The Diaphanoids

Seemingly beaming in from outer space with their self-professed "galactic soul" and "lunar funkadelia," the Diaphanoids zapped into the late-2000s cosmic disco revival with spaced-out aplomb. The Italian duo of Andrea Bellentani and Simon Maccari transported its own heavy blend of analog Krautspace sounds onto <a href="spotify:artist:34tXUAQ99rMaNz130LSKIk">Chicken Lips</a> member Steve Kotey's <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Bear+Funk%22">Bear Funk</a> label in 2008 with the critically acclaimed debut album Astral Weekends. The hallucinatory Moog-drenched record referenced everything from '70s soundtracks to kitschy sci-fi, as song titles such as "Whoops! Wrong Planet" and "Escape from Martius 42" would playfully suggest. The pair apparently used 50 vintage synthesizers -- including one that previously belonged to former <a href="spotify:artist:1BGN1IdyiSR0ZYrkoKNchl">Tangerine Dream</a> member and synth wizard Klaus Schulze -- to create the dreamy and retro-mekanik atmosphere that prevails so prominently on the album. In addition, appearances on several compilations, including <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22People+in+the+Sky%22">People in the Sky</a>'s 2009 Disco Kosmische, Vol. 1 and <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Nang%22">Nang</a>'s 2010 Beach Sessions, Vol. 1, further showcased the Diaphanoids as cosmic purveyors of a synth kind. ~ Aneet Nijjar, Rovi