Dark Entries Records (2025)

26/09/2025

Evelyne/Masao TESTPATTERN review 🇯🇵
Chasing a long-overdue reissue of Testpattern’s flawless, Hosono-produced ’82 synth-pop classic ‘Après-Midi’, the cult Japanese producer yields to Dark Entries his never-before-heard duo with Franco-American model/singer Evelyne, revolving amid strong strains of electro-pop - a surefire tip to fans of YMO, Asmus Tietchens, John Foxx, Heinrich Mueller...

23/09/2025

Brown Angel descends upon Dark Entries on October 3rd with Pure Brown Energy, an EP featuring 6 tracks of gloom-laced electro-funk and retro house. Pure Brown Energy was born when San Francisco-based producer and Hard French collective member Brown Angel was faced with a gift and a loss: an original Roland TR-808 was given to them around the same time that their father passed away. To process their grief, they set about making an album that showcased the many facets of their being, in their words: “my gay tío side, my Latin goth side, my cruising down the boulevard side, and most of all my soft vulnerable side.” From slamming vogue/ballroom house to cumbia-inflected freestyle, Pure Brown Energy channels club sounds both contemporary and timeless, while centering the most eternal electronic instrument of all: the TR-808. Opener “Miel” grooves with the effortlessness of peak-era Masters at Work or vintage Kevin Saunderson.

20/09/2025

Keith changed the way we listened to music and introduced us to so many bands we would never have heard otherwise. Was fortunate to work with him on a Robert Rental reissue and will never forget both times he played our Honey Soundsystem party in 2011 and 2012 (the latter of which is up on soundcloud)
Sending all our love and support to Keith's family and Jonnie’s too.

Here’s some of his encouragement over the years:
good work on getting this reissued. i couldn't even get a reply when i tried to contact him.
that's mad you are doing "compulsion"; it was always my favourite track on "pillows and prayers", and i'm absolutely delighted to hear you are putting out "private plane". that record holds such a special place in my heart and i always cite it as one of the greatest scottish records ever made (he came from a little town just outside glasgow).
i was a huge PTV fan in my youth (see photo of me in my student halls of residence when i was at university below) and used to feverishly collect all their records.

And from an interview for Juno Daily:
“ I’m not trying to be like anyone else but there are definitely people I feel an affinity with – Thisisnotanexit, Kill The DJ, Tigersushi, Dark Entries, the RVNG guys – all of whom are friends. No two labels are the same but we all have a vaguely similar outlook – we do our own thing rather than purposefully fitting in with anything that might be current”.

19/09/2025

At long last the sophomore TESTPATTERN album is here! Vintage Japanese electronic project known for their release Apres-Midi, a cult slab of synthpop perfection released in 1982. Masao Hiruma’s musical endeavors would continue after meeting French/American model and vocalist Evelyne Bennu in 1984 at a café bar where she would sit and write poetry. Their collaborative efforts as Evelyne/Masao were fruitful, and the duo first performed together in June 1984 on a television program called TOKYO ROCK TV. The album TESTPATTERN comprises seventeen songs recorded in Hiruma’s home studio, which have never been released previously. The Evelyne/Masao duo continues building on the soundworld of Apres-Midi: lush, sophisticated electronics with intricate yet minimalist production. Bennu’s vocals provide a common thread through these explorations, as she alternates deftly between New Wave deadpan and unhinged chanson singer. TESTPATTERN is available on both double LP as well as CD, and includes a fold-out poster with liner notes with lyrics. Design by

18/09/2025

come cruise the airwaves today NTS Radio 12pm PST with songs by Blancmange 🥀 B.E.F. Photonz, TESTPATTERN, Carlos Peron, and more

tracklist:

Carlos Peron - Nothing Is True; Everything Is Permitted (Instrumental)
Son Of Sam - Mistah Yumyum
Trek with Quintronic - Wally And The Rich Kid
Dark Star - 90
Blancmange - Sad Day
Venus II - Oh Boy (Justin Strauss Remix)
Evelyne / Masao - Ich weiss nicht mehr
Rein - Power & Passion (The Hacker Remix)
F.F.S.- Mal Appétit
Identity Theft - Magic Mirror
B.E.F. - Uptown Apocalypse [Alternate Version]
SIXTH JUNE - Memories of God
S*x In Miami - 1988
Photonz - Incantation

