Best known as the frontman and chief songwriter of The Cars , Ric Ocasek made this sharp 12" during his solo run in the early '80s. Pulled from his Beatitude era, both tracks use lean drum machines, bright synth work and Ocasek’s unmistakable deadpan delivery. It will be familiar enough for Cars fans – but with a slightly looser, more experimental edge. Interestingly, this record exists as a promotional single in nearly all markets, with the exception of Canada. Jimmy Jimmy is punchy new wave pop with crossover appeal, while Connect Up To Me heads somewhere moodier and more nocturnal, nicely delivered in extended remix form. A cool snapshot of Ocasek stepping just outside the band framework, this one’s an underrated slab of early ’80s synth-rock that still holds up. A$10 + postage Media Condition: Near Mint (NM) Sleeve Condition: Very Good Plus (VG+)

Japan has long been a place of good taste – a bastion where music scenes and subcultures often live their strongest lives outside their country of origin. Throughout the early 2000s, as vinyl collections were being dumped en masse across the world, Japanese dealers and archivists frequently travelled to musical meccas like New York City and London, buying entire sections of record stores for as little as fifty cents a piece. While most of the world moved on, Japan's used record market became the antithesis of an industry in decline – preserving historical music at staggering scale on what is, in our admittedly biased view, its most faithful medium. But there wasn’t just preservation on the demand side. There were still people fighting the good fight on the supply side too – labels insistent on putting new music onto vinyl in a world increasingly dominated by CDs and, later, purely digital listening. In the 1990s alone, this protest took many forms: Warp Records documenting emergin...

Well-curated compilation records are worth their weight, and this excerpt from the Club Classics series by German powerhouse  ZYX Music is a whopper. For the early 00s – an era many refer to as “the dark times” – the pressing is seriously good, which is relief because 12"s like this are the working DJ's bread and butter. Side A has two solid ’70s Soul cuts from The Staple Singers : the #1 hit I’ll Take You There and the socially significant anthem Respect Yourself (yes, the same song Bruce Willis covered in 1987 – and no, I'm not linking it). Things ramp up on side B with a pair of Disco-Funk bangers from  Headhunters  percussionist  Bill Summers  and his troupe, Summers Heat. Both joints are swell, but MVP goes to their cover of Eddy Grant 's  Walking On Sunshine  for its prototypical synth work and killer breakdown. I found one forthright review questioning ZYX’s liberal use of the term “club classic” across the series. Fair enough...

Detroit-born drummer Paul Humphrey may be unfamiliar to many, but his playing has touched millions: from Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get It On  (where he was miscredited as “Humphries”) to sessions with Quincy Jones, Steely Dan, and Frank Zappa. In the early ’70s he charted twice in his own right with funk numbers Cool Aid and Funky L.A. before returning to a more straight-ahead jazz setting for this 1982 sextet outing. Featuring trumpeter Oscar Brashear , it’s an acoustic soul-jazz set where Humphrey's rhythmic aptitude – heard on so many studio classics – is given in a looser, more lyrical role. Criminally underrated in his own time, this record proves that his groove could be as intimate and conversational as it was chart-topping. A$25.00 + postage Media Condition: Near Mint (NM) Sleeve Condition: Very Good Plus (VG+) - as pictured

Jon Anderson (of prog rockers Yes) and Vangelis (formerly of Aphrodite’s Child) began releasing music together under the Jon and Vangelis name in 1979, mostly through Polydor Records. Their second LP, The Friends of Mr Cairo , broke into the top 10 in Australia – one of only four countries where it did so – which might explain this curious local pressing. Unusually, this 7” features Beside on the A-side – a reversal of its usual role as the B-side of either State of Independence or Outside of This (Inside of That) . This seems to be the only format where that’s the case.  Minimal and ambient, Beside is built around Vangelis’s signature synthesiser textures, with Anderson delivering one of his most restrained and intimate vocal performances. It’s not a hit in the traditional sense, but there’s a stillness and emotional clarity that quietly lingers – perhaps why someone at Polydor’s Australian office felt it deserved top billing.  Special thanks to Simon...

Until a few weeks ago the name Paul Sabu was foreign to me, despite his fine production work on Gwen Jonae's Destiny , which I've owned for some time. I was about to review an exquisite sale copy of that record, but when it sold and his name reappeared the very next day – this time across an unmissable rainbow backdrop – I took notice. There is little info about the artist credited here: Anna Dalva. She was reportedly mentored by a pre-KISS Gene Simmons, prevented from touring due to her young age, and later found work as a songwriter for Motown [unverified]. What is known is that sometime in 1978, she teamed up with Sabu to churn out  Love Potion  – a wild disco excursion written just before his breakthrough producing  Debbie Jacobs  and others. This rugged indie 12” now commands serious collector prices, but we’ve slashed the going rate in half... feeding the sharks is not the 𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝘂𝘁𝘁𝗶 way. A$100.00 + postage (free postage within Aus...

