Curses bring us four more long forgotten tracks, each one "Revamped" for maximum Dancefloor effect with Curses himself providing 2 edits alongside precision tooled reworks from Melbourne based Stockholm Syndrome and NYC's Andi.
Across two mammoth, critically acclaimed compilations Berlin-based Musician and DJ Curses' Next Wave Acid Punx series has shone a blacklight onto the darker side of club music. Featuring tracks from the 1970s right up to the present day made by both musical legends and up and coming talents alike, Curses has expertly threaded the needle between Experimental Pop, Post Punk, EBM, Electro, Techno and more to produce a stunning alternative history of clubland.
But, as every good digger knows, there's always more gems to uncover and so once again Curses has crowbarred open the electronic music's vaults to bring us four more long forgotten tracks, each one "Revamped" for maximum Dancefloor effect with Curses himself providing 2 edits alongside precision tooled reworks from Melbourne based Stockholm Syndrome and NYC's Andi.
First up from Curses is his Revamp of Deborah Sasson's (Carmen) Danger In Her Eyes, a curio from the wildly inventive mid late 80s that saw the American opera singer collaborate with German producers MCL (MicroChipLeague). A European chart topper on its original release, it's long since languished in obscurity but in Curses' hands is now ready to once again add more than a touch of melodrama to dancefloors.
For his second edit, Curses reworks J.W.B. Hits The Beat's House Fatale, having previously taken a razor to their Body On Body track on Next Wave Acid Punx DEUX. Originally released in 1988, House Fatale is a classic example of just how fast electronic music was evolving back then, bringing together elementsof Electro, Freestyle, House and more amongst a riot of samples, all elements Curses retains whilst nudging the tempo and giving the track a harder edge.
Sticking with the same Westside label that gave us House Fatale, Stockholm Syndrome turns his attention to Voyou's Houseman. Or, as it happens, the 1988 edit by LA's Razormaid that first honed its edges for club play and merged the title track with its b-side. The resulting edit rejuvenates this classic slice of late Cold War club music, its pounding beat, portentous strings and the repeated overdriven vocal refrain of Germany Calling perfect for basement clubs today, in Berlin and beyond.
Finally to complete the EP we have sample-heavy 1988 cut Not Leaving Without Jerry by Belgian duo Marc Borgions & Jo Lijnen aka Philadelphia Five. Originally produced by Luc Van Acker, (better known for his work with the likes of Front 242, Ministry and Revolting Cocks), the track has been handed over to NYC producer Andi, who ups the tempo and hones in on the rhythm section, putting the focus on the staccato drums and throbbing bass line the focal point now and creating a perfect soundtrack for sweat lashed bodies.
Together these four tracks revisit a moment in clubland when the rules were still being written, as Curses explains. "This was a pivotal moment where all genres were still evolving, figuring out what sounds would eventually become staple elements of one another which gave it all this naive, innocent and punk feel. You've got Trance arpeggios, those heavy snares of early EBM, chopped vocals in the style of Chicago and NY formative House music all mixed with Electrofunk and percussive Latin freestyle grooves. A time when we were dancing without boundaries, something very much in the spirit of Next Wave Acid Punx."
