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 Chicken Lips member Steve Kotey's Bear Funk 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 Tangerine Dream 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 People in the Sky's 2009 Disco Kosmische, Vol. 1 and Nang's 2010 Beach Sessions, Vol. 1, further showcased the Diaphanoids as cosmic purveyors of a synth kind.