If you want to spend up to 550 US-Dollar (!!!!) you have to search for this 12-Inch record. Not only very expensive but also a very good song. Real ITALO!
February 28, 2009
Stereo - Somewhere in the night (1982)
This is italo-space-disco at its best - and as usual always hard to get. Ready to fly??
February 26, 2009
John Carpenter - The end (1984)
This is the amazing italo disco version of the John Carpenter movie soundtrack, a real classic, performed by the German Splash Band, highly recommended!
Jamie Jupitor - Computer Power 1984
This is a highly respectable vocoder electro track from Jamie Jupitor, produced from the big Egyptian Lover. There is a re-release on vinyl from 2002, cheaper to get than the rare original. Enjoy the Computer Power!
February 23, 2009
MC 1 Memory Control 1 - Basic (1984)
An amazing classic from Francesco Boscolo and Beppe Loda as MC1, DJ of the legendary Typhoon club. The record has been re-released in 2006 by Synthonic from Italy so you might find cheap vinyl versions of it.
Cyber People - Polaris (1984)
This is another highly influential italo space disco track, the only one produced by Cyber People in 1984.
February 14, 2009
Lama - Nineteen ninety three (1983)
This is the first side of the amazing Lama 12 inch from 1983, the second side, Love on the rocks, I posted before already. Listen to the lyrics and "follow the sound of the universe" - perfect italo space disco!
February 13, 2009
First "italo disco" labeled record - Flowchart - Ask the Boss
I couldn't get to sleep without researching this, I am pretty sure now the first record ever labeled "Italo-Disco" is this one:
Watch the video - it is a funk track, not a classic italo disco track. The second "italo-disco" labeled ZYX record ever was Amin Peck - Girl on me / Coda - and that definitely is italo disco! :)
Watch the video - it is a funk track, not a classic italo disco track. The second "italo-disco" labeled ZYX record ever was Amin Peck - Girl on me / Coda - and that definitely is italo disco! :)
Klaus Schulze - Frank Herbert 1978
This is a real new age kraut space electro monster, originally 10:47, NOT FROM THIS WORLD! I love it!
Eberhard Schoener - Why don't you answer 1978
Amazing track from the Flashback album, with Sting as vocalist!
Cosmic vs. Space vs. Italo vs. Electro Disco
I recently received some questions about the differences of cosmic disco, space disco, italo disco, electro disco, electronic disco and how I see it. I am not the guy to write Wikipedia articles about this, but I try to explain how I and my fellas, The Robot Scientists, see it.
1. "Cosmic" disco: heavily used especially on ebay to describe a certain type of records. It actually is not a real genre. It refers to the discotheque named "Cosmic" at the lake Garda in Italy where DJ Daniele Baldelli was spinning "a very diverse range of musical styles, from electro and funk to jazz fusion and Brazilian music" (wikipedia) in the 70s and 80s. Read more on wikipedia about "Cosmic Disco" .
2. "Space" disco: Wikipedia says it is a real genre, "a short-lived Euro Disco variation associated with synthesizers and science fiction themes". I don't think science fiction themes have such a big influence. Let's put it that way: with the first emerging synthesizers "for home use" in the mid 70s, artists like Klaus Schulze (1975) and Kraftwerk (1976) in Germany, Cerrone, The Rockets, Milkways, Space and The Droids in France (1977), the Universal Robot Band, Meco and Space Project in the U.S. (1977), Gino Soccio with his Kebekelekrik in Canada (1977) and Automat in Italy (1978) started to create "electronic disco" music. The one who made this sound popular was the Munich based producer Giorgio Moroder from South Tyrol in Italy, also in 1977. Space disco is an artistic, aural expression of the new computer/space flight/synthesizer age that had arrived, it is the soundtrack to the futuristic dreams of these times.
3. "Italo Disco": again, a real genre, encompassing mainly the electronic disco tracks from Italian producers from the years 1983 to 1986. The name "Italo Disco" was invented by the owner of the German label ZYX, Bernhard Mikulski, who used the term to promote his licensed versions of Italian electronic disco artists on the German market. I guess the breakthrough for the term came with this record - it became a big hit in Germany, and from then onwards, people knew what Italo Disco is and how it sounds like: Hipnosis - Pulstar.
