European, Eastern European and Asian Comps: Pre-2000

[Ian Townsend]

Does anybody here know of any record labels that released funk / pop / crate-digging-type compilations of African, European, Eastern European or Asian stuff pre-2000?

I'm beginning to compile a chronology of these compilations. Major players in this area post-2000 seem to be Crippled Dick Hot Wax!, Grey Past, Sublime Frequencies, Finders Keepers, Soundway and Marina Records and there are odd one-offs too like Weltraum (Eastern Standard Time) and Twimo (Bosporus Bridges).

These non-US, non-South America, non-UK releases seem to begin as a trickle in 1999 then they just go mad after 2003: Seems to start like this:

1999: Between Or Beyond The Black Forest Vol.1 (Crippled Dick Hot Wax)

2000: Between Or Beyond The Black Forest Vol.2 (Crippled Dick Hot Wax)
2000: Popshopping Vol.1: Juicy Music From German Commercials (Crippled Dick Hot Wax)

2001: Between Or Beyond The Iron Curtain (Crippled Dick Hot Wax)
2001: Turkish Delights:Ultrararities from beyond the sea of marmara (Grey Past)
2001: Between Or Beyond The Northern Lights (Crippled Dick Hot Wax!)

2002: Popshopping Vol.2 Juicy Music From German Commercials 1960 - 1975 (Crippled Dick Hot Wax)
2002: Ghana Soundz (Soundway)

2003: Steam Kodok: 26 A-Go-G- Ultrararities from the 60s Singapore and South East Asia Underground (Grey Past)
2003: Night Recordings From Bali (Sublime Frequencies)
2003: Folk and Pop Sounds of Sumatra Vol.1 (Sublime Frequencies)

Any help appreciated. I vaguely remember the Earthworks label from the early 80s so I'm looking into them at the moment and Les Mystere des Voix Bulgare (sp?) was big in the 80s (but that's not a compilation).

I'm trying to string together a persuasive argument that huge internet uptake / forums / emails / mailing lists stimulated growth in these areas as well as making sorting / contractual arrangements for them a lot simpler .....

[effi_deep]

this?

soundbox (http://www.discogs.com/Various-Soundbox-Easy-Listening-Beat/release/1200481)

[ironheadrat]

In Spain Wah Wah started their label in 1998 and have done loads of comps.
Soul es Una Droga was a series of obvious boots of Spanish soul and funk and came out in 2000. I think that was the first real example of SPanish home-grown bootage - I remember looking for Jayme Marques stuff in Madrid in 1991 but Vera Cruz was comped in the UK about ten years before the Spanish Hi Top label put out Improvisto in 2003.
Subterfuge records are mostly indie, but also released some lounge reissues around 2000.

Earthworks would take you into 'world' labels, of which there were tons of releases in the late 80s/90s, although I cant think of any aimed at the crate-digging/funk/soul crowd unless you count loads of Charly salsa and boogaloo comps. Even the Ethiopiques series was a serious archiving project that the funk and jazz heads happened to pick up on.

[ironheadrat]

Les Mystere des Voix Bulgare (sp?) was big in the 80s (but that's not a compilation).

.....

That stuff really did my noggin in. I'd rather chew tinfoil while listening to cats shrieking as they slide slowly down blackboards.

[eruditio]

Cosmic Sounds released Czech and Hungarian compilations post-2000 I think? Big band and jazz admittedly but with crate-digger appeal.

[Col Wolfe]

Wizzz!

[Ian Townsend]

this?

soundbox (http://www.discogs.com/Various-Soundbox-Easy-Listening-Beat/release/1200481)
Thanks for that! To me that qualifies as a perfect bridge between the 90s boots which got progressively more internationally mixed and the post-2000 ones that were country, era and genre specific. Again, I think the internet had a lot to do with crate-diggers, bootleggers and consumers pushing for ever more esoteric stuff outside the confines of their own digging experiences.



In Spain Wah Wah started their label in 1998 and have done loads of comps.
Soul es Una Droga was a series of obvious boots of Spanish soul and funk and came out in 2000. I think that was the first real example of SPanish home-grown bootage - I remember looking for Jayme Marques stuff in Madrid in 1991 but Vera Cruz was comped in the UK about ten years before the Spanish Hi Top label put out Improvisto in 2003.
Subterfuge records are mostly indie, but also released some lounge reissues around 2000.

