WAW: Baustelle- Amanda Lear

The Italian band Baustelle have announced the release of a brand new album 'L’amore e la violenza'. We were very excited to discover this "Amanda Lear" tune which we believe will be the first single from the album and to lead us into another great synth pop year. 

The video for the song was directed by Barbara Guieu.

WAW: Der Noir- L'Inganno

Our next video comes from Italy based trio Der Noir. It was released last year as well as their debut album. Their is a very dark tone preset in their music which is visualized in the artistic b&w music video which was recorded by by Simone Mogliè & Fernanda Veron. The song also features an unusual combination and mix of German and Italian singing vocals.

Next Wave: Schonwald

Schonwald is an Italian cold wave duo consisting of Alessandra Gismondi and Luca Bandini. This two-piece unit has been surreptitiously dwelling in the shadowy corners of the European underworld for a few years now, releasing their debut LP in 2009 and performing at festivals with the likes of UK Decay, and other similar bands. Schonwald are now encroaching on world submission with the unleashing of their long-anticipated “Mercurial” single. A chilling and hopelessly bleak drum-machine rhythm sets the tone, parting the waves of rippling darkness into a massive surge of inescapable, hushed-yet-crushing electronic melancholia. European post punk at it’s finest, Alessandra and Luca of Schonwald create a pulsing, black-lit atmospheric electronic vibration so cold, hypnotic, and simple, it’s perfect for our endlessly frozen world. 

Take a listen here:
https://soundcloud.com/hozac-records/schonwald-mercurial
Like of follow:
https://www.facebook.com/schonwald.music
https://twitter.com/#!/weareschonwald

Instant Hit: O'Gar- Playback Fantasy

"Playback Fantasy" was a first single release for the Italian singer and producer Marco Ongaro who recorded a couple of songs and one album during the 80's under a name O'Gar. "Playback Fantasy" was a hit in Europe and it was released in several European countries. The single was released in 1983 and it was issued as both 7" and 12" inch record with the instrumental version of the song as a b-side. It was also featured on O'Gar's only album Gimmick from the year 1985.

Instant Hit: Still Life- War and Technology

Still Life released their only EP with the title 'Desert City' in 1987.  The record was released on Cave Canem and Spray Records and contained five tracks. One of the outstanding tracks from the EP is the powerful and gloomy "War and Technology" with great female vocals. A good evidence that Italy had some great underground acts back in the day. 

Chrisma (Krisma)

Krisma (formerly Chrisma) is an Italian group which was formed in 1976 by Maurizio Arcieri and his wife Christina Moser. The group started out as electronic disco outfit in the late 70’s and continued to be the leading group of the Italian New wave, successfully releasing several singles and albums during the 80’s decade.

In the same year as the group was formed in 1976, the couple moved from Milan to London to record "U" and "Amore" with the producer Nico Papathanassiou and his brother Vangelis. Their collaboration with Papathanassiou and Vangelis continued through 1977/78. During this time, the duo released the debut album 'Chinese Restaurant' and their the single "Lola" entered the Top 10.

In 1979 Chrisma released their second album 'Hibernation' which brought them international breakthrough. Subsequently the duo moved to London and was firmly established in the London music scene. They caused  a scandal with the single "Aurora B" because the promotional video for the single showed Christina and Maurizio in simulate sexual acts as well as a suicide in a subway station. In 1980 the band officially changed its name from "Chrisma" to Krisma. Their third album, 'Cathode Mamma' featured Hans Zimmer on synthesizer. The single "Many Kisses" was a big hit in Europe. Around this time Krisma developed the first mini sequencer, known as "Krismino". Krisma left Polygram for CGD in 1981.

The year1982 saw the release of the experimental "Clandestine Anticipation" album. The album dealed with water in all of its forms (liquid, ice, vapor, fog, snow and rain) and was supported by a series of videos filmed in tropical locations. The clips were first shown on Carlo Massarini's Mister Fantasy program.

Krisma released another album with the lead single "Nothing To Do With The Dog" before moving to New York City in 1986. They directed three videos for MTV, and soon after they began to work for France 2. In Italy they often appeared on the program "Be Bop a Lula" hosted by Red Ronnie for Italia Uno. The single "Nothing To Do With the Dog" and "Iceberg" were released during this time. In 1988 "Non Ho Denaro" was released. It was their last album to be released on vinyl, and today, it is one of the most obscure Krisma records.

During the 1990s Krisma's first records were remastered. They continued to do freelance work for the Italian state broadcasting company Rai Tre, and they were credited for crafting the special effects on the Marco Ferreri film Nitrato d'Argento. Maurizio and Christina also designed several video-art installations and worked as consultants for Benetton's Centro Ricerca Comunicazione. On July 22, 1998 the couple launched Krisma TV, which was broadcast through the Skyplex satellite service to Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. In June 2000 the band opened their website, www.krismatv.net. Maurizio made a comeback attempt with "Re-Birth," a solo project. The CD single Kara was released in 2001 in both Italian and English versions. Their first two albums 'Hibernation' and 'Chinese Restaurant' were reissued this year by 'Medical Records LLC'.


Note:
The reissue is sold out, but the second pressing will be out early January (black 180gm vinyl this time - limited edition of 500 each)
http://medical-records.org/releases/