Just to muddy the water even further, “Kosmiche” the genre should not be confused with “Cosmic” the genre, also known as “Afro-Cosmic” and “Cosmic Disco.”

“Cosmic” is named after the Italian Cosmic Club, where in the late 70’s and early 80’s DJ Daniele Baldelli (with a little help from Beppe Loda and TBC) pioneered a strange, slow-motion mix of disco, Afrobeat, prog and electronica. Tracks were often played at the wrong speed with added sounds and percussion, to a hypnotic and druggy effect perfect for a crowd moving from cocaine and marijuana onto harder drugs. These mixes are quite unlike anything else. Early electro is mixed with tribal chanting and percussion before blending into a new wave or disco hit of the day (played at 33 1/3 rather than 45rpm of course). It can take a bit of listening to get used to, but it is expertly mixed and effortlessly musical.
 
Cosmic C80 Mix side A part 1

 
Cosmic C42 Mix side A part 1

 
Cosmic C84 Mix side B part 1

 
Cosmic Club and the Afro Cosmic sound was a big deal at the time, with mixtapes and stickers selling aplenty, and a dedicated fan base known to loiter in the parking lot if they couldn’t get inside. It remained largely unknown outside Italy and certain pockets of Northern Europe until a recent renaissance among disco music fans and fringe music cognoscenti. Baldelli’s numerous mixtapes from the era, along with those of Loda and TBC, have become cult musical artifacts eagerly collected and traded on the Internet, and a new generation of house and post-dubstep producers undeniably bear its slo-mo trace. Baldelli is still a successful dj, and has released a few official mixes including a two cd and book set dedicated to the Afro Cosmic Disco sound, and the excellent Cosmic Disco? Cosmic Rock! mix/compilation.