Nona Hendryx made her mark as a member of Labelle , the all-female vocal group alongside Patti LaBelle and Sarah Dash. When her solo debut struggled to stand out amid the flood of Disco records released in 1977, she pivoted to a series of left field collaborations that shaped her signature unpredictable style. One such project,  The Cage , saw her team up with former Visage members on the London-based – but distinctly NYC-inspired – label Metropolis , resulting in the powerhouse Jazz-Funk B-side  The Slammer . Thanks to a tip from the  Post-Punk Monk , I discovered that the title track is actually a cover of T-Connection 's Disco chart topper from... you guessed it... 1977! A$10.00 + postage Media Condition: Very Good Plus (VG+) Sleeve Condition: Fair (F) - some moisture damage

Released late last year, Teddy Mike 's third album nods to a broad spectrum of influences, channeling the likes of 80s funk legends Aurra on some tracks, independent Soul, Gospel, and Boogie-Rap on others, with a steamy return trip to São Paulo also in the mix. Arriving on Teddy's own label and imported exclusively by 𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝘂𝘁𝘁𝗶 –  Slip Away will do just that if you don't bag one of the few copies to hit our shores. A$45.00 + postage Media Condition: Mint (M) Sleeve Condition: M (M) - brand new item in shrink

Described by pundits as " R.E.M. but with less vocals and more guitar", this lost treasure from Indie Rock / Jangle Pop group The Connells contains 3 x A4 promotional printouts showcasing the aspiring South Carolinians in 1987 – and they are still going strong today! Pristine copy salvaged from the proverbial wonderland of US dead stock. A$18.00 + postage Media Condition: Near Mint (NM or M-) Sleeve Condition: Very Good Plus (VG+)

A few years back I ordered a dozen records from a seller in NYC sight unseen. This wasn't unusual, however an extra layer of mystery surrounded this purchase. Not only were most titles unknown to me, many were still in their shrink wrap after 30 or more years. The prospect of sealed records frozen in time along with a few particles of 1980s oxygen is a thrilling one, but it can also make warped discs, pressing defects and the like more difficult to spot. Along with a healthy dose of optimism, it can pay to practice being disappointed.  As I opened each audial time capsule, one record stood out. A blue sticker with the record label Blue Earth  struck me with its unique Letraset-style logo. I had seen this typeface on records before, namely William C. Brown's excellent Come On And Go With Me  (1982) and some early Ultimate Breaks and Beats titles, which I imagine gave it a sense of familiarity. Herbie Pabst  was credited as artist, co-writer and co-producer, 1986 the year...

Sure Shot was one of two Tracy Weber tunes released in 1981 and featured a who’s who of NYC talent. Produced by Eric Matthew and Gary Turnier – both of Disco garage band Gary’s Gang  – and remixed by  Paradise Garage  resident DJ  Larry Levan , the project saw many pressings on indie labels throughout the 1980s. This particular version is an instrumental mix that appears on the B-side of the synth-heavy One Step at a Time  and is missing Levan's credit. Tragically, Weber herself never got to see the record’s release – she was killed in a shooting in early 1981. Matthew (real name Joe Tucci) went on to produce hundreds of influential recordings on some of New York’s best dance labels including Prelude , Profile , and his own short-lived Radar Records . Sealed copy, frozen in time. Media Condition: Mint (M) Sleeve Condition: Mint (M) *SOLD*

This was a single from Ferry’s sixth solo album and emblematic of the post-New Wave, “ Sophisiti-pop ” that was coming out of Britain at the time. Lavish production and the sonic purity that was being achieved by mid-80s digital recording have also left this record sounding astoundingly fresh by today's standards. 2013 saw a slew of remixes and edits by the likes of Greg Wilson, Idjut Boys and Todd Terje – no doubt due to it's  Balearicability  – but the original is still just  so good. Beautiful 12" promo copy, in superb condition from the US. Media Condition: Near Mint (NM or M-) Sleeve Condition: Very Good Plus (VG+) *SOLD*

Garrett's Crew was the brainchild of James L. Garrett , which saw releases on the HGEI, Clockwork, and Prelude labels respectively. With big synths and – quite frankly – a frightening amount of vocoder , Nasty Rock is a wild timestamp from the crossover era between Disco and Hip-Hop. Along with some 190 YouTube commenters who recall this song melting their local roller skating rink in '83-'84, it has universally retained its hood pass with Poppers, Wavers, and Boogaloos as one of the nastiest Electro tunes of all time. A$25.00 + postage Media Condition: Very Good Plus (VG+) Sleeve Condition: Generic

Sylvia Hutton had an established presence by 1981 when she recorded the crossover single Drifter . With a distinctively wistful sound – dubbed "Prairie Disco" by her producer Tom Collins – the song roamed the Country charts for several months, managing to rustle the #1 spot for a single week. Sylvia's Country roots and Pop appeal offer parallels to the likes of Dolly Parton or Taylor Swift, with one reductionist source describing this song as about "a girl left with feelings for a drifting cowboy". We think it's a bit more special than that – and Disco lovers with feelings for rare promos and drifting BPMs will likely agree. A$20.00 + postage Media Condition: Very Good Plus (VG+) Sleeve Condition: Generic

Prolific Reggae artist John Holt ’s first recording of this song was in 1970 as a flip of The Temptations ’ I Want a Love I Can See (1963). He's revisited it numerous times and in 1990 it got the Lovers Rock treatment – performed in Holt’s signature laid-back, romantic style. After slipping through the supply chain cracks for more than 3 decades, this near perfect copy has landed in our hands and we proudly share it with you today. A$18.00 + postage Media Condition: Near Mint (NM or M-) Sleeve Condition: Near Mint (NM or M-)

Curtis Hairston’s run for stardom began when he signed to  Pretty Pearl Records  (a venture launched by his old school friend and pro-baller Earl "The Pearl" Monroe) at just 21. With Timmy Regisford and Boyd Jarvis  involved the label spared no expense, and after a few moderately successful singles, this track finally blew things open – particularly in the UK, where it sold strongly throughout 1985. That same year Hairston lent his vocals to B.B. & Q. Band’s  Genie  LP (still via Pretty Pearl) and began work on his only solo album, the brilliant self-titled  Curtis Hairston  (1986) on Atlantic Records. Still, for many,  I Want Your Lovin’  remains the most enduring snapshot of Hairston’s quiet but essential contribution to R&B history. Media Condition: Very Good Plus (VG+) Sleeve Condition: Generic *SOLD*