Much has changed for Ilan Pdahtzur since the release of his Night City Life compilation six years ago. Back then, he was a little-known record collector who shared obscure, synth-heavy music that “captured the night-time glow” of the city he calls home, London, via a dedicated Instagram page.

Fast forward to 2025 and Ilan is now a respected member of the international digger-selector community, having delivered must-check mixes for the likes of Bordello A Parigi, Bayete, Hunee’s Lifetones and Sound Metaphors.

It seems a fitting time, then, for Spacetalk to unleash Night City Life II, a second deep dive into Ilan’s distinctive, neon-lit sound world – a place where European synth-pop rarities, Italo-dance treats, dancefloor-focused post-boogie instrumentals soundtrack strolls around shuttered skyscrapers, dockside housing estates and wharf-side warehouse conversions.

In the six years that have passed since the release of Night City Life, Ilan has uncovered many more rarities, private-press gems and slept-on treats, with 14 of these featuring on the dusty-fingered crate-digger’s sublime sequel. As with its predecessor, much effort has been made to track down the artists behind the synth-heavy songs on show, with the vinyl edition featuring extended liner notes where some tell the story of their track in detail.

Musically, there’s much to set the pulse racing within Ilan’s superb selections, from the slow-motion shuffle of Playground’s self-released 1984 B-side ‘Rainy Day Woman’ and the brilliance of Shamor’s 1985 South African synth-pop special ‘Close To You (Bwela Pafupi)’, to Sharon & Tracy’s ‘The Sheik’ – a belly-dancing inspired slab of TB-303 bass-driven house – and the kaleidoscopic, piano-rich 1992 Euro-house brilliance of ‘Come Into My Life’ by Jennifer.

Dive deeper into the collection and more under-appreciated musical masterpieces make their presence felt. There’s Sicilian musician Claudio D’Ignoti’s lesser-known boogie-era single ‘Anche Per Noi’, where rubbery bass guitar, Nile Rodgers style disco guitar licks and spacey synths dominate the sound space, Lena’s fashion circuit-inspired, early Pet Shop Boys-esque ‘Embrasse-Moi (Strumentale)’ – one that members of Milan’s Paninaro movement would surely have enjoyed – and a sublime, spaced-out and effects laden dancefloor dub of ‘Rescue Me (Imagination)’ by Jimmy D, a genuinely sought-after jam originally released on a now impossible-to-find seven-inch single.

Offering another genuinely distinctive, carefully curated collection of lesser-known musical treats, Night City Life II is another essential, immersive and synthesizer-powered journey through Ilan’s unique sonic world. 

TRACK LISTING

A1. Playground - Rainy Day Woman
A2. Spinnaker - The Spirit Of America
A3. Natalie Ann - You've Got To Feel
A4. Shamor - Close To You (Bwela Pafupi)
B1. Cherry Laine - Land Of No Return
B2. Sharon & Tracy - The Sheik
B3. Methods Of Dance - Aggravation (instrumental)
B4. Claudio D'Ignoti - Anche Per Noi
C1. Jennifer - Come Into My Life
C2. Lena - Embrasse-Moi (instrumental)
C3. Fabrithia - I Want You (instrumental)
D1. Jimmy D - Rescue Me (Imagination) (dub Version)
D2. Alison Sheryll - You're Not Alone
D3. Precious Child - Come Alone

With only a handful of sought-after private press 7” singles to their name, Morrison Kincannon are all but unknown outside record collecting circles. Yet Norman Morrison and Terry Kincannon wrote and recorded some superb songs during the 1970s and early ‘80s, desperately hoping for the break that would see them released on vinyl. Now, at last, their time has finally come. Morrison and Kincannon first started working together as teenagers almost 50 years ago. Every Saturday, they would get together to jam and write songs. This led to recording sessions at a friendly studio in San Francisco and a management and publishing deal with Manny Greenhill, a man who had previously nurtured the careers of Bob Dylan and Joan Baez. Sadly, their hoped-for-success never came, and by the early 1980s both members had re-focused on work and family. As the years rolled by, their original multi-track recordings lay idle in Morrison’s loft, seemingly never to be released.

All that changed when Morrison received an email from Spacetalk Records two years ago, asking about the possibility of reissuing “To See One Eagle Fly”, the B-side to one of their 7” singles that has long been a favourite of label co-founder Danny McLewin. Once a deal had been done, Morrison mentioned that he had hours of unissued recordings in his loft; a treasure trove of ultra-rare multi-track master tapes that could be freshly mixed and mastered for release. When the Spacetalk Records’ team finally got a chance to listen, they were astonished by the timeless quality of the songs. Put simply, they just had to be released.

The resultant album is a stunning set: an intoxicating glimpse into the world of two previously unheralded master songwriters whose musical vision encapsulates all that was good about Californian music during the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. Rooted in the American folk revival and folk-rock movement of the late ‘60s, the album’s 15 thoughtful, heartfelt songs are laden with sly nods to the likes of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Ned Doheny, Michael Deacon, Cy Timmons, Gene Clark and Buffalo Springfield. The tracks were recorded at various times between 1970 and ’82 and gives a small glimpse of the duo’s total body of unissued work. The release comes with extensive liner notes telling the remarkable story of two lifelong friends and musical collaborators who thought their moment had passed. 

STAFF COMMENTS

Andy says: Incredibly rich soul, folk, West Coast groove-rock that inexplicably fell between the cracks. The songs are impeccable, the vibe pure, hippy, LA mellowness.How was this never released!?

TRACK LISTING

1. Freely
2. I'll Be Ok Tomorrow
3. To See One Eagle Fly
4. I Believe That There's Good In This World
5. Dier Nier Nier Niernt
6. Summer Days
7. As The River Flows On
8. I Will See You Again
9. Beneath The Redwoods
10. Sonshine 
11. Destination 
12. On Mt Diablo
13. Seashell 
14. All My Life
15. A Few Minutes Of Peace