Earthworks would take you into 'world' labels, of which there were tons of releases in the late 80s/90s, although I cant think of any aimed at the crate-digging/funk/soul crowd unless you count loads of Charly salsa and boogaloo comps. Even the Ethiopiques series was a serious archiving project that the funk and jazz heads happened to pick up on.
Loads of leads there Mr Rat thank you very much! Glad you mentioned 'World' labels, there's a whole essay in that subject alone. 'Here's the US, UK and European releases.... the rest lumps into World'


Cosmic Sounds released Czech and Hungarian compilations post-2000 I think? Big band and jazz admittedly but with crate-digger appeal.
Cheers E. An easy one to trace and definitely for the list!


Wizzz!
Someone lent me that. It got warped just before the dog chewed the sleeve. :(

Not to worry.:p

Now get back to your Minimal synth / NWOBHM Super Finds. (I'm guessing it was yours?)

[effi_deep]

Thanks for that! To me that qualifies as a perfect bridge between the 90s boots which got progressively more internationally mixed and the post-2000 ones that were country, era and genre specific. Again, I think the internet had a lot to do with crate-diggers, bootleggers and consumers pushing for ever more esoteric stuff outside the confines of their own digging experiences.


ian, theres another one in this serie with 60s/70s european library/cop/drama/easy/loops kind of things on it.
brown/blackish cover with a car.
don't remember what its called though, and i broke my copy years ago.

[effi_deep]

ah, here (http://www.discogs.com/Various-Soundbox-Library-Music-For-Your-Advanced-Taste/release/1200504) its is.

[effi_deep]

then there was this (http://www.discogs.com/Various-KPM-Soundclash/release/1241608) swiss library comp from 1999, released by a recordstore in zurich.

[llmod1]

What about The Big Lulu comps? These were mid 90's I think.

[llmod1]

Just checked, first one was 96. Comp of all Austrian tracks I believe.

Think they did 3 in total.

All excellent!

[llmod1]

There are also the Dire jazz comps released on Right Tempo highlighting the funky groovy Italian jazz scene.

Ian, I think there are lots of these comps pre 2000 unless I've just misunderstood what it is yor looking for?

[mr sayers]

Ive only got one 'Easy tempo' comp - 'The ultimate cinematic compendium (Vol 9)', it's all Italian stuff pretty much and it's off 1999.:cool:

[Ian Townsend]

ah, here (http://www.discogs.com/Various-Soundbox-Library-Music-For-Your-Advanced-Taste/release/1200504) its is.
Thanks again Effi! ....and that lead me to another boot I didn't know about too via the Amazon 'people who bought this also bought this' thing


then there was this (http://www.discogs.com/Various-KPM-Soundclash/release/1241608) swiss library comp from 1999, released by a recordstore in zurich.
I originally had that down on the Intro page to the 90s Boot Boom and then took it off realising I wanted to do a separate section on how the Easy Listening scene from Sound Gallery onwards...also triggered a deluge of library releases (legit and otherwise). Of course that KPM being very beaty it kind of sits in both camps. It is a 90s Boot focussing on breaks but is also a 100% library record. A Dexter got in touch to suggest that the majority of 90s boots were all about the breaks. I'll be doing a Dexter Speaks article later in the year. A 'Dexter' being a serious boot compiler who booted stuff in series)


What about The Big Lulu comps? These were mid 90's I think.
THe Big Lulu is another good bridge one and it is one I dont have. Didn't know there were three though?


There are also the Dire jazz comps released on Right Tempo highlighting the funky groovy Italian jazz scene.

Ian, I think there are lots of these comps pre 2000 unless I've just misunderstood what it is yor looking for?
Again, thank you. I hadn't searched Right Tempo as a label and the Dire release come just before the Easy Tempo releases. Cheers for the heads - up!


Ive only got one 'Easy tempo' comp - 'The ultimate cinematic compendium (Vol 9)', it's all Italian stuff pretty much and it's off 1999.:cool:
Thanks Craig! I've got 1 - 5 and I'm pondering where to slot them. The Italian OST stuff kind of dovetails with library releases.

Where to file??? issue. :)

[mr sayers]

Ian mate...'Plastic' were putting out some great Italian comps in the late 90's -

http://www.discogs.com/Various-Phase-6-Super-Stereo-Introducing-The-Alternative-Italian-B-Movie-Soundtrack/release/1292894

[eruditio]

Just got a copy of this and it's great!

Zendooni: Funk, Pychedelia and Pop from the Pre-Iranian Revolution Generation. (http://lightintheattic.net/releases/738-zendooni-funk-psychedelia-and-pop-from-the-iranian-pre-revolution-generation)

[Gingham Kitchen]

Maybe not funk / pop, but I certainly appreciated this Italian made comp (& volume 2) which I picked up in about 1992/3 maybe?

http://www.kesteloo.net/webshop/images/08020jm946.JPG

[Ian Townsend]

Thanks again for all the help in this thread. I've been revisiting some of the suggestions this past week and a bunch of new avenues has opened up.

