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Magick Sounds of the Underground (1990​-​1991)

by Frank Rothkamm

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Title: Magick Sounds of the Underground
Sound Artist: Various
Mrs Blowpop (= Frank Rothkamm)
Enlight (= Gavin Bieber + Frank Rothkamm)
Love Club (= Deborah Borchers + Frank Rothkamm)
House of Genius (= Frank Rothkamm)
Label: Hardkiss Music (USA) Fabulous Music (UK)
Length: 21:16 (1276s)
Composed: 1990-1991
Location: San Francisco
Instruments: Casio MT-540
Formula
Atari ST
Voice
Yamaha FB01
Yamaha TX16W
Cubase 2.0
Yamaha TX81Z
Release Date: 3/1/1992
Edition Size: 1000
Format: 12'' Vinyl Record

In 1992 a 12 inch vinyl record was released and promoted by Hardkiss Music as HK0001. It was entitled ‘San Francisco: The Magick Sounds Of The Underground.’ It undoubtedly launched the recording career of the Hardkiss Brothers, who were known up to this point as DJs and club promoters.

The artist credits were given to Mrs. Blowpop, Love Club, Tree of Hearts, Enlight and House of Genius. These appear to be fake names or aliases. This was not unusual for independently released records at the time, the height of Rave movement in San Francisco.

Just a few months prior at the end of 1991, Fabulous Music in London, England released and promoted ‘The Magical Sound Of The San Francisco Underground’ EP. This 12 inch vinyl record had the FABU 011 catalog number and listed no credits whatsoever, making this in effect a ‘White Label’ release, another common practice of the day. It contained the same tracks with the exception of A2. This ‘Love Club’ credited track was replaced with another that contained orchestral samples.

It is hard to estimate how influential this record was. Commercially, both records never went beyond their first pressings. I received a one-time payment of $500 cash for all of it. With the exception of ‘Tree of Hearts’ all aliases were mine and I composed these tracks in my studios in San Francisco.

But not alone.

‘Love Club’ was in fact the name of Deborah Borchers’ band and she provided all the vocals here on ‘Arabia’ (opus 162). Not until the release of the Compact Disc ‘Planet Genius’ (Flux Records FLX1), where the track concludes the album, did she receive any credit for it.

‘Enlight’ was in fact me and Gavin Bieber. He was one the Hardkiss Brothers and would go on to release under the moniker of Hawke. For our track ‘Feel it’ (opus 172) he brought in the vocal samples by an uncredited female singer.

‘Mrs. Blowpop’ and ‘House of Genius’ were my solo productions and alias. But I had help here as well.

For the Mrs. Blowpop track ‘Sonic’ (opus 176) I took vocal samples from Sade’s ‘War of the Hearts’, albeit only the phrase: “I’m loaded”. It opens with an uncredited sample from my answering machine by a former dancer of mine.

The ‘House of Genius’ track ‘Lost Love’ (opus 129) features orchestral samples from the New York Philharmonic's album ‘Wagner: The Ring Without Words’. Coincidentally, I would go on to work for the conductor, Lorin Maazel, 16 years later as a freelancer, uncredited, without any health insurance.

But in 1990 I was living in a cheap room with a roommate under a fake name on a steep hill in San Francisco. I listened to Funkmaster Flex on the radio station KMEL and sampled a beat that would be the driving force of the ‘Lost Love’ (opus 129) track and released this on my ‘Killer Disco’ cassette EP. This was to be the replacement track on the UK release of ‘The Magical Sound Of The San Francisco Underground’.

The current remastered virtual vinyl album ‘The Magick Sounds Of The Underground’ presents a merger of the UK and US releases, with only (but all of) my productions. I hope this sets the record straight. Please dance, while the record spins.

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released May 7, 2017

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Frank Rothkamm Los Angeles, California

Prolific, L.A. based German composer & artist.

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