- Elaste Vol. 1, curated by DJ Mooner, was an exceptionally crafted deep-beat dive into 'slow motion disco' that was ahead of the curve in rescuing forgotten low-BPM disco psychedelia. Vol. 2, put together by Tom Wieland (Les Gammas, Panoptikum, 7 Samurai), leaves the druggy doldrums behind for Italo territory, weighing in with a trove of the sort of electronic disco rediscoveries that ring mighty timely now that the productions of Lindstrøm, Prins Thomas, and others have thrown open the gates on '80s synth-boogie crate-digging. Calling these "lost classics," however, requires a bit of book-cooking: two of the tracks are Wieland's own productions (as Panoptikum), and the closer is Frankie Knuckles' classic 1991 reworking of "Ain't Nobody." While on the one hand these can be taken as purist-baiting intrusions, they're well within the job description of a good comp DJ, whose task is not only to dust-off uncannily contemporary productions, but to also realign assumptions about things like genre and chronology.
Editorial curiosities aside, the bulk of this comp's artists might be called the children of Giorgio, and if you can imagine the good Mr. Moroder as Oppenheimer, the tracks found here can be heard as aftershocks felt in the wake of the dancefloor quake that is "I Feel Love." Elaste Vol. 2 demonstrates how a large part of the success of the Moroder-Cerrone revolution came from the development of a style as well-suited for soundtracking erotic couplings as for extra-terrestrial adventures. Case in point: following the outer-galactic excursions of "Feeling Harmony," the mix touches down in a morning-after bedroom, where we're encouraged not to "Stay Till Breakfast." In other words, space disco is about escape in all its forms.
The track selection divides the comp into two halves, of which the second shines brighter, the first being a bit soggy with glitzy Euro boogie. (Like fine aromatic cheese, boogie must be handled with proper dosage.) Each track on this first half would sit well next to those unearthed on Strut's recent Disco Italia, but the solid stretch of energetic string sections and salacious vocals doesn't allow much room to breathe. The mix's halftime show comes in the form of "Sundown" by Curt Cress, essentially a super-spare extended electro-drum solo that would work perfectly as a DJ tool, as a segue or rhythmic accent, but is perhaps a bit extraneous and attention-draining in its unexpurgated form here. After that, the album's second half brilliantly balances that sort of precarious exchange between sameness and difference that's pretty much key for any rarities comp. A finely piloted swerve-drive from "Feeling Harmony" through some mooged-out reggae, library producer Alan Hawkshaw's "The Speed of Sound," and a rare Afro-beat treat from Tony Allen, "Nepa Dance Dub," which sees the incomparable kit-work from the dark continent's lord of rhythm underpin some DX7 synth bells.
Simultaneously sultry and extra-terrestrial, cosmic/space disco has always reminded me of the scene in Logan's Run in which the title character is chased through a nightclub where attendees copulate in slow-mo while immersed in lasers and sensual synth burbles. Although it takes its time getting into full gear, thanks to curatorial labors and expert mixing, it's not difficult at all to imagine Elaste Vol. 2 being highly effective for soundtracking such adults-only sci-fi nightlife.
Tracklist01. Zodiac - The Other Side of Heaven (The Sky's Blue)
02. Selection - Rebel on the Run
03. Jagg - Take Time
04. Hippolytes - Blow You Out Tonight
05. Two Man Sound - Que Tal America
06. Curt Cress - Sundance
07. Panoptikum - Gluckskugel
08. LEB Harmony - Feeling Love
09. Stroer - Don't Stay Till Breakfast
10. Alan Hawkshaw - The Speed of Sound
11. Panoptikum - Elaste
12. Vulcans - Star Trek
13. Tony Allen - NEPA Dance Dub
14. Rufus - Ain't Nobdoy (Hallocinogenik Version)