocolate Star "The Pop"

Baldelli become known for beat mixing slow tempo (80-105 BPM) grooves from funk and soul to early disco. The sound is described as "a wild acid trip: Afro mixed with German electronics, percussion solos, Bolero with delay effects, 12"s on 33 instead of 45, 70s Krautrock, Industrial...". His style was something new at the time, so Daniele gained quick fame, and a wave of DJ's soon followed suit. In Northern Italy it was known as the "Cosmic Sound".

Though this style was never exported in the same way as Italodisco, it made quite a lasting impression on the region and the eleven tracks presented on Elaste are some that were actually in the playlists at "Discoteca Cosmic".

This compilation reminds me of sitting around listening to vinyl from early Human League releases like "Reproduction" and "Travelogue", Visage, Poesie Noire, and even Fad Gadget, though the sound is really quite different than any of these. It's the early Human League association that's most similar (maybe it's the Heaven 17 track). It even brought back a memory of discovering an album called "Kollektiv One" by Conspiracy International (aka Chris & Cosey). There was one especially nice electro track on that album that I may just have to find again.

Most of the artists I've never heard of before, but I had fairly minimal exposure to music of that time. They include; The Rah Band, Clive Stevens & Brainchild, Love International, Doctor's Cat, Heaven 17, Logic System, Memory Control One (MC1), Peru, Eloy, Chris & Cosey, and Chocolate Star. Many of these were no doubt rareities in their time.

The most interesting aspect to these songs is the way in which they combine so many influences of disco, funk, soul and early synth programming. While they are so undoubtedly 80's, they've aged incredibly well. Perhaps it's the strong influence that the 80s has on current electronic music productions, but it's easy to imagine these tracks fitting seamlessly next to the work of a number of current artists, even those that aren't specifically trying to "sound" like an 80s band.

For anyone with a taste for some truly vintage sounds that aren't just revisiting the radio hits of an era but digging deep into its soul, Elaste is an incredible collection. DJ Mooner gets much respect for putting this together. Highly recommended for anyone who wants a true taste of the 80s.

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