About this item

The Word is one of the better-kept secrets of 1980s Austrian disco music. Yet once you put the needle on this record, you notice that it sounds oddly familiar. The awe-inspiring signature piece “Lobster” has the same analogue, slow-moving aesthetic as Zenit’s timeless “Waiting” as heard on Edition Hawara’s first release. The same goes for the three other wonderfully unconventional, proto-electronic songs: “Easy”, “All My Life” and the eponymous “The Word”. And there are even more commonalities with Zenit’s LP: The vocals are Linda Sharrock’s, who here teamed up with Karl “Charly” Ratzer and Peter Ponger, the twin brother of legendary Falco producer Robert Ponger. The result of this collaboration is, well, also quite legendary. How this kind of sound emerged in Vienna in 1984 is still a bit of a mystery, but clearly all the stars were aligned when Sharrock, Ratzer and Ponger were jamming in the studio. Editions Hawara happily share this secret with us. Just as there are very few lobsters in landlocked Vienna, there are very few records like this out there.

STAFF COMMENTS

Patrick says: So, I've been on the hunt for this Austrian electro-boogie / Balearic pop peach ever since my good friend Basso lifted the Soup Kitchen lid a few years ago. The Lobster is cosmic, cool as fuck and so damn groovy, as are each of its three buddies - this is in limited supply, so go go go!

TRACK LISTING

A1. Lobster (12" Version) (6:58)
A2. Easy (7" Version) (4:09)
B1. All My Life (7" Version) (4:02)
B2. The Word (12" Version) (6:21)