Although he started playing records in Italian discoteques nearly 40 years ago, it was at the Cosmic club on Lake Garda between 1979-84 that Daniele Baldelli consolidated his pioneering juxtapositions of musical genres to pioneer blowing the roof off and creating the country’s most influential club. Eskimo has long been responsible for turning loose unsung dance music trailblazers and this is a corker as Baldelli dips into his 60,000 strong record collection and, instead of sticking to the expected Italo-disco, thrusts forth guitar-slashed rock vocals and synth-pop kneesups from names including Fra Lippo Lippi, the Romantics, Dream Syndicate, Alicia Bridges, Thompson Twins and Martha and the Muffins. It was obviously a no-holds-barred riot where nobody cared what musical box you favoured as long as it moved that ass. There’s no shortage of surprises in this immaculately-weaved selection; for instance, Spirit’s Zappa-at-the-disco ‘Potatoland Theme’ rubbing shoulders with Ray Parker Junior’s gritty ‘The Other Woman’ sounds just as at home as Torch Song’s supernatural ‘Prepare to Energise’. Fabulous they are but this does make a change amidst the welter of Italo-disco space frolics up there.
5 Out Of 5
Reviewed By: Kris Needs
