Hailing from Milan and now calling New York home, Black Pomade is the mastermind behind the Ruínas collective and the Whoopee party series, and until recently was resident at MusicBox in Lisbon, where he blended future disco and groove-filled house to forge his own, distinct sound.
He recently appeared on the Underground Warriors compilation with the track Hot Swamp, while his Manzo Edits series continued last May with its fourth edition. He has also released music on Last Forever Records, Rollover Milano Anything Goes, Stereo Ferment, Modmotif, Dig This Way Records, Youngbloods, and on vinyl for Martino Edits and Windmill Re-Edits.
For this week’s #MyRecordBag, we’re delighted to welcome Black Pomade to 909originals, where he serves up his top dusty progressive groovers.
Matrix – Dreaming (Deep)
“My attachment to this kind of sound goes back to around 2008 or 2009. I’d just gotten my driver’s license, which meant I could finally travel outside my area and visit more record shops. Vinyl wasn’t exactly trendy back then—many shops were closing, and old collections were ending up in second-hand stores, which became perfect treasure troves for digging. There were no listening booths and nothing online, so you had to go by intuition and the artwork alone. That’s how I stumbled upon Top Secret Records. I didn’t know anything about them at the time, but their sound and raw aesthetic completely drew me in.”
Tones Energy – Phantasm (Remix 92)
“Around the same time, I also discovered the S.O.B. label (Sound Of The Bomb), a sub-label of Dig It International. I kept noticing the name G. Dewindt in the credits—a prolific and mysterious producer who released music under more than 20 aliases. His productions are always raw but full of soul, and once I caught onto that, I was hooked.”
Fabio Paras – One From Ten
“Fabio Paras is a key figure from the early wave of progressive. He started out as DJ Two Tab Fab (best name ever?), releasing a string of incredible records before disappearing into relative anonymity. A recent update suggested he settled down to focus on family life.”
Sonar – State Of Panic (Journey Mix)
“You can’t talk about early Italian progressive without bringing up UMM—the Naples-based label that put out some of the best records in the genre. Eventually, they started adding “PR” after the catalog number to signify progressive releases, though you could argue some early ones slipped through without the tag. This one, by Dino Lanni and Savino Martino, was engineered by the one and only Claudio Coccoluto.”
M. Verbeni – Pump The Voice (Trance Beat)
“Verbeni is another legend in the early progressive/trance scene. What makes his records stand out is the elegance of the grooves and his clever, seamless use of vocal snippets—not in-your-face, but integrated into the rhythmic flow. This track recently got a repress on Sub Authority. I’m not sure if there are still any copies around, but I’d snatch one if I were you.”
Saurus – Sex Line
“Give the reins of a label to Gemolotto, Leo Mas, and Fabrice, and what you get is timeless magic. This one is a go-to from the Muzak catalog, which has no shortage of cult favourites. Tough to pick just one, but this always makes it into my bag.”
G. Randazzo – Hey! (Untitled Mix)
“No list is complete without Giuseppe Randazzo (aka Pino R). He didn’t release a tonne of records, but every single one is now a collector’s item—true hallmarks of Italian early progressive and trance. Even with recent represses, his records are still widely sought after on Discogs.”
May Days – Questions To The Mind
“Out was one of the best sub-labels under the mighty Discomagic Records. This one is a catchy and slightly mysterious collaboration between someone credited as Ringo (?) and Massimo Bani, who also worked on early techno and some more dubious Italo-dance projects.”
The Darkness – Don’t Stop It (That Rock) (Tribal Delicious Mix)
“No early Italian progressive journey is complete without a detour through the “tribal” genre. This track is a collaboration between Christian Hornbostel—still active today with a more introspective sound—and Marvin Sasha, who arguably did his best work under the Coral Tribe alias.”
Amok – Underground
“Finally, D:Vision Records was another pillar of the Italian underground in the ’90s, putting out original productions alongside Italian pressings from international names like Cajmere and Chez Damier. This record, by Ottorino Menardi aka Amok, is one of their lesser-known but most rewarding.”
Thanks to Black Pomade for his selections. Keep up to date with his latest releases and tour dates here.
Check out the top tracks that the 909originals team has recently discovered through Musosoup here. To feature your music on 909originals, click here. 🙂
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