Scary fun

The combination of owning a credit card, a broadband connection and a desire to track down weird, obscure records is a lethal combination, especially when Phonica Records decides to sell a new run of a load of long-forgotten early acid house records, pressed up to modern details. I picked up a few gems -  which I'll blog about over the coming weeks, in between fighting off the urge to spend more money on records:does anyone else feel this has been a ridiculously good year for singles? - but the one that I was especially glad to acquire was Zsa Zsa La Boum's 'Something Scary'. Released on Belgian label Kaos in 1988 by 'SM' -  that's who the production credits on the repress state recorded it: if anyone knows who actually mad eit I'd be glad to find out -  the first I heard about this record was 2-3 years ago, via Simon Reynolds' Blissblog. As far as I recall, he had done a piece on Belgian New Beat and had very considerately linked to another blog dedicated to the music. There was a cheeky download of the track on that site, whose name escapes me, and the track also appeared on a mix hosted there too. Anyway, I'm happy I finally got the record because it's brilliant. Over a pulsing, predatory bass, a woman explains that "I was in my room and something grabbed me". There are spooky, mock-horror chords, a nod to the jack of Chicago house, acid undercurrents and ebm's sense of foreboding, all set to these heavy, heavy drums. The production is detailed and, despite being a basic enough record, the small details, like the eerie strings and snare rolls, really set it apart. If Phonica still have copies, act fast and snap one up - otherwise I have included the instrumental version on a new mix I've done which I'll upload over the next few days...

Comments

[ilya]

why not just check Discogs.com?

You'll find out it was produced by Ferre Baelen and Rembert De Smet who are responsible for dozens of other great New Beat and acid techno (check out Baelen's work as Dr. Fernand0) tracks. They are also responsible for "Tickle Me" as Little Little which is another acid new beat track in a similar vein. It's probably featured in that same mix (it has whispered samples "I don't want to be nice").

You should know that all those releases are bootlegs, likely sourced from mp3's.