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ITALIAN MUSTACHED STRANGERS OF THE NIGHT.

Posted on January 27, 2011 4 Comments

Deepest apologies for the lack of updates lately. There has been a hotbed of activity over at TNUC Laboratories in the past few weeks…working on NEW feature presentations for ‘TNUC Home Video’ and eating way too much oozy-cartoon-looking pizza. We’re also tossing different ideas around for paraphernalia to give to you keepers of the good book this year. So far T-shirts, slap bracelets, single Road Warrior-esque shoulder pads, beer koozies, stickers and dangling-cross “T” earrings are currently being discussed at a classified board meeting at headquarters.

But today, the focus is on a distinct group of individuals we like to call Italian Mustached Strangers of the Night. These minimally facial-haired phantoms are most likely seen leaving Italo Disco clubs in the early morning hours, then hopping in sports cars to drive to their villas to catch the sun coming up with a lucky lady (or two) by their side. During the golden era of Italo and Euro Disco, they were the front runners and torchbearers of this exquisite brand of music.

Before we get into the heavy stuff, here are a few ground rules so that you don’t get a true IMSOTN confused with a poseur-tryhard-hipster-pubescence:

1) Mustache thicker and tighter than eyebrow.

2) Skin is deeply tanned, Mediterranean style. Not pasty and pale.

3) Sporting accessories of gold such as necklaces, sunglasses, bracelets, earrings and dolphin rings. Not wannabe smart horn-rims or cheap plastic retro toys like a retro digital watch.

4) Italian or American sports cars. Not an altered wheelchair called a fixiebike.

5) Hanging around at the beach, gym or a venturous discotheque. Not the library, vernissage or an indie concert.

Take for example, Casablanca. Even though they allegedly hail from Germany, the IMSOTN craze struck on all continents and these strangers could well have been your next door neighbors. If you want to truly educate yourself and fathom the IMSOTN style, take a look at the photo of the key-tar player from the group in an all-white jumpsuit. You will now fully comprehend. Casablanca’s 1987 single ‘Angel of Night’ is a war cry for all IMSOTN.

Support this movement by joining the Italian Mustached Strangers of the Night (IMSOTN) Facebook Fan Page, where fans like yourself can post Italo video favorites and pictures of yourself posing with IMSOTN that you randomly run into on the street.

TRAIN! FIGHT! DIE?

Posted on January 11, 2011 6 Comments

Blood Bros Heaven2Hell by maddecent

The second volume in the BLOOD BROS series! Created by Derek ‘DJA’ Allen and Dirty South Joe, this is another round of 80s Action soundtracks, but with a ‘2nd in the trilogy’ twist. Will our heroes survive the ultimate challenge and make it out alive?! Put this mix on and remind yourself to PUSH IT TO THE LIMIT AND STARE DOWN YOUR DEMONS!

In case you missed it, don’t forget to complete your training with the first Blood Bros mix right here.

BILLY HIXX & THE NEW BREED.

Posted on December 30, 2010 5 Comments

In 1985,weather you were a graduate, dropout or just a degenerate party animal at Georgetown University, the only spot needed to release those inner-becoming-an-adult-anxieties was at St. Elmo’s Bar. Especially a hot spot in the winter months, St. Elmo’s was also the primary destination if you wanted to catch the tough-as-nails new act Billy Hixx & The New Breed. Like many of us who leave college and feel lost in the working world, frat-boy Billy Hicks is unable to keep a steady job but has the ability to release his inner-demons through the saxophone. Billy also faces problems with his marriage and has a hard time giving up his “ladies man” persona.

Billy Hixx’s saxophone-fused rock is exactly what this crowd needs to let loose and become children of the night. His sweaty style of saxophone is packed with attitude and a war cry of freedom. While St. Elmo’s Fire is an easy movie to track down, the song Billy is playing in the clip is exceedingly rare. It was originally a b-side on the John Parr ‘Man in Motion’ single and remains to this day as one of the best things to filter out of the movie. David Foster, who wrote the majority of the music from the film, wrote and performed the song in the studio. Stream + download the track below but prepare to drown in a sea of sweaty sax.

(Don’t forget to follow Uncle TNUC on Soundcloud!)

THE RENEGADES.

Posted on December 27, 2010 2 Comments

I’m at a loss of words as to how this one slipped by me. Patrick Swayze – a God around these parts – stars in the short lived TV show called ‘The Renegades’. Have a look at the gripping intro.

ANTARCTICA.

Posted on December 20, 2010 1 Comment

Based on actual events, the story behind the 1983 film Antarctica revolves around a group of Japanese arctic explorers who travel to the white continent for research. The explorers befriend a pack of dogs who actually end up saving their lives during one of the harsh treks of their journey. The 3 scientists and 20 dogs pulling a sleigh over icy mountains form an emotional bond as they struggle through the rough conditions of this cold and bleak land.

Enter Vangelis. Most recognized for his unforgettable work on Bladerunner and Chariots of Fire, his score for this obscure and touching Japanese film is one of his finest pieces of work to date. Vangelis provides the story of the film, as well as the breathtaking shots of Antarctica and its wildlife, with drawn-out, icy melodies that convey the frigidness of this continent’s silent greatness.

The film takes a tragic turn when the explorers are forced to leave the continent due to severe weather conditions. This forces them to leave the dogs behind, which makes the explorers even more depressed when they return home after feeling so powerless to do anything about it. The following summer, they choose to revisit Antarctica and find that two of the dogs have miraculously survived all this time. As they are reunited with the dogs, Vangelis’ score shines victoriously. There are scenes with the dogs fishing for food, running across the ice and even shots of the magnetic phenomenon known as Aurora Australis (southern lights) which as you can imagine, is pure magic when accompanied by the atmospheric sounds of Vangelis.

ANTARCTICA by V A N G E L I S [download]

1) Theme from Antarctica

2) Antarctica Echoes

3) Kinematic

4) Song of White

5) Life of Antarctica

6) Memory of Antarctica

7) Other Side of Antarctica

8) Deliverance

FLOOD THE GATES.

Posted on December 11, 2010 3 Comments

Gatekeeper’s massively-anticipated new EP ‘Giza’, teleports down from the heavens, swoops over thick forests of green, takes a dip in bubbly lava and arrives in stores this week. The good folks at 20jazzfunkgreats have been blessing us all week with daily premiers of the videos (by Thunder Horse Video) that accompany each track. Be sure to pick up the HDVHS (fuck,yes) which I believe sports a metallic color tape. Release of the year? I like to think so.

I.