Archive for the ‘Italo’ tag
Party Time: Saturday Robot Party @ The Idle Hour (Baltimore, MD)
VIGR is in the house. 4+ hour rare vinyl set. Need I say more? Hope to see you there! I’ll try to keep track of the setlist…
Keyser Söze Alert: Trophy – Slow Flight (1982)
This unstoppable Italo electro-disco jam from 1982 spawned the fabled Fuzz Dance label. Italo master Maurizio Dami (aka Alexander Robotnick) was heavily involved with this label as both a producer and remixer. Does anyone out there know if he produced this track, too?
Here’s the spacey instrumental version ripped from my vinyl copy.
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SCHEMATIC: Record scans and Alexander Robotnick dropping some disco knowledge… Read the rest of this entry »
Snort: Filipponio – All’ Arrembaggio (1984)
Unbridled Italo machismo in its purest form. As undeniably ridiculous as this video may seem to you at first, laughter will turn to awe with repeated viewings. How sweet are the video effects?!!
SCHEMATIC: Dope record scans…
Robot Rock du Jour: La Bionda – I Wanna Be Your Lover (1980)
Back in 1980, these Italian brothers gave Daft Punk a blueprint for combining vocoder-laden electronic music, cosmic story lines and robot animé. Be kind, please rewind.
SCHEMATIC: Candid photos, original cover art and record scans…
Robot Rock du Jour: Doris Norton – Personal Computer (1984)
OK. Check this out:
Super hot italian chick doubles as an electronic music pioneer, gets sponsored by Apple and Roland in the 1980s and eventually becomes a consultant to IBM. **sigh**
All video clips taken from the 1984 LP Personal Computer on Durium.
SCHEMATIC: Two more videos and high res studio photo…
Keyser Söze Alert: Gay Cat Park – I’m a Vocoder (1982)
Wait…Who? Don’t let the peculiar name distract you from the raw genius of this track. This masterpiece marked the genesis of Italo thoroughbred label Il Discotto Productions in 1982. By the way, you can learn a ton about vintage vocoders by watching our vocoder youtube playlist or checking out our friends over at Matrixsynth.
SCHEMATIC: More vocoder intel…
Robot Rock du Jour: Bagarre – Lemonsweet (Disco Version) (1982)
Man am I feeling this tune! The slow descent into acid-fuelled dancing madness is too much to bear on this spring day. You can’t beat those slightly off key vixen vocals.
Bagarre’s Circus LP or Lemonsweet 12″ are classic slabs of electronic italo that sell for around $100 each on Italian vinyl, but you can score Spanish pressings with slightly lower sonic quality for roughly half that. Happy hunting!
Keyser Söze Alert: R.E.M. – Computer Communication (1983)
No, Michael Stipe and did not dabble in Italo. Actaually, Computer Communication was the second of four releases to appear on the short-lived Xanadu label from Italy in 1983. This is a readily available and largely underrated Italo classic 12″ that you can still buy in excellent condition for around $20. They’re pretty tough to find for sale in the US, so you’ll probably have to pay international air postage from Italy if you’re dying for the track.
SCHEMATIC: Automan 11 bootleg reissue…
Keyser Söze Alert: Zed – Plastic Love (1983)
I want this record SO badly that I am reluctant to even make other people aware of it. The third release on the legendary italo label Fuzz Dance.
SCHEMATIC: Bootleg reissue…