1980s 5 Items

Starting 2020 on high wheels, Parisian crew Discomatin picked an ultimate banger of the 80’s boogie era, Laying On The Sofa by french diva Isabelle Antena. Rare and expansive, the original 12inch here remastered for full effect offers two extended versions/remixes by Belgian electro and jazz-funk hero Marc Moulin and by American producer and DJ Mark Kamins. With her amazing voice and beautiful compositions/productions, Isabelle signed on this release two of her many great songs.
« Laying On the Sofa » is a Sade-esque song with a lot of rich harmonies sublimated by the strong rhythms of the 808. This Mark Kamins remix brings the song to its climax with kind of an housy extension with its strong synths and guitars parts before it goes back to the chorus for an epic ending. Back in the days, NY DJ Mark Kamins brought Isabelle to the famous Danceteria to perform. At the same time, he was recording some of the first demos of Madonna… Do you feel the vibe?
« La Tête Contre Les Murs » with his « anti-system » feeling in the lyrics is the other beauty on the EP. Remixed here by Telex member and jazz-funk don Marc Moulin, who became later the father of Isabelle Antena via her husband, the song written by her and her mother describes an old but still fresh feeling. Disillusioned, in loss of marks, with no directions: the words don’t miss to describe the youth and its feeling towards society. Maybe, this is why « you’re crashing your head on the walls » as Isabelle sings. Maybe it’s people trying to educate them in relation with certain norms who are in the end « maybe what the danger is ». With her classical and so french casualness surrounded by syncopated rhythms, Isabelle transforms this timeless topic to a song dedicated to all generations going through times of wanderings.
You may know Isabelle Antena other’s work like her French-Belgian synth-pop trio Antena which led later to her another band Powaga Sisters. Combining minimal electro, pop and samba styles, Camino Del Sol was one of her greatest albums. As a solo artist, she’s found particular success in Japan with samba-inflected nujazz and electro-pop compositions. Still, with her own words, this EP « means a lot » to her. Thanks to Discomatin, it’s now available to the real connoisseurs with an exclusive insert which contains lyrics, again with fantastic illustrations from French artist Camille de Cussac.

Piano & A Microphone 1983 is set to feature a previously unreleased cassette recording of Prince at the piano at his home studio in Minnesota captured in 1983.

“This raw, intimate recording, which took place at the start of Prince’s career right before he achieved international stardom, is similar in format to the Piano & A Microphone Tour that he ended his career with in 2016,” said Prince Estate entertainment adviser Troy Carter. “The Estate is excited to be able to give fans a glimpse of his evolution and show how his career ultimately came full circle with just him and his piano.”

The private rehearsal provides a rare, intimate glimpse into Prince’s creative process as he worked through songs which include ’17 Days‘ and ‘Purple Rain’ (neither of which would be released until 1984), a cover of Joni Mitchell’s ‘A Case Of You‘, ‘Strange Relationship‘ (not released until 1987 on his critically acclaimed Sign O’ The Times album), and ‘International Lover’.

The album also includes a rare recording of the 19th Century spiritual ‘Mary Don’t You Weep’, which will be featured during the end credits of Spike Lee’s BlacKKKlansman in cinemas August 2018. For fans of Prince’s spontaneous live medleys, tracks 1-7 of the album are presented in that same format as they were originally recorded.

The album cover photo captures a rare view of Prince backstage during the 1999 tour. The photo was taken by Prince’s trusted photographer and creative collaborator Allen Beaulieu who worked closely with Prince between 1979-1984. Allen’s work with Prince includes the cover shots for the Dirty Mind and Controversy albums and iconic promotional photos for the 1999 album.