inner nerd

Hot off the press!!!

Aptly-named revival label Minimal Wave has compiled Futurisk‘s entire catalog and pressed it on collector-quality 180g vinyl, including this alternate take of their signature track, Meteoright. Destined to be a collectible. At $22, you’d be crazy not to pick one (or two) up.

SCHEMATIC: Need more Futurisk videos??? Get your fix HERE!!!

In 1982, Neil Young was abducted by robot aliens who grafted an organic neural-net processor onto his existing human brain and sent him back to Earth to make vocoder-infused, heavily distorted guitar rock. Five of the nine tracks on Trans were recorded by this Neil Young Beta Unit, who also remixed Mr. Soul as the b-side on the Sample and Hold 12″ single.

SCHEMATIC: Other Neil Young Beta Unit videos and cover art…

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The future was indeed 1982. Nerd of nerds Thomas Dolby laid out “Windpower” on his seminal LP The Golden Age of Wireless, which featured the über hit She Blinded Me With Science. This song is an intellectual call to arms; a utopian nerd manifesto. If anyone wants to build a new city (or take over a cool one like Denver) I’m IN!

SCHEMATIC: Two more versions and inspiring lyrics…

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I’m HOOKED! Now this is some real Aussie nerdness! Nearly five minutes of minimal synth industrial perfection from legendary Sydney band Severed Heads. Disgustingly rare in its original wax format.

Lamborghini (Live at Metro TV, July 1982)

SCHEMATIC: Recording details, the original studio cut and a later concert version…

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If Robert De Niro were a robot and went on a rampage, this is the song that would be playing in the background. Hyperactive, aggro-nerd breakdance music at its finest. The Fashion Party is some hard-rocking Electronic Body Music from Belgium off the Cockerill-Sombre 12″. Love that post-punk guitar around 2:50!

SCHEMATICS: Videos for TV Treated and Tomorrow in the Papers… Read the rest of this entry »

This video was an integral part of my nerdlinghood. Visually rich to the nth degree: Besides the sweet sidecar motorcycle and lunatic scientists, you have the superhot lab assistant, Ms. Sakamoto, who doubles as a cello. Classic nerd track. BTW, Dolby has been the Musical Director of the TED conferences since 2001.

SCHEMATICS: Album artwork and other gems from Dolby… Read the rest of this entry »

Despite becoming the center of millions of pubescent fantasies that very same year, Phoebe’s Paradise didn’t quite launch her musical career into orbit. Strip the crappy music, run the vocals through a vocoder, add some beats, change that dress to skin-tight silver lamé and…VOILA!!…instant classic.

VIGR is in the house. 4+ hour rare vinyl set. Need I say more? Hope to see you there! I’ll try to keep track of the setlist…

This unstoppable Italo electro-disco jam from 1982 spawned the fabled Fuzz Dance label. Italo master Maurizio Dami (aka Alexander Robotnick) was heavily involved with this label as both a producer and remixer. Does anyone out there know if he produced this track, too?

Here’s the spacey instrumental version ripped from my vinyl copy.

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SCHEMATIC: Record scans and Alexander Robotnick dropping some disco knowledge… Read the rest of this entry »

Wait…Who? Don’t let the peculiar name distract you from the raw genius of this track. This masterpiece marked the genesis of Italo thoroughbred label Il Discotto Productions in 1982. By the way, you can learn a ton about vintage vocoders by watching our vocoder youtube playlist or checking out our friends over at Matrixsynth.

SCHEMATIC: More vocoder intel…

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