Bottin - Discoursive Diversions

Take a hefty dose of Italo-disco, a penchant for dodgy 70s/80s horror soundtracks, a dash of hi-camp and an analogue synth fetish, throw 'em in together and you end up with Bottin… nu-Italo don and Bear Funk stalwart, whose genius is now celebrated with this 18-track 'best of' mix on Nang.

Although he's apparently been putting out stuff since 1999 (according to his own discography), it wasn't till last year's Horror Disco (and in particular the unbelievably kitsch Disco For The Devil) that this remarkable Italian producer caught my ear – or that of most UK buyers, I should imagine. Since then, he's been pretty much unavoidable… and in that time I've gone from thinking his stuff is tacky, throwaway trash, to coming round to thinking he's one of the most truly unique-sounding producers around.

If I've a criticism of this collection, it's that it IS quite samey-sounding, even though there are 17 different artists involved. There are two Bottin originals, y'see, and then his remixes of Space, The Emergency, Oscar G & Stryke, Wax Stag and, oh, 14 others. If you're already familiar with the Bottin sound and not a fan, then, this probably won't change your mind. If on the other hand you DO dig his camp, synth-driven, retro-electro-disco future schlock, you'll love this; and if you've yet to have the pleasure, then this is the ideal place to start.

Out: Since Apr 26, so what are you waiting for?

About: There's something strange going on with Bottin's actual website, which has apparently been "offed by MySpace, Facebook, Twitter" – so at first it looks like it's gone. But don't worry, all the page links at the bottom are working. He's just a wild and crazy guy, I guess.

Oh yeah, and the FULL title of this album is Nang presents The New Masters Series Vol 1: Bottin – Discoursive Discussions. FFS! But yeah, just to ram the point home, it is on Nang. Though clicking on that link might not tell you much cos they haven't updated their website for ages…