Experts wrote a lot more about Italo Disco on wikipedia.
4. "Electro" and "Electronic" Disco: not a real genre - at least so far. Compared to classic disco music, electro(nic) disco is made with synthesizers and drum machines instead of real instruments. The first records emerged in the 70s.
So I would say that all WE love is electronic disco from 1977-1983 with a space disco touch, with lots of great tracks coming from Italy, France and the U.S.!
As European I want to state here that all these Italian, French, Canadian, U.S. American and German artists can be very proud: through their space disco and Italo disco music, they paved the way for the later on so-popular Chicago house sound - they actually were the godfather-like artists that influenced people like Derrick Carter, Frankie Knuckles, Larry Heard, Ron Hardy et al! MAXIMUM RRRRRESPECT for that!
Electronic music enthusiasts around the world do realize these days how influential Italo/Space Disco artists were, just by following blogs like this and hundreds of vintage DJs that dig out old classics, re-edit them, put them into their mixes like The Robot Scientists and many others. And this is the reason why original vinyl records from these days are now more sought after - and more expensive - than ever.
And with the crash of the financial markets, the world seems to be on the verge to a new age, similar to back then, when the first space flights happened and music was played by computers for the first time...not sure, just a gut feeling...the new age 2 is coming...and futuristic electronic disco suits fine as soundtrack...although the upcoming change will not be driven by new technology...rather by human intelligence and new ways of thinking as people realize that we need this planet but the planet doesn't need us...I get too philosophical now! Time to party with some German fellas, see my next postings!
1. "Cosmic" disco: heavily used especially on ebay to describe a certain type of records. It actually is not a real genre. It refers to the discotheque named "Cosmic" at the lake Garda in Italy where DJ Daniele Baldelli was spinning "a very diverse range of musical styles, from electro and funk to jazz fusion and Brazilian music" (wikipedia) in the 70s and 80s. Read more on wikipedia about "Cosmic Disco" .
2. "Space" disco: Wikipedia says it is a real genre, "a short-lived Euro Disco variation associated with synthesizers and science fiction themes". I don't think science fiction themes have such a big influence. Let's put it that way: with the first emerging synthesizers "for home use" in the mid 70s, artists like Klaus Schulze (1975) and Kraftwerk (1976) in Germany, Cerrone, The Rockets, Milkways, Space and The Droids in France (1977), the Universal Robot Band, Meco and Space Project in the U.S. (1977), Gino Soccio with his Kebekelekrik in Canada (1977) and Automat in Italy (1978) started to create "electronic disco" music. The one who made this sound popular was the Munich based producer Giorgio Moroder from South Tyrol in Italy, also in 1977. Space disco is an artistic, aural expression of the new computer/space flight/synthesizer age that had arrived, it is the soundtrack to the futuristic dreams of these times.
3. "Italo Disco": again, a real genre, encompassing mainly the electronic disco tracks from Italian producers from the years 1983 to 1986. The name "Italo Disco" was invented by the owner of the German label ZYX, Bernhard Mikulski, who used the term to promote his licensed versions of Italian electronic disco artists on the German market. I guess the breakthrough for the term came with this record - it became a big hit in Germany, and from then onwards, people knew what Italo Disco is and how it sounds like: Hipnosis - Pulstar.
Experts wrote a lot more about Italo Disco on wikipedia.
4. "Electro" and "Electronic" Disco: not a real genre - at least so far. Compared to classic disco music, electro(nic) disco is made with synthesizers and drum machines instead of real instruments. The first records emerged in the 70s.
So I would say that all WE love is electronic disco from 1977-1983 with a space disco touch, with lots of great tracks coming from Italy, France and the U.S.!
As European I want to state here that all these Italian, French, Canadian, U.S. American and German artists can be very proud: through their space disco and Italo disco music, they paved the way for the later on so-popular Chicago house sound - they actually were the godfather-like artists that influenced people like Derrick Carter, Frankie Knuckles, Larry Heard, Ron Hardy et al! MAXIMUM RRRRRESPECT for that!
