Dirty Space Disco [Import]

This is an ok compilation, if you like space disco try and get hold of Spaced Out a 1997 compilation...it's much better

A mix album from Guillame Sorge, Clovis Goux and Benjamin Morando of the Dirty Soundsystem Dirty Space Disco crowbars several disparate artists and genres into an album that is generously labelled "dance" though half of it is geared as much to atmospheric mood music or ambient as much as anything. "We are selectors not DJ,s" they crow pompously on their website .While overall, an enjoyable album ,there are not enough Monty Panesar,s, twirling devilishly ,and rather too many Ian Salisbury ,s lazily plopping repetitively short of a length , to make this an essential release.
It's the tracks centred around conventional song structures that really engage here. John Forde,s "Atlantis" is a lovely smoothly gliding lugubrious opener while Fern Kinney's "Baby Let me Kiss You" built around a keyboard line not dissimilar to Donna Summer's "State Of Independence" is further lifted by a sassy but subtle backing of brass, breathy vocal support and Ferns perky vocals. Sylvester is subdued but eerily effective allied to the prowling sci-fi keyboards of "I Need Somebody To Love Tonight". "Stranger In The City " by John Miles is a more traditional funk track with tumbling percussion , a hypnotic guitar line and shuddering moody strings. Odyssey are emollient and classy on "Who" while "Starlight" by Risqué is a typically glossy disco number from the eighties , a little over produced and cheesy but still peculiarly entertaining . "Voyager 2" by Starbow is an extended instrumental with deep bottomed bass and lustrous keyboards.
Yet Dirty Space Disco can also be tedious and interminably tedious at that. "Processione Sul Mare" sounds like a steel band warming up while Roedelius is capable of much better than the mundane textures of "Regenmacher"." Die Drachentrommier" by Clara Mondshine does become interesting for it's last third with treated vocals and hypnotic keyboards but is plinky plonky nonsense for three minutes before that. "Auf Dem Schwarzen Kanal" by Conrad Schnitzler is like a John Carpenter soundtrack remixed by the Polyphonic Spree on valium and is oddly mesmeric. "Hai Samurai" by Yellow Power is barmy with operatic female vocals and loud exhortations and even a touch of grunged up guitar. The one vocal track that doesn't really grab the attention is The Undisputed Truth's "Undisputed " which although it is has a distinctive sinuous bass line doesn't really go anywhere interesting with it.
Dirty Space Disco is worth investigating for the moments of undoubted quality . It's attempt to investigate a genre thematically doesn't always come off and sometimes the selections seem perverse and dichotomous but it should invigorate the listener to check out some of these artists more and that's always a good sign for any compilation.