Clone Classic Cuts

Classic Cuts might be a generic title, but this 2008 collection of old-school electro, house, and Italo disco compiled by the Dutch label, Clone, is excellent. It’s full of exciting grooves, tweaked instrumental sounds, and riffs that you hope go on forever. The singing can be delightfully quirky or sexy, and the lyrics are imbued with a strange glow, thanks to the vocal interpretations and musical settings. The first part of the album leans toward electro, but the opener, Jackson Jones’ “I Feel Good, Put Your Pants On,” is a slice of screwy funk. The lead singer is downright weird, and the keyboards (is that a Mellotron?) are crazy. If Blondie had morphed into an electro act they might have come up with something like “Single Girl” by Knight Action. Fockewulf 190’s “Body Heat” takes a tip from Gary Numan and Yaz and runs with it. After you hear “The Devil’s Dancers” by Oppeneheimer Analysis, you’ll wonder why this synth-pop song wasn’t a monster hit. A potent trio of house tracks, Robert Owens’ “I’m Strong,” Tyree’s “I’m Free,” and Mike Dunn’s “So Let It Be House,” are the heart and soul of the album.