Australian band Mildlife release their terrific third album, Chorus, this week via Heavenly. Like previous records, Chorus is firmly in prog-disco territory, with four-on-the-floor beats embellished with loads of spacey analogue synths, vocoder and, of course, flute. Check out a few tracks below.
If you’re unfamiliar with prog-disco, Mildlife have given us a primer. They write: “What is Prog-Disco? Is it disco music inspired by progressive rock? Is it progressive rock music with a rhythm section that passed on the psychedelics? Is it disco music that pushes the boundaries? If the monotonous progression of time is as linear as a 4/4 kick drum, then is life Prog-Disco? We cannot answer those questions for you, but we can provide you with things we like that we feel fits the mould. The aforementioned progression of time has rendered this music unserious to many people ears, but it is profoundly serious. Serious Fun.”
The band picked nine prog-disco essentials, including tracks by Herbie Hancock, Claudio Simonetti, Alberto Radius, and more, to illustrate their point. Check out their list, complete with commentary, and turn on your lava lamp and listen to them all in a playlist (and we added Mildlife’s awesome “Return to Centaurus” to make it 10) below.
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MILDLIFE’S PROG-DISCO ESSENTIALS
Eloy – “Horizons”
The structure and jigsaw funk groove is an absolute, a treat in disguise of my own lunch. When the disco beat hits it feels so nice in my boots.
Lucio Battisti – “Questo Amore”
Ahh this love. This love is salty, this love is strange. But why can’t we say no to love. Maybe it’s our one purpose. The chorus sounds like coming home, but I’m also confused, do I wanna be here.
Klaus Weiss – “Scoria”
Scribbles, tribulations, an Italian slag, hold me down with the 4 on the floor and make my booties shake with a denied beauty that the shake is escaping me.
Parbleu – “Elios”
It’s Italian disco. Why do Italians make interesting disco music? Perche? Forse è la Pasta, o forse è l’acqua, o forse l’amore nel cielo.
Herbie Hancock – “Beat Wise”
Today you go to be beat wise, look left, there’s a beat, look right, there another beat, look left once more, boom another beat. Damn so many beats.
It’s a disco beat.
Alberto Radius – “Nel Ghetto”
Now this if anything is pretty much prog rock mixed with disco. There you have it. It’s a beautiful mix soaring electrics and the beat that makes your feet go zooming across the dance floor.
Caldera & Dianne Reeves – “Sky Islands”
This one blew my face off when I first discovered it. It cooks hard. I think I listened to it 100 times in a day and nearly ruined it for myself. Nearly.
Kraan – “Prima Klima”
I first discovered this album during our first US tour so it reminds me of the arid flatness outside of Vegas. Would be more fitting if I discovered it during our time in Germany but these things can’t be helped. The main top line is twisted and joyous which was my state of mind at the time.
Claudio Simonetti, Massimo Morante & Fabio Pignatelli – “Tenebre”
You’ll recognise sounds in this song. It pushes me up hills on the rare occasion that I go for a run. Give it a try.