Thank You Germany Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Priscilla Chan's critical Cantopop stylings return to the fore with a brilliant reissued EP through German label Thank You. It's proven admittedly impossible to track down any info on the motive for this one, save for its faithful unearthing of Chan's 1998 classic 'African Dance', which fuses the lively call-and-responsive musical motifs heard on the Continent with the dance-pop sensibility of her very own. Thereafter come three much more balladic bowl-overs, which reach their zenith on the unnamed 'Track 4', an incredible instrumental production that pits an undeniably eighties instrumental palette against a frankly heartfelt piano line.

Review: This is a remastered re-issue of a rare Canadian synthpop and wave LP from a peak moment in Montreal during the 1980s. Degrees Of Freedom was founded in 1984 but only released their eponymous album here four years later in 1988. Despite their early gestation period, the band commanded a rabid small fanbase, and this reissue comes through to prove it with an exclusive new poster collating the group's gig flyers over the years. A worthy reissue for an obscure yet no less beloved band, we can only guess their beautifully crude electropunk and cold synth balladry will continue to captivate present listeners.

Review: While hardly a "Holy Grail"all bar a few people didn't know it existed until recently, D.J Never Sleep's sole single, the private press gem 'Teorema', can certainly be described as "buried treasure". It was reportedly the work of some experienced Italian producers, though its' sound is all Spanish guitar solos, early house-meets-Latin freestyle beats, joyous Piano riffs and evocative female vocals, it is pure formative Balearic house. This Thank You reissue not only showcases the original EP's two leading mixes (track two here, the more chugging and synth bass-sporting rework, is the pick), but also a never-released, effects-laden 'Never Sleepy Beats' drum took, plus versions in Spanish (B1) and French (B2).

Review: Some suitably sizzling summer fare here from the dusty-fingered Thank You crew, whose latest reissue focuses on a little-known, house-era Italo-disco gem from 1990. First time round, the single was a private press seven-inch, meaning that only a limited number of copies were ever pressed up. In its original vocal mix form 'Tengo La Sangre Caliente' blurs the boundaries between Euro-synth-pop, colourful Italo-house and Italo-disco. It's good, but the accompanying instrumental mix is even better. Over on the flip, Castro delivers two killer re-edits: an extra-percussive version that emphasises the more house and Flamenco-inspired elements of the 1990 original ('Tengo Las Castanetas Caliente'), and a sweat-soaked 'beats' version for those who like getting busy in the mix.

Review: An anthem often heard at Mexico's Sonidos movement parties, "Sweet Magic" was originally released in 1989 at the tail end of Hi-NRG and when house music emerged. Produced by Los Angeles-based duo Michael J & Abbe Kanter, better known as Dreams Come True (aka Tyrants in Therapy) with singer Stacy Dunne, it has remained an underground hit ever since. Faithfully remastered from the original tapes, which Berlin's Thank You managed to find and digitise in Los Angeles, there's the inclusion of a new stripped down extended mix by Castro (Sound Metaphors) using the original stems.

Review: The Artless Cuckoo label has done a fine job of showcasing the work of lesser-known German outfit Ghia his year by releasing an album of rediscovered 1980s recordings as well as a special 7". Now Thank You has put together this 12" package with three different versions of 'Don't Leave Me Alone.' The original dropped in 1987 and was an instant euro-pop classic. An OG copy on wax is tough to find these days so often fetches three figures. Soon as you hear the tune though you know why - it's effortlessly catchy with mounting tension and super creative vocals.

Review: The distinctive vocal sound of Shirley Giha aka. Ghia is both naive and infectious. Her only album Here I Am gets a reissue via Thank You, recalling the short-lived period in the spotlight enjoyed by the musician between 1987-88. Heavyweight city pop, new jack swing and slow-jam dreamers all combine in an almost oppressively 80s sound, while Ghia's vocals glide over each track elegantly and unprocessedly.

Review: No, this is not a long-lost jam from popular British songsmith David Gray, but a sought-after underground Italo-disco anthem from 1987 fronted by an uncredited Italian singer and produced by a duo called Scarface. In typical Thank You/Sound Metaphors style, this fine reissue boasts all three versions from the original 12": the glossy, synth-pop 'extended mix', a vocal-free instrumental, and the 'special mix'/DJ friendly dub mix style 'extended instrumental' - a version that sounds like a tweaked and extended backing track to a Shep Pettibone produced Pet Shop Boys album track from 1986. We also get a fresh, effects-laden 'Bonus Dubeats' take from label affiliate Castro which is arguably the best of a strong bunch.

Review: Lol Hammond is a former member of Spiral Tribe and early live techno act The Drum Club who now makes music on his own as Wah Wah Planet. Back in 1990 is when he penned this fantastic five track Balearic house EP alongside Russell Crone and with female vocal contributions from Lucy Sian. It very much lay out an early blueprint for UK street soul and the opener on the A-side 'Jewel' explores a romantic theme with hooky pop lyrics. Things get more left of centre on the 'Love FXU' with three trips into a smoother sound world perfect for sun kissed island dancing and with influences ranging from early breakbeat and trip hop to elements of dancehall music.

Review: Rarely does Italo disco ever bare its soul so sensitively. Kriss' 'Hey Mister Mister' was released in 1988, and while the Italian genre's first wave then may have been facing its death knells, that didn't stop producer and songwriter Raff Todesco form making his absolute most vulnerable best of the terminal sound. A frank drum machine makes for a firm but fair bedrest for an easygoing, clean-channelled guitar vamps, which only languidly peak out of the mix at select points, suggesting an ease wrought from years of yearning. Todesco's original vocals steal all the limelight, as unruffled synths truss appeals to spontaneous getaways and falsetto yearnings for the right guy.

Review: 'Se Mi Rompi Non Ci Sto' ('If I Broke, I Didn't Know') was the breakout single of Italian circus performer and personality Lara Orfei. Known as a TV actress before branching into music, Lara was in turn a branch on the Orfei family tree, an Italian dynasty of circus showmen and ringmasters. Perhaps due to her commitment to carry the tented family torch, Orfei's time as a musician was hardly successful, and this has in turn resulted in original copies of this record becoming hard to find, and expensive to buy. That all changes with this Thank You reissue, which tracks Orfei's haunting, trapezoid voice against clarion pianos and "oh, oh, oh" emphatics. A brilliant instrumental also bedazzles the B-side.

Review: One of the more surprising trends of the early 1990s was the fusion of contemporary club culture - or at least the slow-motion end of it - with what would have once been considered 'church music'. While it was made famous by Enigma's global hit 'Sadness', Sloopey G's 'Domine' EP was reportedly recorded and released first. Certainly 'This Is The Day (Notre Dame Remix)', which naturally heads this THANK YOU reissue, sounds like a prototype of the Enigma sound - think British street soul beats, dreamy ambient pads, sampled monk chants, tactile bass and spoken word vocals. The EP also includes both similarly formed original bonus cuts, 'Victime' and the house-influenced 'Cathederal Dance', as well as previously unheard bonus cut 'Love In Heaven', a deliciously, shuffling and saucer-eyed affair.