Little-known Romanian freak-funk ensemble Rodion G.A. are to get the much deserved retrospective treatment, courtesy of Strut.

Operational from 1978-84, Rodion G.A. stood out a country mile from the marginalized, relatively inoffensive rock outfits tolerated by the repressive Ceaușescu regime. Revolving around frontman and figurehead Rodion Ladislau Rosca, the project developed from a solo endeavour cobbled together using reel-to-reel tape into a full-on electronic rock combo. Their official recorded footprint is pretty teeny, limited to a handful of releases on the state-owned Electrecord label.

As Juno Plus report, Strut Records –  recently home to an excellent retrospective of Jean Karakos’s ludicrously eclectic Celluloid Records – have assembled a stash of private Rodion G.A. recordings, and will release a selection in May under the title The Lost Tapes. The primer was compiled with the assistance of Romanian DJ crew Future Nuggets, and features 10 tracks. The results are absolutely wonderful, situated somewhere between Goblin pomp-prog and the 1970s Turkish and Iranian funk scenes (lovingly surveyed on Finders Keepers’ 2010 collection Pomegranates).

The Lost Tapes will arrive on Strut on May 13 on CD and 2xLP. A trailer video for the compilation is available below.

Tracklisting:
1. Alpha Centauri
2. Cantec Fulger
3. Caravane
4. Citadel
5. Diagonala
6. Disco Mania
7. Imagini Din Vis
8. In Linistea Noptil
9. Salt 83
10. Zephyr