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Various Artists

Bay Area Retrograde Vol.1 & 2

Dark Entries have combined Bay Area Retrograde (BART) Volume 1 and 2 on a single CD! BART is Dark Entries’ compilation of underground music from San Francisco (and the greater Bay Area) made between 1978-1988. Towards the end of the 70s, San Francisco’s experimental music scene clashed with the aftermath of punk and gave birth to a vibrant underground. By the early to mid 80s the DIY music scene of the Bay Area was a hotbed for experimental and quirky new wave, post punk, and synthpop, quite similar to New York’s No Wave scene and Berlin’s Neue Deutsche Welle. This compilation connects the (transit) lines between these varied musical offerings and tells the secret story of eleven forgotten Bay Area bands.

BART Volume 1 features a Korg-heavy assault from Danville’s utterly obscure Nominal State; two little-known left-field electronic dance gems from Batang Frisco and Quiet Room; Berkeley’s answer to darkwave, Necropolis of Love; a synth-driven drama fest from drag performance troupe Wasp Women; quirky lo-fi gothic pop from one man band Distant Thunder; a gay Hi-NRG anthem delivered by Danny Boy and the Serious Party Gods; two lesser know gems from SF synth legends Voice Farm and Los Microwaves; and the futuristic pulsing synth-punk of Standard of Living and the Units.

BART Volume 2 features slow, dystopian horror from pioneering industrial group Factrix; crushing, motorik noise from acid punks Chrome; amphetamine-driven synth punk from Red Asphalt; an early demo, never released on vinyl, from legendary post punk band Tuxedoomon; chilling atmospheric drone from Ki Di Me; leftfield new wave from Indoor Life featuring Patrick Cowley on synths; Los Microwaves more sinister side project Baby Buddha; gay drag icon Timmy Spence delivering an unknown camp classic, a pure instrumental electro-pop workout from Human Being Men; TR-808 fueled synth pop from Menlo Park duo Wonders of Science, and a poetic yet somber and haunting song from the mysterious Zru Vogue.

All tracks have been carefully remastered by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. Each CD contains a deluxe 12-page booklet designed by Eloise Leigh, featuring original photos and fliers from each band’s personal archive. BART is the acronym for Bay Area Rapid Transit, the main rail transportation system for the San Francisco Bay Area. This CD is by no means a definitive compilation but merely opens the tunnel to the underground of the Bay!