Strut announce Rodion G.A. retrospective

Strut have announced details of the first retrospective from obscure Romanian band Rodion G.A.

Fronted by the half-Hungarian, half-Romanian Rodion Ladislau Rosca, Rodion G.A. recorded from 1978 to 1984 during a time of significant political repression in Romania, when artistic censorship led to a polished music scene that was marginalised to a network of festivals and small gigs in the restaurants and clubs of seaside towns. Rosca’s music stood apart from this; adopting a style that was set apart from the rock sounds that dominated Romania in the late 60s, Rosca began his career by recordings simple vocals, guitar and improvised drums with reel to reels, before moving on to a more complex electronic setup that included an East German Vermona drum machine and Casio VL tone alongside effects pedals which were multi-tracked using multiple Tesla tape machines.

During the band’s active time, their officially released output was supposedly sparse; recording only a few tracks on the one state-owned label, Electrecord, Rodion G.A. nevertheless managed to amass a sizeable catalogue of private recordings which make up Strut’s forthcoming retrospective. Entitled The Lost Tapes, the collection, containing music which an accompanying press release describes as “dense electronic sounds, raw programmed rhythms, intricate arrangements, prog and classical touches”, was compiled with the help of Romanian DJ and production collective Future Nuggets, who became aware of the work of Rodion G.A. in 2012. The Lost Tapes is a far cry from Strut’s usual fare, who in recent times have been most notable for collecting the music of labels like Cajual, Celluloid and Factory Records.

Strut will release The Lost Tapes by Rodion G.A. on May 13 on 2xLP and CD formats.

Tracklist:

1. Alpha Centauri
2. Cantec Fulger
3. Caravane
4. Citadela
5. Diagonala
6. Disco Mania
7. Imagini Din Vis
8. In Linistea Noptil
9. Salt 83
10. Zephyr