KynyNasty

The co-founding member and bassist of Chic recorded one album under his own name. While the title track is not nearly as good as Your Love Is Good To Me, it still manages to amuse with vocoder and funky groove. Good track to start a set with. What it would need is more LINN DRUM! Track #2 of KynyNasty Vol. 1.

Bernard Edwards – Glad To Be Here (320k)

I was going to post tracks by mysterious spanish synth-pop group Vam Cyborg but Mutant Sounds did that (still available) already a year ago.

Instead we have here pretty much similar group called Vocoder, which is also from Spain. Italo-Disco from Spain? Yes, perhaps a little more towards electro/synth-pop. Not much more information available besides what is said in their myspace profile. They did couple of songs and disappeared as did many other italo/electro acts in the 80s. (The songs in their myspace are available for download if you log in! Tip.)
Re-press needed. Clone Classic Cuts perhaps?

This video is fun. Ingenuous and naive fun.

More Vocoder at Youtube:

directo en ZGZ (Vocoder live at Zaragoza, Spain) (youtube)
Hacker (youtube)
(maqueta La Radio)
Radiotelescope

Vocoder (myspace)

MP3
Vocoder – Amor de Robot (192 kbit MP3)
Vocoder – Mindanao (rapidshare) (192 kbit MP3)

edit: Someone did this one too. Couple of years ago. Nothing in teh internet is rare nowadays!

This week I discovered (well, friend of mine found) a very nice track called ‘En Route A Vienna’ by Maltese producer ‘Orient Express’. Not much information about him though. Very exciting track indeed. I think it stands next to Alden Tyrell’s productions if not outdo! You can download shortened version from Squadron Festival – Download page.

One of my favorite producers at the moment ‘Calvin Harris’, has done couple of excellent tracks lately. One of those tracks is produced for ‘The Mitchell Brothers’ and it is called ‘Michael Jackson’. Listen to it on their myspace and watch the video here. More Calvin goodness is available on new release ‘BBC Radio 1 Established 1967′ which is a collection of covers especially recorded for Radio 1. Calvin’s track is a cover of Jamiroquai’s ‘Stillness In Time’. Vocoderheaven! Hear it.

Interesting thing is that Calvin Harris has produced two tracks for Kylie Minogue’s forthcoming album ‘X’. I’ve heard the other one already and it’s surprisingly good! Trademark synths by Calvin. Lovely!

Sig (named after Schweizerische Industrie-Gesellschaft) is a pop band from Raisio, Finland. The band was founded as a punk/new wave band late 70s. They (Matti Inkinen and Matti Ranta) wanted to set up a band which would be “Ramones from Raisio” powered with synths (Ramones on synths? Kompleksi anybody)?

I haven’t really listened to their other tracks but I have a hunch, a good hunch. Basically, it is quite generic pop-rock but they have managed to work out an interesting piece of music. “Älä sinä huoli” (= Don’t you worry) has a vocoder in it. Albeit a poor one but still! And of course a little of synthesizers and synthetic bass. The singing is just infernal but as a whole the track manages to entertain. During the time (1983), usage of vocoder was quite rare in popular music I think. At least in Finnish music. Perhaps there is an option to arrange remix or edit? Perhaps, maybe, certainly!

Well here is the piece. Enjoy if you dare.

Sig – Älä sinä huoli (2:57) 5mb