Uploaded April 2020 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago

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Italian compilation of early New Wave/Synth Wave released in 2009 by
Mannequin.
Italo disco has been much documented in recent years, but its underground post-punk analogue, Italian Synth Wave has received far less coverage. Mannequin Records and Fred Ventura attempt to redress the balance with these thirteen songs culled from tapes and records released between 1982-87. Unless you're the biggest nerd ever (or grew up in Italy in early 80s), it's unlikely you'll know any of the featured artists but what they offer is on a par with anything from Angular's "Cold Wave + Minimal Electronics" comp or Veronica Vasicka's "Minimal Wave Tapes" compilation. If anything , there's an even deeper sense of forlorn, romantic longing here, perhaps it's got something to do with the Italian spirit, or more the fact that these guys felt even further on the outside away from the focal points of Manchester, Sheffield, Berlin and NYC. The two tracks from Tommy De Chirico are wrought with melodramatic angst articulated with cheap keyboards and tinny drum machines, while other like XNO's 'The Story Of A Boy' transfer their pain with punchier, more cinematic productions. Vena's 'A Mortal Song In A Beautiful Sunday' remind of early Coil and Intelligence Dept. offer a sophisticatedly skewed parallel to "cheesy" Italo with heavy nods to 4AD acts on 'Loneliness'. Superb compilation, highly recommended!

Tracklist:
00:00 Xno - The Story Of The Death Boy
05:31 Vena - A Mortal Song In A Beautiful Sunday
09:00 Victrola - The Mutant Glow
15:12 Tommy De Chirico - Flower Into The Factory
20:20 Carmody - Vulcani
23:06 Janitor Of Lunacy - On The Dancefloor
28:14 Monuments - Veiled Lady
31:32 Intelligence Dept. - Loneliness
37:36 Chromagain - Wake Up
41:59 Lisfrank - Identity (Deep Version)
46:28 Victrola - Beyond The Door (Bonus Track)
53:12 Tommy De Chirico - Close Your Eyes (Bonus Track)
56:48 Janitor Of Lunacy - War Days (Bonus Track)

#DanzaMeccanica#SynthWave#Italy