📸

17/09/2025

Cybernetic disco maestro Patrick Cowley graces Dark Entries once again with Hard Ware, an LP of far-out funk and synthpop celebrating what would have been Cowley’s 75th birthday. Best known for his chart-topping disco anthems, Cowley left us with an incredible body of work before his tragic death in 1982 due to AIDS-related illness. Since 2009, Dark Entries has been working with Cowley’s friends and family to uncover the singular artist’s lesser-known sides. Hard Ware delivers 10 tracks of pure, uncut Cowley: sultry, psychedelic, sarcastic, and just a bit sleazy. Cowley devotees will delight in “Tech-No,” a sparse instrumental demo version of his epically dystopian “Tech-No-Logical World.” You could soundtrack your next aerobics session with cheeky numbers like “Pajama Party Massacre” or “Shake It Up,” both of which feature Cowley himself on vocals. The frenetic “Big Ass in Motion” is built around samples from Rudy Ray Moore and The Madam’s infamous “Sensuous Black Woman,” an X-***ed comedy record that would later feature in classic b***y house records. Mid-tempo cosmic groovers are well-represented with jams like “Hellfire” and “Megablue,” which perfectly capture Cowley’s bathhouse-in-outerspace sensibilities. No collection of Cowley’s work would be complete without an interstellar floor-filler, and we’ve got quite a few here, like “Jungle Jump,” which pits whirling beats with dub-laced swirls of synth, or “Spellbinding Lover,” a Donna Summer-indebted melancholic boogie masterpiece that features Sylvester backup singer Jeanie Tracy. Hard Ware closes with the chilling synth-hymn ”Ice Age,” in which Loverde vocalist Peggy Gibbons sings of a coming frosty apocalypse. The story told in “Ice Age” mirrors the coming AIDS crisis and feels like a haunting premonition from Cowley. The record comes in a sleeve with a hand-airbrushed circuitboard-inspired design by Gwenaël Rattke, and includes lyrics as well as liner notes by Andrew Ryce and Peggy Gibbons. Hard Ware is another crucial document of a tremendous talent taken too soon. Available October 19 on double vinyl or CD. Preorder now at bandcamp or our website.

11/09/2025

Brown Angel descends upon Dark Entries with Pure Brown Energy, an EP featuring 6 tracks of gloom-laced electro-funk and retro house. Pure Brown Energy was born when San Francisco-based producer and Hard French collective member Brown Angel was faced with a gift and a loss: an original Roland TR-808 was given to them around the same time that their father passed away. To process their grief, they set about making an album that showcased the many facets of their being, in their words: “my gay tío side, my Latin goth side, my cruising down the boulevard side, and most of all my soft vulnerable side.” From slamming vogue/ballroom house to cumbia-inflected freestyle, Pure Brown Energy channels club sounds both contemporary and timeless, while centering the most eternal electronic instrument of all: the TR-808. Opener “Miel” grooves with the effortlessness of peak-era Masters at Work or vintage Kevin Saunderson, while “Dame Más” dials up the energy even further. The influences of Miami bass and West Coast electro shine through on “Maya” and “Love Me Right,” which pair razor-sharp beats with a flurry of samples culled from Brown Angel’s record collection. “PBE” and “En Movimiento” take the Planet Rock vibes to another level, combining influences from contemporary cumbia and reggaeton sounds with Brown Angel’s Latin goth flair. Each copy comes in a sleeve designed by Ricardo Diseño featuring illustrations inspired by Teen Angels, a popular 1980’s Chicano magazine. Pure Brown Energy brings a sense of urgency to the dancefloor, unreluctantly examining the crossover between creation and loss, between celebration and sorrow. But don’t forget: these cuts also slap.
Out October 3rd, Pre-order NOW

09/09/2025

Mexican Tecnopop documentary coming soon! Music dominated by synths and drum machines, with nods to both the UK’s New Romantics and the Spanish language synthpop of La Movida Madrileña. This “pop” was subcultural and DIY, battling both the nation’s debt crisis of 1982 and a lack of support for. 🇲🇽

06/09/2025

wow just discovered these 2 reviews of our shop 🤩 open Fri-Sun 1-5pm

Great selection of underground (dark) electronic music and beyond with great service and wise advice. This is the right place if you want to dig into hundreds of essential records to add into your collection, or even better, if you want new sounds right into your playlist as a dj... dont come in a hurry, take your time to enjoy the beauty of music digging. - Alex Raveland

Josh is a legend and has a great selection of records!! His descriptions for a lot of the records are so accurate and done with such taste and humour! Be sure to pay attention to that. Highly recommend all round. - Ojan Genc

05/09/2025

Evelyne/Masao bring Testpattern to Dark Entries for the label’s first foray into vintage Japanese electronics. Masao Hiruma and Fumio Ichimura’s project Testpattern is known for their release Apres-Midi, a cult slab of synthpop perfection released by Yukihiro Takahashi and Haruomi Hosono’s legendary Yen Records in 1982. While Hiruma and Ichimura parted ways following Apres-Midi, Hiruma’s musical endeavors would continue after meeting French/American model and vocalist Evelyne Bennu in 1984 at a café bar where she would sit and write poetry. Their collaborative efforts as Evelyne/Masao were fruitful, and the duo first performed together in June 1984 on a television program called TOKYO ROCK TV. The album Testpattern comprises seventeen songs recorded in Hiruma’s home studio, which have never been released previously. The Evelyne/Masao duo continues building on the soundworld of Apres-Midi: lush, sophisticated electronics with intricate yet minimalist production. Tracks like “Sakuramochi” and “Bird Island” bear influence from Hosono most clearly, their soaring melodies revealing a subtly ironic redeployment of East Asian musical tropes. But Testpattern is more than homage to Yellow Magic Orchestra. “Tabac” and “Le Soleil Se Leve” display oddball sensibilities closer to Sky Records icons Asmus Tietchens or Cluster. Elsewhere, the project shows affinity for the punkier ethos of continental DIY electronics, like on the quirky “Alien Go Home” and a positively skewed cover of “Singin’ in the Rain.” Bennu’s vocals provide a common thread through these explorations, as she alternates deftly between New Wave deadpan and unhinged chanson singer—check her waxing maximally Francophone on “Au Clair de Lune,” based on an 18th century French song. Testpattern will be available on both double LP as well as CD, and includes a fold-out poster with liner notes with lyrics. This album is dedicated to Masao Hiruma, who passed away in 2011.

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