Various Artists - Rare Global Pop 1980s (Crammed Archives 2) (Crammed Discs)
Add Date: 12/6/2022
Release Date: 12/2/2022
FCC: Clean
Focus Tracks: 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15
Formats: NACC Top 200, NACC World, NACC Electronic, NACC Hip-Hop
This second phase of digital, archival reissues from Crammed Discs focuses on hidden gems released by the label during the ‘80s, including lots of colourful, ahead-of-its-time music: electronic global pop, pre-techno/hip hop/dub-infused beats and much more. It is centred on tracks* by five short-lived acts, by now obscure (yet cult-ish among connoisseurs) who, each for reasons of their own, only ever released one record, sometimes even no more than one track:
People In Control (UK) - The ephemeral indie-dub collective linked to This Heat, Family Fodder & ON-U Sound
Maurice Poto Doudongo (Congo) - Soulful digital rumba funk gems from lost album by mysterious producer from Kinshasa - unlike anything that came out of Africa at the time.
Nadjma (Irak/CH/UK) - one of the first electropop projects sung in Arabic
Des Airs (BE) - Angular, quirky, energetic francophone postpunk
Volti (US/Mexico) - Beatbox electro Latino pop by a young Mexican/New Yorker duo which emerged from Downtown NY’s early ‘80s underground scene.
Alongside tracks by these artists*, the compilation contains rare singles and remixes from Zazou Wemba, The Honeymoon Killers, Sonoko, Véronique Vincent & Aksak Maboul, Zazou Bikaye, plus a couple of tracks nicely rounding off a selection which narrates a kind of subterranean history of Crammed Discs’ first decade, and throws some light on what was going on behind the most visible figures of the label at that time (Tuxedomoon, John Lurie, Aksak Maboul, Colin Newman, etc).
* taken from separate artist-by-artist EPs that are also being reissued now.