It's still evident that the incrementally huge upsurge in the use the World Wide Web from 1998 onwards triggered an unprecedented avalanche of European, Eastern European and Asian compilations across a range of genres and birthed several important new labels. I'm certain the producers of these lps picked up the demographic who had previously spalshed on 90s Boot Boom lps before they began to tail off in the early 00s.

Probably stating the bleedin' obvious but it fascinates me. :rolleyes:

[moogaloo]

A few that pop into my mind

1993 Talkin' Jazz: Themes From The Black Forest
1993 Talkin' Jazz 2 More Themes From The Black Forest
1997 Bistro - Erotica Italia
1997 Orchestral Party Act 1
1997 Orchestral Party Act 2
1999 The Atomic Café: French Cuts
1999 The Atomic Café: French Cuts

[moogaloo]

And another!

1998 Arriva La Bomba (Italy)

[Ian Townsend]

A few that pop into my mind
1993 Talkin' Jazz: Themes From The Black Forest
1993 Talkin' Jazz 2 More Themes From The Black Forest
1997 Bistro - Erotica Italia
1997 Orchestral Party Act 1
1997 Orchestral Party Act 2
1999 The Atomic Café: French Cuts
1999 The Atomic Café: French Cuts


And another!

1998 Arriva La Bomba (Italy)

Belated thanks for these Moogaloo.

There's a few there I already have but some new ones which is great. Particularly interested in those 'Black Forest' Jazz compilations. I still think the first 'spreading out' of digging in an Easterly direction (from a UK perspective) came on Jazz comps courtesy of the Jazz dance / Acid Jazz scene liking MPS stuff.

Compared to post-2000 with the dot.com boom / internet age / growth of User Groups / messageboards / forums etc....comps of East European / Asian stuff still seem to be very thin on the ground.

I'm shovelling comps from the 90s into distinct piles:

Easy Listening: (including exotica / crime jazz / spy jazz / groovy OSTs) from 1995 onwards these exploded. Just looking at major label comps from 1995 onwards is dizzying. One of the few scenes where the major labels, with ownership of vast back catalogues that had lain dormant for years, were able to keep up with booters and indies. Think Capitol's Ultra-Lounge series / Columbia's various Bachelor Den / Paradise releases / a huge amount with the words Mambo / Cocktail / Tiki in the the titles.

Library: Again, post 1995. Actually...post Trunk's Super Sounds Of Bosworth. I haven't found any library comps earlier but after that....whhhoooosh.

Easy & Library: Loads of boots and legal releases combined library tracks with Easy.

Soundtrack Film / TV Comps: As opposed to pure OSTs. Douce / Right Tempo etc were quick to slap together compilations of Italian composers

International: 'Pure' Turkish, Pakistan, Hungary, Persian comps etc which are compilations of funky / psychy stuff from one country. These were thin on the ground during the 90s but post 00s they're everywhere.

Probably seems a bit odd tracking changing crate digging tastes via comps and I'm aware that other factors figure but as a barometer of the times I can't think of any better indicator right now.

Interesting seeing the way VG+ Comp Cd content has changed. In 2005 (I think) there was one Turkish track, and that was it.

Now though......

[moogaloo]

ut some new ones which is great. Particularly interested in those 'Black Forest' Jazz compilations. I still think the first 'spreading out' of digging in an Easterly direction (from a UK Library: Again, post 1995. Actually...post Trunk's Super Sounds Of Bosworth. I haven't found any library comps earlier but after that....whhhoooosh.

I think the Blow Up Exclusive Blend LPs came out around the same time.

I guess we all act like a big groovy record buying community and tend to discover stuff at the same, so easy to library to Sitar Groovers to Bolly Funk to Euro Funk etc. It will be interesting now we are well into the internet age, how much trend their will be in the future. Are there any undiscovered groovy fruits still waiting to plucked?

[moogaloo]

Particularly interested in those 'Black Forest' Jazz compilations. I still think the first 'spreading out' of digging in an Easterly direction (from a UK perspective) came on Jazz comps courtesy of the Jazz dance / Acid Jazz scene liking MPS stuff.

Nearly forgot Glücklich from 1994

[Ian Townsend]

VG+ thread on World Funk Comps (http://www.verygoodplus.co.uk/showthread.php/20963-World-Funk-Comps) relevant and crossing over ( literally) with this thread.