The author of How To Wreck A Nice Beach, a history of the vocoder, has hand picked three early 80s tracks featuring the instrument for a special release [via The Wire].

They’ve been pressed to recycled vinyl (making each record a unique colour) in a limited run of 500, and and will be available with a hand-silkscreened sleeve and eight page booklet featuring an essay by Tompkins.

You can order the record here. Tracklisting, and Tompkins’ liner notes for each track, below:

Geno Jordan
‘You’re a Peachtree Freak On Peachtree Street (Tom Noble Edit)’
Geno Jordan is from Atlanta. This classy, sophisticated grown-up space-funk situation makes the author fondly think of the Peachoid water tower off I-85 South in Gaffney, South Carolina, which admittedly is not Atlanta, but looks like a giant rear end, or a planet, and will get you there soon enough.

IZ Army
‘Brainwash (Army of Shadows Edit)’
Nothing says vocoder like a brainwash by the shore. “Smurf across the surf,” as they used to say. It goes for mad doubloons on eBay, so we’re happy to present this licensed bonus beat, with editorial assistance by DJ Monk-One. The chorus favours Mtume and is pretty uplifting for a song about brainwashing. According to Discogs, the IZ Army logo was designed by Philco. It’s a war eagle wearing keyboard flip-flops beneath a flashing star (or The Very Idea!) that could easily be classified by William Corliss as “phenomena”. Philco is either some guy named Phil, or the same Ford Motor Company subsidiary that manufactured vocoders for the Air Force. It would make a fine hood ornament.

Fantasy Three
‘Biter’s Dub (All You Have Is Yore Teeth Edit)’
As mentioned in the book, this record is about vampire vacuum cleaners, Donald Sutherland pods,  clone drones, and microphone carried in shaving kits. AndFangoria. It literally almost tore the author’s mom’s turntable apart when it refused to surrender the spindle. It just wanted to remain there and keep playing. Like, forever. This is the black hit of space. Fantasy Three were from Harlem, and among many things, should be sainted for mentoring LL and Kool G Rap. Pumpkin’s dub version still remains one of the most futuristic electro tracks ever made.