Italo Disco from a few different perspectives, spacey robotic, synth, vocal or euro pop? Casco, Cariocas,Charlie,'lectric workers,Gary Low,Wanexa,J.D. Jaber and more

This was originally one of my oldest posts from when I first started the blog in 2008.  I have brought it back with some refreshed links and some tracks it never had the first time around.

CHARLY ZIP

In my opinion there are two kinds of Italo Disco. The spacey, vocoder spruced, electronic type symbolized by classics like Robot is Systematic by 'Lectric Workers, Spacer Woman by Charlie and Cybernetic Love by Casco (DJ Salvatore Cusato) and the lite and airy high NRG tinged poppy type like Lunatic by Gazebo and You're my First, You're my Last by Linda Jo Rizzo.
Casco
Cybernetic Love

J.D. Jaber (GianLuca Bergonzi) seems to have been involved with both types. He was the engineer on Memory Records classics Japanese War Game by Koto and Do You by Duke Lake. As well as the vocalist on the more commercial sounding and cheerful Don't Stop Lovin' and Don't Wake Me Up.

Real Men

Below I have provided a link to a zip with both the original 1986 Memory 12" of Don't Wake Me Up along with the 1986 Swedish Remix on Beat Box records. Those Swedish remixes are quite cool and there are a lot of them. They remixed some major Italo Disco classics like Mirage by Scotch, Jabdah by Koto, Bad Boy by Den Harrow, Real Men by Tom Hooker and many many others. They also did some Freestyle remixes like Alisha's Stargazing and Italo House such as Don't You Love Me by the 49ers.

TOM HOOKERS BIGGEST HIT (USING HIS OWN NAME)

J.D. Jaber Zip
GARY LOW ZIP

We've heard me go on and on about Italo disco and 1983 before. But to know me is to know that I like to repeat for emphasis. To have a conversation with me can be frustrating. Every third line I say "what?" or "can you repeat that?" Way too many years of sitting on speakers at The Sound Factory or playing my music scary loud. But I'm just not feeling the hearing aid quite yet. The kind of Italo Disco in this post is just the sort of music I love to blast too.

SYSTEMATIC DOWNLOAD

ROBOT IS ZIP

These are examples of the darker more spacey Italo. Two releases from 1982 from Italy, Robot is Systematic by 'lectric workers on Disco Magic Records and Robot is.... by Message from the Future on Blood records. Most likely my favorite of this style is Spacer Woman by Charlie which came out in 1983 on Mr. Disc records, Italy. All true classics of the genre they greatly influenced a lot of Italo that came out after them. WBMX in Chicago was an early sustainer of this type of italo disco and so it went on to have a great influence on early house music too.

robot is systematic

robots zip



Here above I provide a link for Robot Is.... cause it's one of the hardest to find and also Robot is Systematic, I've also thrown in Spacer Woman by Charlie down below.  I've already blogged about that track seperately too.  Hopefully you will enjoy this out there spaced out electronic lunacy as much as I do. I'd also like to give a shout out to the memory of CBS the cybernetic broadcast system because it brought a lot of this spacey stuff to my attention. I really miss listening to it on Sunday mornings as was a ritual for me for several years.

I was living in Rome in 1983 and out dancing many a night but I seem to remember much more clearly the campier Italo numbers like Disco King and Shine on Dance by Cararra, various dance records by Gary Low, like I Want You and the out and out Euro Disco of Paris Latino by Bandolero and No Controles by Ole' Ole'. But I may very well have danced to robot Italo and simply forgotten. Oh what i would give to get back some of those brain cells.  I've placed a Gary Low zip above.                                                              CHARLIE ZIP i'm a spacer woman

Gigi Farina, Franco Rago, X. Monneret recorded as 'Lectric Workers, Atelier Folie, Decadance, Expansives, Message From Future, Wanexa and last but not least Cariocas. Now why they were inclined to use so many aliases if they weren't hiding from the authorities or on a spy mission I wouldn't know.  THE MAN FROM COLOURS Wanexa instrumental

Atelier

Regardless I'll have to thank them for their efforts. They are among my all time faves in the spacey italo disco genre. Batida released in 1983 on Proto records was a favorite of Cosmic Baldelli's and is another super synthy italo disco extraordinaire.

CARIOCA

Kudos to the art director on this 12" too. It's like something right out of Marvel comics.

More posts on Italo Disco to come soon. I also have some goodies in earlier posts so don't miss out.

