De La Series

The ‘De La…’ series asks artists to choose a certain provenance - be it a country, community, town, artist, or label - and make a mix highlighting what they love about the music.

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“I’ve been in Vietnam for just over 2 years now, and the best part of that has been spent with a burning desire to find old, dance floor friendly tracks from the country. For various reasons this search has been tiresome and fruitless. Vietnamese pop music trends have been geared towards ballads since the country’s re-unification in 1975, and the decades after where electronic music was being birthed in cocaine filled clubs across the world, Vietnam was battling hyper-inflation in the aftermath of a bloody war.
About 2 weeks ago, however, browsing the shelves of a pokey little basement CD shop in Hanoi’s Ba Dinh district I picked up a medley CD from a record label called Asia Entertainment Inc (I bought the CD because I saw La Isla Bonita mis-spelled on the back cover). Taking the CD home to listen I was taken aback. Digging a little deeper I found the label was based, not in the metropolises of Hanoi or HCMC, but at an address in Westminster, California - the heart of Little Saigon, the largest collection of Vietnamese expatriates in the USA. 
I’ve spent the last couple of weeks digging through Vietnamese music websites, listening through old cassettes, sifting through medleys, in search of the best tracks from this niche. The tracks are bilingual, made by Vietnamese, for Vietnamese, in the USA and around the world.
With this mix I want to highlight this genre to music lovers. It’s a sound I never knew existed, a sound my Vietnamese girlfriend had never heard, and I don’t want that to be the case. These tracks are fun.”

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Tracklist

Jeannie Mai - Khi Em Đi (You Can Win If You Want)
Lê Toàn - Hold Me Tight (Tonight)
Thái Thảo - Come Back To Me (Vietnam 80’s Version)
Kiểu Nga - Strangers By Night
Như Mai - Tình Nồng Say (Sando)
Thuý Vi - Cuộc Tình Bay Xa (One Night Is Not Enough)
Linda Trang Đài - Jump In My Car
Linda Trang Đài - Baby Don’t Break My Heart
Thuý Vi - Khi Em Cần Anh (I Need A Man)
Như Mai - Nhạc Tình Cha Cha
Ngọc Lan - Khi Ta Bên Nhau (Two Of Hearts)
Tuyết Nhung - Venus
Ngọc Tuyết - Shy Shy Sugarman
Jeannie Mai - Nếu Dối Gian Cho Nhau (Don’t Tell Me No Lies)
Thái Thảo - Tình Yếu

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MBE #11: Atdhe - De La Petit Saigon

The ‘De La…’ series asks artists to choose a certain provenance - be it a country, community, town, artist, or label - and make a 1 hour mix highlighting what they love about the music.

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“For me, 'ZYX' IS Italo Disco, as well as creating the term 'Italo Disco', ZYX were instrumental in pioneering the genre and bringing it to the world stage during the 80's, and more importantly continuing to champion the genre ever since with their Italo Disco compilation CD's which were sold well into the 21st Century. As an Italo lover, it's very exciting to see a huge resurgence of new and original Italo Disco influenced productions in Dark Disco, Indie Dance and Chug, so this mix is for me a kind of tribute to the label which kept the magic alive.

"I've always been drawn to 'that 80's sound' ever since childhood when I'd listen to my father, who is a bit of maestro on the keys, playing Jean-Michel Jarre tracks on his keyboards, but it was only in the past few years that I've rediscovered the sound I loved as a child through ZYX. Spotify Radio fatefully decided one day to play the Galactica Remix of Mike Mareen's ‘Dancing in the Dark’ while I was showering. I immediately leapt out to find out who was providing these luscious sounds, playfulness and energy and with a bit of digging this record led me to the 'I Love ZYX Italo Disco Collection (2002)' which opened up a whole world of Italo artists and labels for me to dig through.

"The idea for this mix, as I've said, was a bit of a 'paean' to the label which introduced me to the genre which I most love and which hugely influences my music, my productions and my life. I wanted to be true and respectful to the records in terms of how they were intended, so I decided to keep things relatively slow (105-120 bpm) and fully embraced the original versions of most of the tracks I played, including those beautifully cheesy vocals in broken English that typify the genre, I've also tried to incorporate as many of the elements and sounds which define Italo, so look out for plenty of arpeggiated basslines, playful, defined & cheesy leads and luscious, cosmic Juno chords featuring artists such as Patrick Colby, Hugh Bullen & Koto. Hope you enjoy!”

