REISSUES & COLLECTOR SERIES

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By late 1992 and early 1993, many record stores and fans were contacting us, suggesting titles fof records we should be reissuing at UK prices.

Most of these titles were no longer available on import and were widely bootlegged because of their rarity. Second-hand copies were already exchanging hands for high prices.

Luckily, all the original stampers and the metalwork “mothers” were still stored at Lombardoni’s own vinyl factory, Astro Record, so it was relatively straight forward for us to satisfy market demand.

At the time, we could have a vinyl release organised with labels and sleeves within 10 days by using the original metalwork! The graphic department of Discomagic in Italy was under orders from Lombardoni to give us top priority for label and sleeve design. I used to sketch a rough draft of the artwork by hand and fax it to them (no email then!).

We did not use the original stampers because they had already been used for 500 to 1,000 copies already. We paid for NEW stampers to be made from the original metalwork “mothers”, so our releases were not only identical in content, but better quality because of the new stampers.

The only exception was the first release of this series, Indie “Apollonia”, which was not originally a Discomagic Italy release. The story of that one is told below.

These titles were released in our “REISSUES” series which had catalogue numbers starting with “5” as in “DMX 501”. There were 12 releases in total ( catalogue numbers DMX 510, 513 and 514 were not used).

DMX 511 “Sweet Louise” is not the original by Big Wave, as it was not a Discomagic Italy release, but was a remake by the same producer who did the Big Wave version with the same samples and same session files. Lombardoni paid for the remake, so he released his own vinyl in Italy with catalogue number MIX 854.

INDIE APOLLONIA THE ORIGINAL 1990 MIXES

This was the first Disco Magic UK release that was not originally on Discomagic Italy and was the first one we pressed in the UK.

Many record shops were asking us to reissue Apollonia, so I spoke to Lombardoni who put me in touch with the label who had released it in Italy in 1990 with the catalogue number LW 001.

I signed a licensing contract with that label at MIDEM in Cannes in January 1993 (I paid £500 as an advance for the UK licence and the UK publishing) and was given the original DAT master which also had two unreleased versions.

DMX 501 was cut and pressed in the UK. The catalogue number in the test pressings is “DMX 5” but was corrected to 501 for the final pressings. The Disco Magic UK version drops the Instrumental mix and adds the unreleased mixes “Rev 5” and “Intro Bass”.

An early batch was with white labels on one side (stamped in red or black – see picture) and the Disco Magic UK standard label on the other side. The logo labels were printed in Italy and shipped over. Later copies have full labels.

About a year after DMX 501, we re-cut the master in Italy and reissued it as DMGX 914 in the Gold Series because it was much cheaper to press there.

These Disco Magic UK releases, DMX 501 and DMGX 914, are the ONLY ones with the original mixes of the Italian 1990 LW 001. All other versions listed on Discogs are remakes and covers, including the cheeky Discomagic Italy one!

COLLECTOR SERIES

This series of four releases includes tracks that had been overlooked when originally released on import, but that I felt deserved better exposure.

They had their own special labels and sleeves. Very much underrated!

THE REISSUES SERIES

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