Some of the best funk and psychedelic music ever written was created for Italian B-movies in the 1960s and 70s. This music was compiled and released by Plastic Records in Italy. I discovered them through Tower Records (of all places) who carried a single album from their catalogue - Vroommm: Funk Cinematique. I visited the Plastic Records website often, but I was a poor artist and couldn’t get them yet. I heard samples from other titles like Phase 6 Superstereo, Stroboscopica, Harlem Shuffle: The Sound of Blaxploitation, and the one I wanted most, Space Mood & Electric Soul, funk mod Italian sci-fi.

Then when I could finally afford to order CDs shipped from Italy, Plastic Records Italy vanished without a trace. I have searched high and low but it doesn’t appear their catalogue was acquired by another company, the music vanished with them.

Dancers love using this in their work, it’s fresh, exciting and new even though some of it’s 40 years old.

I have continued searching for years in used CD bins of any new city I visit. I hit pay dirt only once, a Plastic Records compilation of Film Noir Detectives. I hate to write about this little secret, fearing that if I tell anyone else, people will scoop up the few used copies still floating around. But I do love it and want to share — and maybe someone will read this and tell me all this great music is still in print, from a new living label.