Electronic music enthusiasts around the world do realize these days how influential Italo/Space Disco artists were, just by following blogs like this and hundreds of vintage DJs that dig out old classics, re-edit them, put them into their mixes like The Robot Scientists and many others. And this is the reason why original vinyl records from these days are now more sought after - and more expensive - than ever.
And with the crash of the financial markets, the world seems to be on the verge to a new age, similar to back then, when the first space flights happened and music was played by computers for the first time...not sure, just a gut feeling...the new age 2 is coming...and futuristic electronic disco suits fine as soundtrack...although the upcoming change will not be driven by new technology...rather by human intelligence and new ways of thinking as people realize that we need this planet but the planet doesn't need us...I get too philosophical now! Time to party with some German fellas, see my next postings!
Helen - Zanzibar (1985)
Also featured on The Robot Scientists Musica da Batticuore 13 - a typical "cosmic" disco classic, a mixture of Italo and Afro-Style disco from 1985, a year that by far did not produce many great tracks. The Robot Scientists used the instrumental B-Side of the original 12 inch and pitched it a bit...
Gaznevada - Special Agent Man (Female Version) 1983
Such a sleazy excellent number, amazing! Also featured on the latest Musica da Batticuore Mix Nr.13 of The Robot Scientists.
The Robot Scientists - New Italo & Space Disco Mix Nr.13 available
Molto bene,
my friends, The Robot Scientists, are back with another excellent mix of very obscure italo electro and space disco classics on vinyl - Musica da Batticuore 13 is here!
The mix features one of my favorite italo tracks ever, the Dub Mix of Flash'83 from The Duke of Burlington, done by Tony Carrasco. It is an amazing grower, getting better and better with every minute.
The Craig Peyton track is amazing - what a bassline, a monster!
The tracks from new space disco heroes like Rayko, Lindstrom & Solale, Ultracity, Woolfy and Elitechnique are highly recommended, too!
Anna - Systems breaking down RCA 1982
Helen - Zanzibar (Afro) ZYX 1985
Common Sense - Babylon Out 1985
Gaznevada - Special agent man (woman) Italian 1983
Rayko - White Russians Rare Wiri 2008
Richard Bone - Mambopolis Survival 1984
Discotheque - Disco special Mercury 1979
Richard Wahnfried - Time Factory IC 1979
Codek - Demo MCA 1980
Pink Project - Instrumental project Zanza 1982
Yellow Power - Hai samurai X Records 1982
Lindstrom & Solale - Let's practise (dub) Feedelity 2007
Beard Science - Dancing knights (45b edit) Beard Science 2008
The Splash Band - Das Philadelphia Experiment ZYX 1984
Loopside - Starman (Star Version) FDT 1984
Coco Bill - Evita (instr.) Gey-Ar 1984
Z-Factor - Thorns Mitchbal 1984
The Duke of Burlington - Flash '83 (Dub mix) Proto 1983
Ultracity - Klee Rollerboys Rec. 2009
Rubies ft. Feist - I feel electric (TieDye Mix) Italians do it better 2008
Woolfy - The return of starlight Permanent Vacation 2008
Craig Peyton - Be thankful for what you got (instr.) Elite 1983
Elitechnique - Spectral escape Radius 2006
Download-link: http://www.mediafire.com/?mmza2zmtudj
February 7, 2009
Magic Men - Popcorn (1983)
This is another great Italo-Cover. The original song comes from the year 1972:
Hot Butter - Popcorn
Think everybody knows this song.
Hot Butter - Popcorn
Think everybody knows this song.
Pink Project - Disco project (1982)
This is an Italo-Cover-Version of the well known Pink Floyd music. Normally I don't like covers but this one is a must for Italo-freaks. I personally prefer the instrumental version that is featured on the B-side of the 12".
February 5, 2009
Coco Bill - Evita (1984)
Another amazing track by Coco Bill which probably is known to only 200 people on this planet. It deserves more attention! :)
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