FIREFLY FROM A TO Z LEGENDARY ITALIAN BOOGIE, DISCO, ITALO, FUNK AND MORE

›

It's been about three years since I've refreshed the links on this one.  ENJOY
 LOTS OF FIREFLY
A FIREFLY ZIP
A HUGE FIREFLY ZiP

Like a lot of coveted Italo Disco, Firefly records can be quite valuable nowadays. To many Americans they could be considered one hit wonders with their Emergency licensed dance hit Love (Is Gonna be on Your Side) which hit #3 on the Billboard Disco Chart. Their only showing on the U.S. dance chart. Incidentally the song is known by another name on their debut l.p. where it is called Love and Friendship. An earlier release Do it Dancin' was a 12" in my Ebay store.

A1 Love And Friendship (6:09)
A2 Three Days Of Sweetness (4:20)
A3 Forget It (5:53)
B1 You Make Me Happy (5:08)
B2 It's Time To Say Goodbye (3:45)
B3 Why (5:05)
B4 Dreaming Again (5:00)



But they actually were quite fruitful, recording several full l.p.'s in the 80's, mostly for Mr. Disc Organization records Italy. Here is their second l.p. My Desire which came out just after Love (Is Gonna be on Your Side). It's one helluva tight production. They coined the term Boogie sometime after the disco era ended making the word disco a bad word. "Boogie" groups like this flourished. They held onto the disco sound while refining it and toning it down. I've also heard this sound referred to as Modern Soul.

I hear more S.O.S. Band and Level 42 here then Charlie, Spacer Woman or 'lectric workers Robot is Systematic so I find it more influenced by soul then Italo Disco, at least not the spacey kind. My favorite cut has to be You Can Lead Me. Get a load of the spicy piano, and those vocals by Crystal Davis who has sung back-up for Candi Staton, Venus Dodson and the incomparable Patrick Adams masterpiece Dazzle. Roland Leonard handled most of the lead vocals on the rest of the l.p. and again on the 3rd Firefly l.p. only to fade away into obscurity after.

"you can lead, lead me by the hand, don't you know your love has brought me high"
"you can lead, lead me by the hand, now's the time to share your love with...."

"I won't discuss your past, life goes on too fast and we just have no time"



The title cut My Desire and Our Trade is Life are also brilliant, and were released as a double A side 12". I'm into the sentiments here, and throughout this album. There's a lot of yearning and sex without ever going grope or filth.

A1 Our Trade Is Life
A2 Come Back
A3 You Can Lead Me
A4 My Desire (Studio)
B1 Don't Stop
B2 My Desire
B3 Danielle
B4 Let Me Come In Your Life



The brainchild of Italian duo Maurizio Sangineto (The Creatures and Passengers) and Maurice Cavalieri (who under an alias was the aforementioned Charlie of "Spacer Woman," fame. Maurice was also Ago and Rainbow Team.
My Desire's music was recorded right where I live, in Rome, Italy at Studio TM while the vocals were recorded at Right Track Studios in New York City and it was mastered by the legendary Herb Powers. A name that is on countless labels of records I treasure.

Spacer Woman is one of my ULTIMATE Italo Disco favorites.
A spacer zip
The 3rd album is a lot more Synth Funk, Gino Soccio/Lime influenced. The first track Kiss Power is much better then the rest but like the first two it's a solid production.

A1 Kiss Power (5:10)
A2 Love Is Coming (5:15)
A3 With You (5:05)
A4 Give It To Me (5:00)
B1 Don't Be A Fool (5:12)
B2 I Just Want To Be Your Lover (5:11)
B3 Keep On (4:45)
B4 I Do Love You (4:47)



In 1992 a best of CD was released which leans heavily towards the material on My Desire. It has 8 tracks and then 5 more mixed together.

Spacer Woman by CHARLIE is the perfect italo disco song

I’m a Spacer Woman Don’t you worry 'bout me? I don’t want to hurt you, I just want to love you! We can start it over Come on be my lover You will be my danger (?) Let me be your stranger! I want to know I need your love I can’t go on I must be sure I come from Space I want to know If I can do My love is true

Charlie is composed of Gino De Stefani and Maurice Cavalieri.  Charlie

There is very little I can say about Spacer Woman other then it is one of the absolute best of one of my favorite genre's. It also just happens to be from the 1983 the absolute best year for Italo Disco music. enjoy the rip cause it's very rare

When Germanys ZYX picked up the record in 1984 they changed the title to Space Woman or it's a misprint.

There was also a 2005 bootleg release. So be careful collector's. Don't risk paying alot unless you're absolutely sure.