The Electric Disco.
Night City Life II compiled by Ilan Pdahtzur
Ilan Pdahtzur is back with volume 2 of his essential Night City Life series on Spacetalk Records
Words by Mark Limb • April 13, 2025
I first met Ilan Pdahtzur at Brilliant Corners a few years back after picking up a fresh stack of vinyl I'd just bought from Danny Psychemagik. We chatted about recent digs, compared instagram accounts and shot the breeze about the current musical landscape, our favourite DJ's and love for all things balearic, italo and beyond...
I remember him being super humble, so with hindsight, it’s no surprise he didn’t mention the incredible compilation he was lining up for release on SpaceTalk Records a year or so later.
The highly lauded Night City Life came out in 2019, a collection of rare Italo-disco, South African synth-boogie, American freestyle, Austrian electrofunk and much more. It quickly became a favourite among DJs and collectors alike and remains an essential purchase to this day.
Night City Life compiled by Ilan Pdahtzur
In the years since, Ilan has gone on to cement his reputation as a respected figure in the global digger-selector community, delivering essential mixes for Bordello A Parigi, Bayete, Hunee’s Lifetones, and Sound Metaphors.
It feels only fitting that 2025 sees the release of his follow-up, picking up where Vol. 1 left off, delving deeper into his neon lit world of synth-laden Italo obscurities, private-press rarities, and lesser-known B-sides. Where possible, he’s even tracked down the original artists, with the vinyl edition featuring extended liner notes letting them share the stories behind the tracks in their own words.
Night City Life II kicks off in style with Playgrounds - 'Rainy Day Woman', an incredibly smooth, downtempo synth pop jammer, previously only available as the b-side of their now impossible to find self released 1984 single. The laidback vibe continues with 'The Spirit of America', a fusion of 80's Synthwave, Yacht Rock and electronic funk, taken from Spinnakers only album, 'Maiden Voyage' - (produced by the reggae legend Touter Harvey, known for his work with Bob Marley.)
Natalie Ann keeps the rarities keep coming with the lo-fi synth-pop stylings of her 1984 single ‘You’ve Got To Feel’, followed by the Hunee favourite ‘Close To You’ by Shamor, an uplifting slice of ’80s South African synth-funk. The original 45's seldom surface these days, certainly not for less than a few hundred pounds each, making the value of this compilation increasingly clear the deeper into it you go.
Shamor – Uyaqosha-Qhosha / Close To You
Cherry Laine, better known (to me, anyway) for her earlier disco/reggae stylings on singles like ‘Everybody Knows It’, delivers a smooth pop banger with the 1986 single ‘Land of No Return’, before Ilan picks up the tempo with ‘The Sheik’ by UK girl group Sharon & Tracey, a cheeky '80s house B-side packed with textbook Yamaha lately bass sounds, 808s and cowbells.
There are a few more uptempo moments on the compilation including ‘Come Into My House’, a bouncing Euro-house pumper from German artist Jennifer and the deeper 'Strumentale' mix of 'Embrasse-Moi', a late Italo / early 90's house crossover, with a smooth sax line and keyboard riff that bears more than a passing resemblance to William Pitt's balearic classic 'City Lights.'
Claudio D’Ignoti delivers one of the compilation’s standout moments for me with his track ‘Anche Per Noi’, a lo-fi, Balearic, synth-funk masterpiece with a killer bassline, layers of synths, and a euphoric key change that’s destined to light up dancefloors around the world this summer.
As the compilation winds down and our second journey through the glow of the city comes to a close, Ilan eases the tempo for the final stretch, first with the irresistible street soul of Alison Sheryll’s ‘You’re Not Alone’, followed by 'Come Alone' by Precious Child, a minimal and nostalgic, linndrum backed end of nighter, filled with cinematic 80's pads, pianos, vibes and a mourning vocal that will have you crying out of the taxi window as you head home, watching the sun rise over the city.
This is an incredible selection of records and a truly impressive follow-up to Night City Life. The combined value of the tracks included doesn’t bear thinking about, and the journey Ilan takes us on with his selections is nothing short of spellbinding. An essential purchase that is guaranteed to become a firm favourite in record collections and DJ sets alike.
Night City Life II is available for pre-order now from all good record stores
More like this
