Waldorf - You're my Disco - A TOUCH OF CLASS Recordings ATOC003

As you probably know, the 80's are still present in many minds today... and not only in Europe since this EP comes from New-York City. To be exact, the label is based in United States but the three tracks have been written by an Italian duo from Milan !

The original version of "You're my Disco" is very deep and funky with lyrics perfectly singed : simply lovely !! The B side starts with a successful remix sounding more electro (with a like Zombie Nation-esque bassline)... and it ends with "You're rockin' on", a destroy old school electro title with saturated guitar and voice samples !!

If you like these tunes, check the label web site (www.atouchofclassusa.com): it is very funny (do a remix by clicking on Waldorf's heads !), and you can download full mp3 tracks and also beautiful covert art for your audio cassettes, compact discs or minidiscs : this label is absolutely great, these guys are crazy !! So, respect to A TOUCH OF CLASS and Waldorf for this bomb... and let's sing together "You're my Disco.... oooh... ooh" !!

Ludo, 10/07/2001 from http://www.atome.fr

Waldorf relaunches Italo-House

by Michel Masserey

In a showcase in an arcade in the Lochergut district of Zurich, there is a record jacket showing two boys back-to-back, yet staring straight at the camera. The name of the duet, Waldorf, is written in big sloping letters, illuminated by a whitish halo. The picture is a humorous take-off of the overdone artwork of "Fantastic", a famous record by "Wham!", the duet with which George Michael made his name.

In the basement of this shady arcade, Kid Italy and Clark Steiner, alias Waldorf, have set up their studio. In one corner of the area are some old synthesizers, effects boxes and two home-made Midi guitars and the rest of the place is taken up by some seventies armchairs, a computer, a mixing table and a hi-fi installation. The Zurich duet, which was unknown just a few weeks ago, is today considered among the most hype of projects. Its first single, "You're my Disco", which came out on A Touch of Class Recordings (a New York based label) caught the attention of several big recording houses. Indeed, it has just been elected disk of the week by DRS3, which is planning to play it very frequently in its evening programme. The secret of the Waldorf sound is an electrifying mixture of "Italo-disco", "electro old skool[!]" and commercial pop. A melting-pot that would have remained but a crafty and anecdotal pot-shot had it not been for the melodic talents of the Swiss-German duet. Just as with Daft Punk, an influence claimed by the couple, Waldorf has managed to put its knowledge into the production of some really catchy unifying hymns that are both simple and persistent. Waldorf is a pop duet that produces numbers that are not only danceable but also involve appealing vocals and strange slogans, allying melancholy and hedonism very much of the "rave" generation. "We want to show a double facet of the Waldorf world and prove that one can compose positive hymns with a certain depth", says Clark Steiner. This young Swiss producer of Danish origin has been raised according to the principles of anthroposophy, based on man's confidence in his ability to think, feel and experiment. With this educational inheritance under its belt, the duet claims to be hell-bent on independence as borne out by the path it has followed, zigzagging between artistic performance, theatre and music.

Kid Italy and Clark Steiner met in the mid-'90s. "I then developed a series of way-out projects where I would propose to people that they submit to an experimental kidnapping", said Kid Italy, "After paying a sum of money, the customers knew that they were going to be attacked and kid-napped during the following week. During that time, they were going to live in a state of uneasy suspense". As he still had no accomplices, Kid Italy recruited Clark Steiner. Very soon, the couple bonded, united by their common educational past. "We shared everything, girls, drugs, motorcycle hold-ups. We slept in the same bed, it was like a love story", explained Clark Steiner and added: "I came from the movie world and Kid from that of photography. But music was the most important discipline in our eyes." Tired of the cold of Zurich, the duet bought a sampler and set out to spend a year in Spain, in the Gijon region. There, they rented a superb house where they started to lay their first plans for the Waldorf project. "Our musical objective was clear from the outset - to play exciting pop music while trying to become pop stars. That is why we show our faces on the sleeves." Once back in Switzerland, Kid Italy and Clark Steiner fine-tuned their pieces while writing music for several German theatres. To date, the duet has composed close to fifty tracks, of which several would be able to make the top of the charts. While still caught up in "You're my disco", Waldorf is preparing to bring out a new single entitled "MNYP" which is an abbreviation of Milano-New York-Paris. This "electro dirty" title attacks fashion victims with that strange mixture of cynicism and ingenuity that characterises the best pop groups.

Michel Masserey 05/31/01 from http://www.cyberhelvetia.ch

Lustigerweise ist diese Platte aus den Staaten. New York. Die Kids auf dem Cover (Baertig, zauselige Haare, post70er Eiscremewerbungsmittestyle) sehen aus wie von Nebenan, sind aber aus Milano, und der Sound ist irgendwo zwischen Discoelektroheavyrotation, handgestrickter O:pl Bastards Sleazyness und Retroheaven in Endlosschleife. Also eigentlich das was man in den letzten Jahren visuell und im Fernsehen so als deutsche Erfindung bezeichnen wuerde, wenn da nicht die Franzosen waeren, und die Geschichte, die laut aus der Ecke Italohouse ruft, unueberhoerbar. Der Remix klingt wie ganz und gar aus dem Zombiestall und der Bonustrack wirft noch einmal die Frage der musikalisch unverfrorenen Unverschaemtheit neu auf, die Italodisco so gut auf den Punkt gebracht hat, transponiert eben um digital-quietschiges. Brachialretro aber mit viel Charme.

-bleed ****

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Goose pimples.once again goose pimples.
N-Euro Disko that is tainted in electro pop dance from the 80's. A little gem that should be kept well away from the dust and also the more dodgy clubs.The different sound that makes all the difference.

Discoid by Vice Versa