Another classy compilation arrives care of Geneva’s Les Disques Bongo Joe. INTENTA collects 17 tracks from the Swiss underground. Mapping the moment when 80s post-punk protest switched on – got sampler-and-MIDI`d up. The selection is extremely diverse. Ranging from dark rituals and ceremonies of echoed congas and strummed acoustic guitars, to mutant jazz. The former full of backwards vocals and shamanic shouts – beat poetry barked to tribal drums, and skittering techno snares. Primal, percussive dances. The latter, a fog of snake charmer reeds and gypsy violin. Ghosts in the machine racing to Klaus Schultze-like sequences. Keys in chiming counterpoint. Slow waltzes, and gentle slapped bass funk. There`s snarling, angular and urgent, axe-wielding new wave grooves, and quietly euphoric ZTT-esque “Bale-lectro” instrumentals – replete with orchestral woodwinds, strings, and binary brass. Highlights include the slow synthesized seduction of D-Sire`s Propaganda-like Wintertime, and the Gong-esque prog of Elephant Chateau`s Dreaming. A folk / fusion collision originally self-released on their label, Halb Tanz Halb Schlaf, in 1988. EC have a whole LP of archival material due on Bureau B in April. Bells Of Kyoto was a studio partnership between Australian pianist Peter Waters, two members of Swiss new wave band Marche Comune (Annabelle is a personal favourite of theirs), and one of Jah Wobble`s Invaders Of The Heart, Ollie Marland. The fruits of this musical relationship were released by German label RRRecords in 1984, and reissued last year on WRWTFWW spin-off, Mitsuko & Svetlana Records. The track included on INTENTA, is a piece of piano-led ambience, rooted in classical minimalism – think a mellower Man Jumping – called Swiss Air. Carol Rich cutely whispers her Computered Love – privately-pressed Italo-esque synth pop from 1984. When she sings Carol sounds just like Jane, of Jane & Barton. From the same year there`s also Jean-Pierre Huser`s Chinatown – which cruises the sleazy side of town, like Serge Gainsbourg and J.J. Burnell hitting Le Whiskey, and in search of some Golden Brown.
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