Disco Dance4, 1985, Reference Work 12″ 1984-1985

In alphabetical order of the performing artist, over 3500 records are listed, including (where available) label and release number, month of release, titles of the A and B sides, duration, BPM per track, and country(-ies) of release. The book, with a simple design, also features some covers of 12″ singles and includes advertisements from relevant institutions (including Disco/Dance). Distribution is handled by Boni Records in Katwijk, but it is also distributed through the book trade (Betapress, etc.) with ISBN number 90-71242-01-3.

DJs

Thijs de Vries and Peter van Wijngaarden from Rotterdam are the initiators of this welcome project, and perhaps they are the first in the world to comprehensively map out the 12-inch record. They have already received numerous international responses to the initial release, indicating that the initial print run of 5000 copies selling out and a second print run already in preparation, it’s no surprise that Thijs and Peter, both former DJs, decided to self-publish the book. As employees of Hotsound, a Rotterdam-based import store specializing in 12″ records, they had an excellent overview of domestic and international releases.

They are currently working on mapping out 12″ records from 1975 to 1984, but it’s not clear how many volumes will cover this period. They are also actively collecting information for the next yearbook (covering all of 1985 and the remainder of ’84), which may include 5000 to 800 items. Because they self-publish the books, they were able to keep the price low, although it required considerable effort. Many record buyers are likely to view this first edition as a valuable addition to their music collections.

Contest

In collaboration with Rather Not Musicbooks Holland, we announce a contest for the readers of Disco/Dance: submit a list of 12″ records released in 1984 that are not included in the 12″ DJ Yearbook to our editorial address before July 1. The first prize is the August edition of Disconet (2 LPs with unique remixes), and the 2nd to 10th prizes include a refund of the purchase price of the 12″ book. We will announce the 10 winners in our September issue.