Peppermint Lounge – Perfect High

Here is a short, edited A/B test of the Dark Entries reissue vs the original 12":

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I think they're pretty similar. If anything, the original pressing kinda edges the DE reiessue on the high frequencies.

But it's minimal. A great reissue by Dark Entries in my opinion, well worth buying.

Bought my 12" copy 15 years ago - 2 euro, sold it in 2007 - 80 euro. A cashcow if you find it.

An outstanding piece of music, which is quite hard to classify.

For a start, the female vocals are very New Wave / Alternative Rock (think Siouxsie Sioux).

Next, there is a fantastic throbbing bassline. Almost prototype EBM.

Then there is an irresistible synth riff, which screams Italo Disco (the very highest quality kind, not the trashy sort).

This riff transforms throughout the song, until finally it is released into a free-flowing workout that Klaus Schulze or Jean-Michel Jarre would be proud of.

So yeah, it's pretty hard to classify this song. On the one hand you could say it's Italo Disco.

But it's far too cool to be Italo Disco (and yeah yeah, I know there are cool Italo tracks).

No. To me this falls more into the New Wave category. People will probably claim this for the Minimal scene, but to me it's a rather impressive rock song in an electronic suit.

Whatever you want to call it, it is a sublime track.

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For reference, there is no "Full / Extended" version. The Radio Version is simply the original version. The Instrumental version replaces the vocal with a cheesy Italo organ riff (plus it ends a damn sight shorter than the listed duration, actually at around 4:25).

Also, it is worth noting that the lyrics are inspired by the poem "That Perfect High" by Shel Silverstein.