In making his long awaited return to Periodica, Milord steps away from the mysterious electro and new age mysticisms of past releases, and instead delivers the freaked out boogie funk free-for-alls, brain-bending disco dubs, and summertime pop perfections of ‘Party Line’. The club mix is an extended excursion through hypnotizing and ever-evolving club psychedelia, with wild phonecall detritus accenting a riffing and body-rocking banger led by svelte lyricisms, energized chants, and future gazing vocoder treatments. Elsewhere, the dub is a building body bomb of Afro-tribal grooves, techno bass, echoing cascades of drum fx, and pianos soaked in interstellar aether. And for the ultra infectious radio mix, touches of Kraftwerk meet sunshine pop jam band as a molten bubblegum bass guitar bounces on an earworm drum groove, while all around, vocals soar and six-strings jangle through solar-soaked licks.
(Words by Braden Balentine)

PRD1025 • Milord - "Party Line"

VINYL/DIGITAL - https://spacetalkmusic.bandcamp.com/album/night-city-life-ii

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.

Night City Life II

SPACETALK SHOP

Lena - Embrasse-Moi (Strumentale)

The fiveth four-track EP on The Secret Ingredient Is Stealing is out now on Bandcamp including another killer quartet of underground disco jams this time from Netherlands, United States and Italy illegally re-treated for contemporary discotheques. Don't fight the feeling baby!

The Secret Ingredient Is Stealing 005

Unknown Artist - The Secret Ingredient Is Stealing 005.1 (Edit) (The Secret Ingredient Is Stealing)

Give Up

Majesty

Тебя лучше нет

Boncana Maiga - Koyma Hondo (Jake Rivera Edit)

VEGA

Touch Me Tonight

New Funk

Hans Carstens and Nacho Gil are two Dj veterans and Viny lovers from Santiago de Chile whom I met during my South America Tour 2019. Here's their podcast...

Smile for a while podcast #38 - HCNG (Hans Carstens & Nacho Gil)

All That Jelly is a label run by Mr. Fonk (@cracked-a) from Berlin. 
The roots are Soul, Funk, Disco and oldschool House Music. Detroit, New York City and Chicago. The Music Institute, Paradise Garage, Warehouse and Muzic Box. Derrick May, Larry Levan, Frankie Knuckles and Ron Hardy.

Smile for a while podcast #38 - HCNG (Hans Carstens & Nacho Gil)

All That Jelly / Smile for a while