While the first installment focused on a selection of Balearic, synth-pop, and disco tracks from 1983 to 1992, this second installment features music released between 1988 and 1994—songs that were too Asian to achieve mainstream success in the West, and too Western to succeed in Asia—an era marked by bold, pioneering attempts to fuse traditional local music with dance music in a way that, in a sense, resembled an “obscure black hole” of localism. Unlike Nation Records or Bali Sagu, this volume spotlights the unique period from the late ’80s to the early ’90s, when music from Bangladesh and South Asia—which blended with acid house, electro house, new beat, and dub—a unique era spanning the late ’80s to the early ’90s.
This soulful compilation, created by label founders Turbotito and Ragz, is the result of a four-year quest to track down dusty records, obscure cassette tapes, and unreleased studio tapes. It also features four new remixes by Turbotito & Ragz, serving as a guide to the modern dance floor. The 2LP set includes 13 tracks by 13 artists. It comes in a deluxe gatefold jacket and is a true analog masterpiece, with the vinyl cut by Frank Merritt, a master craftsman at The Carvery in London. (Original Japanese text by COMPUMA)