- Even the most fervent fan of cosmic disco would have to admit there's something inherently ridiculous about the genre. Be it the overblown and hilarious guitar solos or the Buck Rogers-esque videos, there's no escaping the silliness. The trick with good cosmic is to have just the right amount of daftness without it falling over the edge into kitsch and stupid. 'Dirty Space Disco' gives you tracks that veer away from the edge, tracks that waver on the precipice and tracks that plunge headfirst into the abyss. In an ideal world DSD would be exclusively the former and with the context history allows you'd assume this would be the case.
Unfortunately not: almost half of these songs are tosh. 'Regenmacher' by Roedelius and 'Processione Sul Mare' by Tony Esposito come across as unfinished percussion jamming sessions. 'Atlantis' by John Forde is sub-Bee Gees dross that wouldn't be out of place in the credits of a Hong Kong martial arts film. Pilooski's edit of 'Stranger In The City' by John Miles leaves you cold and 'Voyager II' by Starbow (great name) is an uninspiring last track.
It's a shame because Pilooski's edit of 'Die Drachentrommier' by Clara Mondshine recalls Tim Goldsworthy's Loving Hand remixes and the How & Why Edition Disco edit of 'Undisputed' by Undisputed Truth is a more raunchy version of 'Rocksteady'. Teetering right on the edge of taste (in a good way) is 'Who' by Odyssey with its chorus of 'I like the way you deeee, I like the way you daaaaa' whilst 'Hai Samurai' by Yellow Power and Sylvester's 'I Need Somebody To Love Tonight' transport you to synthetic, sensual and just-silly-enough future.
I could forgive some of the weak inclusions if this compilation were contemporaneous to their release date. With hindsight they're unforgivable. Buy the best bits as MP3s.
Tracklist1 John Forde - Atlantis
2 Roedelius - Regenmache
3 Clara Mondshine - Die Drachentrommier (Pilooski Edit)
4 Undisputed Truth - Undisputed (How & Why Editions Disco Edit)
5 Fern Kinney - Baby Let Me Kiss You
6 John Miles - Stranger In The City (Pilooski Edit)
7 Conrad Schnitzler - Auf Dem Schwarzen Kanal
8 Yellow Power - Hai Samurai
9 Tony Esposito - Processione Sul Mare
10 Odyssey - Who
11 Sylvester - I Need Somebody To Love Tonight
12 Risqué - Starlight
13 Starbow - Voyager II