Disco Machine
Electronic System
(Musique Belgique Archive/Lowlands Records)
Reported Tuesday, July 6 2004
Courtesy of Jonty_Adderley @ www.skrufff.com
European label Musique Belgique Archive is dedicated to unearthing 'long lost forgotten treasures in the history of Belgium music' and starting with Electronic System's Disco Machine, they've certainly started with a 24 carat find.
Dan Lackman, the man behind Electronic System, produced the album in 1977 using equipment that was so basic he had to play the melodies and pads 'live' though the result is a surprisingly contemporary electronic album that remains fresh and indeed strikingly contemporary.
Echoing the space age disco vibe which fellow pioneers like Giorgio Morodor, Vangelis and Jean Michel Jarre were also then exploring, Disco Machine is both highly listenable as well as dance floor friendly on several tracks (notably Cosmo Trip and Fly to Venus), fitting effortlessly into the current sub genre nowadays marked 'italo-disco' (even though Lackman is Belgium).
Sailing To an Unknown Planet maintains the planetary theme, though is a decidedly down tempo, melancholic affair, its leadline beautiful played on a polymoog synthesizer with moving melodic effect.
27 years later, Lackman's enjoyed a largely background career that's seem him producing multi-million ambient kings Deep Forest as well as working with David Bowie, Thomas Dolby and Sparks and it's fitting to see him stepping to the front with an album of such quality. If there's one criticism, it's that Disco Machine is just 34 minutes long, though given he had to press every single drum beat manually, it seems churlish to complain.
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