Yugoslavian disco, Panton book and Fear and Loathing in 4K

While physical media continues its comeback, The National rounds up this month’s best releases from film, music, art and more.

Socialist Disco: Dancing behind Yugoslavia’s velvet curtain 1977-1987 (June 13)

In 1979, disco was dead in the USA. In other parts of the world, the party was just beginning.

In Yugoslavia, for example, concerts by international artists such as Love Machine, Boney M and Amanda Lear inspired numerous local talents and made the genre an integral part of the now-defunct country’s club scene until the late 1980s.

Socialist Disco: Dancing behind Yugoslavia’s velvet curtain 1977-1987 contains 18 rare singles and B-sides, all long out of print, offering a fascinating and highly entertaining insight into this scene. Full of bizarre lyrics and blistering basslines at the same time, this is disco that feels both familiar and completely alien, full of experimentation and genre hybrids.

The first edition of the collection sold out during the pre-order phase in 2018. Now it is finally back in print by the Canadian boutique record label Light in the Attic.

William Mullally, Arts and Culture Editor

Panton: Environments, Colors, Systems, Patterns (25 June)

Verner Panton was a design genius. Although his vision was considered unconventional in the mid-20th century, it had a major influence on contemporary design.

While a whole generation of designers worked with natural materials and emphasized handcraft, Panton was interested in colored plastic, fiberglass, synthetic fabrics and industrial mass production. In 1960 he launched the S-Chair: the first one-piece, injection-molded plastic chair, which is still in production today.

Panton: Environments, Colors, Systems, Patterns is a new book that comprehensively documents the Danish designer’s work of the 1960s. From his furniture to his interiors and building designs, Panton’s work is examined from the perspective of how he influenced and solidified the ethos and design aesthetic of the 1960s and 1970s through to their blend of utilitarianism and how they contributed to contemporary design.

The book is a new version of the bestselling 2018 edition, which is now becoming a collector’s item, but features a different layout and more illustrations and images from Panton’s personal life with a psychedelic cover.

Maan Jalal, art and culture writer

Noyuri by Akira Miyazawa (June 21st)

Akira Miyazawa’s Noyuri is the culmination of a musical moment that brought together three greats of Japanese jazz.

The album, which was released on vinyl for the first time on Friday, was recorded in 1992 under the direction of Japanese singer and composer Maki Asakawa. It features eight performances by saxophonist Miyazawa and pianist Takeshi Shibuya.

Noyuri is a case study in how two very different musicians who understand each other’s craft very well can create something truly inimitable. Miyazawa’s blistering melodic phrases – symbolic of the energy that characterized the saxophonist’s later years – are contrasted by Shibuya’s delicate harmonies. Across eight tracks Noyuri moves at a moderate pace from the thoughtful and melancholic to more lively themes.

Noyuri is the first work in Zero Hour, a series of records that Asakawa produced between the early 1990s and 2010, when the singer and composer died a few days before her 68th birthday. Together with No, CAE Records is also releasing vinyls of two other works from the series, including Come from with by Japanese saxophonist Takao Uematsu and From the broken world by the US cellist Tristan Honsinger.

Razmig Bedirian, art and culture writer

These Foolish Things by Dylan Jones (June 13)

It’s been decades since the “Cool Britannia” movement dominated global pop culture in the 1990s, and now one of its leading journalists offers insight like never before.

In the 1990s,British GQ Editor Dylan Jones led a relatively quiet life, befriending artists such as Sir David Bowie and Bryan Ferry, Dame Tracey Emin and Damian Hirst. His memoirs are full of anecdotes that provide an intimate insight into each of these artists. His career has been a fascinating trajectory: from the heart of punk and the New Romantic Movement, he eventually found himself at the centre of the changing British political discourse, engaging Boris Johnson, Piers Morgan and Alastair Campbell as columnists.

This memoir of a life at the intersection of music, politics, culture and fashion – with only fleeting time devoted to personal life and tragedy – fits perfectly into a genre that includes classics such as Tina Brown’s The Vanity Fair DiariesAt 64, you get the sense that Jones is someone who refuses to believe his best days are behind him, and who is still searching for culture-defining moments to be a part of and write about.

Nasri Atallah, Luxury Editor

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (June 4)

Terry Gilliam became famous through his collaboration with the comedy troupe Monty Python and made short films as well as the feature film Monty Python and the Holy Grail 1975. Gilliam turned away from the British comedy group and directed dreamlike fantasy films such as Jabberwocky And Time Bandits. He then staged his masterpiece, Brazilwith Jonathan Pryce, Ian Holm and Bob Hoskins.

Gilliam’s films have an atmosphere of fantastic mysticism, flooded with the feeling of falling into sleep and waking up again. This is what makes watching Fear and terror in Las Vegas feels like a fever dream, full of unease and surreal brilliance at the same time. The main roles are played by Johnny Depp and Benicio del Toro. The film is based on the book of the same name by Gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson.

The film was released in 4K this month by the Criterion Collection, with cover art by noted British illustrator Ralph Steadman. The film has long been a staple on the shelves of cinephile collectors, with Criterion having released it in every format before. With this new 4K restoration, fans can now experience a true nightmare on film.

Faisal Salah, gaming and social writer

Hip-Hop is history (June 11)

For a genre that is characterized by style and innovation, the literature surrounding hip-hop has largely lacked the immediacy and vibrancy associated with this music. Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, a renowned DJ and member of The Roots, now complements this welcome collection with the sizzling Hip-hop is history.

Questlove has had his share of this evolution as an artist and co-producer of major records by artists such as Common and Erykah Badu, and peppers his narrative with insightful studio anecdotes and sharp analysis of the genre’s milestones.

Since Questlove is primarily a drummer, there are also some enthusiastic explorations of the production techniques of Pharrell Williams and his favorite group, A Tribe Called Quest.

While this is by no means a definitive depiction of the journey of music, Hip-hop is history is valuable because it encourages you to listen to new and older records with a more trained ear. That in itself is a worthy tribute to a genre that has given him and us so much.

Saeed Saeed, feature writer

Updated: June 22, 2024, 03:04