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MBE #12: Bingo Wode - De La ZYX Music

The ‘De La…’ series asks artists to choose a certain provenance - be it a country, community, town, artist, or label - and make a 1 hour mix highlighting what they love about the music.

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“I’ve chosen to record a mix to reflect the iconic South African Gumba/Synth Pop sound of the 80s and 90s. The term derives from ‘gumba gumba’ and later became ‘gumba fire’, referring to the boom of speakers during parties in South African townships. Not only do I adore of this style of music but I think it’s important to step out of what you know and to research, celebrate and appreciate music from across the globe.

In essence it’s a window into different cultures and times, and more often than not it’s a great way to grow and expand your taste, while gaining insight into new and interesting scenes that deserve more recognition. The fact South Africa was able to produce such great music during a time as suppressive and horrible as apartheid is a real credit to their people.

The first Gumba track I heard was ‘stages’ by Don Laka, which has gained much deserved recognition after its success featuring on Hunee’s “Hunchin’ All Night’ put out by Rush Hour. It was actually a friend of mine (Diogo/Caldo Verde) who is a selector in Portugal who first showed me the track and the ‘Gumba Fire’ compilation album while I was working there a couple years back. 

The contribution of black artists to the music industry is so significant I can’t even begin to try to explain it. This is a drop in the ocean, but I think the (mostly) black south African artists that built this genre deserve more recognition, especially in the UK, maybe this can help…”

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Tracklist:
Listen to Me – Peter Maringa 
Smile – Satari
I don’t wanna leave Africa – Thembi Mtshali
Wayawaya – Zoom
One hot night – Margino
Taxi dube station – Little Lenny
Mphemphe – Jazino
Iseqedakoma – Vumani
Gorilla Man – Condry Ziqubu
Shaka Bundu – Penny Penny
Sikhathele – The New Boyfriends 
Professor 3 – Professor Rhythm 
Indaba Kabani – Kamuzu
I wanna Be myself – Don Laka 
Cost of living (too high) – William Mthethwa
Spotlight – Ruben Beewa 
You can Do it – Chess
I Love you More – Image 
Azali – Sammy Masamba 
Hlabalaza – The Bees
Stages – Don Laka

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MBE #16: Josh FB - De La Gumba d’Afrique du Sud

The ‘De La…’ series asks artists to choose a certain provenance - be it a country, community, town, artist, or label - and make a 1 hour mix highlighting what they love about the music.

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"Magical, Mystical, Mexico with flaws and beauties. The land were Dalí didn't want to go back alleging no country could be more surreal than his paintings.

In the last decades the techno and disco scene has been flourishing across the country giving birth to amazing musical projects. A 1-hour mix is definitely not enough to show all the great tunes we have always loved to play from our fellow compatriots, nonetheless here it is - I hope you like the mood on this one. Cheers from MX" 

Tracklist:

1. El Rey Nicio - Juan Soto
2. Let Me Tell You - The Funk District
3. El Hilo Negro - San Juan Project (Dan Solo Remix)
4. Chove Chuva - Tony Disco
5. Magic Bassline - Hotmood
6. Stuck On The Line - The Funk District
7. Tokyo Boogie - Monseiur Van Pratt
8. Move Into The Night - Hotmood
9. Disco Nu - Pato Watson (Tony Disco Remix)
10. Protesis - Fausto & Roliva
11. Paris - Bufi & La Royale
12. Night Out - Tayrell
13. Goodbye - Wet Baes

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MBE #19: Tony Disco - De La Mexico

𝗠𝗕𝗘. Founded and engineered in Asia.

Blasting electronic transmissions from South East Asia and beyond with productions, mixes, and events. We aim to shine some light on the music scene and give talents a platform to share their creativity. We have our club side (MBE) and kitchen groovers (SLOWLY) to reach each corner. Enjoy!

De La Series

Magic Box Engine