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Half of the tracks on this compilation is well known to me and I don’t think they’d be too many arguments that Man Parrish’s ‘Hip Hop Be Bop’ (here in a dub version) and Afrika Bambaataa & the Soul Sonic Force’s ‘Planet Rock’ are not only the best electro tracks of 1982, but all-time top tracks ever! Totally necessary in a Best Of 19982 and a benchmark (to keep in with the 1980’s theme) for all imitators at the time and since; and arguably, saw the end of the classic era as they were just too good.

So what else was going on? Well everything was to do with the club scene following on from Bustin’ Out (New Wave To New Beat: The Post Punk Era 1979-1981) as Tubeway Army ‘transformed’ into Gary Numan (check out how Durany ‘Music For Chameleons’ is before Brum’s finest found out about headbands) and his influence is clear throughout this CD with the industrial dance are Belgium’s hep cat’s Front 242 (you may recall that featured on Sub Club 20 Years Underground and Vol. 1), Germany’s Die Krupps with thier first hit ‘Goldfinger’ (this was when they were at their pre-heavy industrial, synth pop best) and Chris & Cosey are back with more ambient-synth pop experimentalism with their ‘Impulse’.

Still on the experimental, there’s a bit of treasure unearthed from Benjamin Lew and Steven Brown’s ‘Dans Les Jardins’ (originally on an album on Belgium’s Crammed Discs) that’s odd ball percussive minimal (best of the ‘finds’) and for more dub influences, ex-Pop Group, Mark Stewart and The Mafia hit the spot with the leftfield industrial dub (via On-U Sound) of ‘Liberty City’ (that’s strangely sounding really ‘now’ and for more up to date On-U Sounding stuff, see Jah Wobble HERE) and on the same ‘recommendation’, the Dub Syndicate mixes dub-a-ambient with ‘Pounding System’ (this was their first release on On-U Sound).

The Pop Group, Pig Bag, The Slits were all on Y Records; as was the debut by Shriekback formed by Barry Andrew (ex XTC) and Dave Allen (ex-Gang Of Four), represented here with ‘My Spine Is The Bassline’ whilst over the other side of the pond, the Klien & M.B.O. were on the verge of post-Ital disco Chicago house whilst ESG were to break into New York’s garage dance scene.

So many of the artists started their careers in 1982, (Colourbox’s ‘Breakdown’ being another example) and as their ‘impact’ year, were never as good again (take that as a recommendation for this album). 1982 ends with a couple of acts that didn’t as Portion Control and Pylon represent more in the way of ‘transition tracks’. Not sure where we were musically transitioning to exactly, but on the old time line, 1983 seems a pretty safe bet (and the Wobble, Liebezeit, Czukay and the Edge’ ‘Snake Charmer’ is a perfect track for the 1983).

How long this series by compiler/DJ Mike Maguire can last, is a concept in itself but lets hope it gets to 1989 at least.

Reviewed: Various - Bustin’ Out (New Wave To New Beat: Vol 2 -1982 (Year Zero) Cat. No: YZLCD003 Release date: 7th June 2010
Tracklisting:
1. Goldfinger - Die Krupps (6:05)
2. Moody (Cut Down) - ESG (3:52)
3. Dirty Talk - (Radio Version) Klein & MBO (4:25)
4. Hip Hop Be Bop (Dub) - Man Parrish (7:39)
5. Music For Chameleons (Album Version) - Gary Numan (6:08)
6. U-Men - Front 242 (3:19)
7. Liberty City - Mark Stewart & The Maffia (5:39)
8. Pounding System - The Dub Syndicate (5:21)
9. Dans Les Jardins - Benjamin Lew & Steven Brown (7:45)
10. My Spine Is The Bassline - Shriekback (4:02)
11. Breakdown - Colourbox (6:17)
12. Planet Rock - Afrika Bambaataa & The Soul Sonic Force (5:23)
13. Impulse - Chris & Cosey (2:54)
14. Fiends - Portion Control (3:24)
15. Four Minutes - Pylon (6:04)

Links:
www.theblankgeneration-blanktapes.com
www.ZERecords.com
www.MySpace.com/zerecords
www.futurenoisemusic.com