mystery italo man

Usually on this blog I write about things that I like to think I know a little bit about. If I don't know much about it but I really wanna say something, I research it. That's what great about the internet- pretty much anything you wanna know is available somewhere if you just search long and deep enough.

As an avid thrift shop visiter, there are records that I buy on a whim that look cool. Sometimes they sound great, too. So I start poking around trying to find out something more. And there is nothing. Okay, rarely is there *nothing* in this day and age, but no useful information. There are links to the obligatory dealers who are selling a copy. If its a dance record, there might be a link to discogs with very basic information that at least says, "You can breathe easy, you are not crazy, this record really does exist."

So here is what I know. The artist is Claus V. The song is called Mystery Man. Channel Records put it out. The label is out of Belguim. There is no year anywhere on the record or sleeve. The only name that appears is definitely the biggest hint of all: Bobby Orlando. He was a pretty major name near the end of the 70s disco era and the beginning of the 80s Hi-NRG dance movement. He had quite a few dance hits along the way and eventually even helped break the Pet Shop Boys by producing the first version of West End Girls before they switched to Stephen Hague (New Order, Erasure, OMD) for their debut album mix.

But that's about it. Is Claus V an alias for Bobby Orlando? I have no idea. Does anybody out there know? The song is a pretty great little Italo-disco ditty. Check it out.

Claus V - Mystery Man