The Parallax Corporation - Cocadisco (Reissue) (2002)

Ostensibly recorded by a faceless corporation that sought to alleviate the Dutch Mudercapital organization, this album produced by I-F and Alden Tyrell galvanizes the underground sound of the Dutch electro-disco scene that predates the "disco nouveau" fad of 2002. Known mostly for his electro hit Space Invaders Are Smoking Grass, I-F and friends explore the same early-'80s post-disco fallout he researched for his Mixed Up in the Hague mix CDs, all while keeping the sound fresh and innovative. Impossibly catchy basslines on "Lift Off" and "Whore of the Floor" blend with '70s analog synthesizer trickery, making for tracks that are dancefloor imperative yet unique enough for home listening. The sleazy shuffle of "Antisocial Tendencies" is possibly the highlight, with its percolating Paradise Garage-era disco melody over an Italian horror film bassline. Additionally, "Fear," which was written by actual Italian horror film composers Claudio Simonetti and Gianfranco Meo, starts with a disco kitten spoken word rhyme before mutating into a leisure suit version of Front 242. An intense spotlight has been shone on all things disco/electro, but while avoiding the trendy fashion of this retro movement, Parallax Corporation shows the imitators where the real disco grime lies. There aren't enough adjectives for sleaze or fun to capture this record.