Italo dance
Encyclopedia
Italodance, also known as Nu Italo Disco, Nu-Italo or just Italo, is an offshoot of the Eurodance
musical genre, which was especially popular in Europe
in the late 1990s to the early 2000s.
in the 1980s. Except for their name, origin, and categorisation within dance music, italo dance and italo disco don't have much to do with each other musically.
Originally it was considered an invention by Italian DJ Gigi D'Agostino
and was called "Mediterreanean Progressive" in the middle 1990s, but it became mainstream after the release of the single Blue (Da Ba Dee)
by Eiffel 65
, although by this time it had a more commercial appeal than Gigi's music usually had.
Italo dance is mostly nightclub-oriented music mainly produced in Italy. The genre never really became mainstream enough for the whole European market but got a lot of airplay on Italian radios, especially the dance radio m2o
, and in the southern parts of Europe.
-Bass".
Most of the lyrics are in English but Italian
lyrics are also very common. Modifying the vocals with vocoders and pitch correction
is also very common.
except faster. The percussion is always produced by synthesizers, and the typical BPM
is around 140 although it varies from 60-165 beats per minutes.
and Clubhouse
and owner of the label Media Records, Gianfranco Bortolotti developed a new derivate of eurodance called "Mediterreanean Progressive" in co-operation with the famous Italian dj's and producers Gigi D'Agostino
, Mauro Picotto
and Swiss Robert Miles
.
In 1995 Gigi D'Agostino released the single "Fly" which became a huge success in Italy
which was followed up by singles such as "Elisir (Your love)" and "Gigi's Violin". One of the first countries to adopt the style was Germany
where the label ZYX
began to release a lot of Italian produced dance-music. Some of the more notable and recognizeable artists include Da Blitz, Einstein Dr Deejay, Taleesa, Double You
, and Co.Ro. But it wasn't until the late 1990s the genre became mainstream in most European clubs. The producer Prezioso
got huge success with his single "Tell Me Why" from 1999 and so did Gigi D'Agostino also with his massive hit-single "L'Amour Toujours
" also from 1999.
The genre had its golden age from 1999 to 2003. Others look at the period of 1993 to 1995 as being the Golden age of this genre due to its infancy. Though the great italo hits by Eiffel 65
, Prezioso
, Gigi D'agostino
, Molella, Gabry Ponte
and DJ Lhasa still get lots of airplay the genre is far from mainstream today where it has been replaced by mostly electro and house music. Prezioso and Molella now produce house (music) and electro (music)
and most other artists have also changed their genre, however Gigi D'Agostino, Gabry Ponte and Luca Zeta still produce italo.
is a subgenre of Italo dance developed by Gigi D'Agostino as a much slower and often more melodic type of music. The BPM is often reduced to the half of typical Italo dance tracks. The bass is often noticeably loud, and dominates the song.
Eurodance
Eurodance is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1980s or early 1990s primarily in Europe. It combines many elements from House, Techno, Hi-NRG and especially Italo-Disco...
musical genre, which was especially popular in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
in the late 1990s to the early 2000s.
Definition
The term "Italo Dance" originates from its early counterpart italo discoItalo disco
Italo disco encompasses much of the dance music output in Europe during the 1980s. It is one of the world's first forms of mostly electronic dance music and evolved during the late 1970s and early 1980s in Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and other parts of Europe...
in the 1980s. Except for their name, origin, and categorisation within dance music, italo dance and italo disco don't have much to do with each other musically.
Originally it was considered an invention by Italian DJ Gigi D'Agostino
Gigi D'Agostino
Luigino Celestino Di Agostino , better known by his stage name Gigi D'Agostino, is an Italian DJ, remixer and record producer...
and was called "Mediterreanean Progressive" in the middle 1990s, but it became mainstream after the release of the single Blue (Da Ba Dee)
Blue (Da Ba Dee)
"Blue " is a eurodance song released in 1999 by Italian group Eiffel 65, as a single from their debut album Europop ....
by Eiffel 65
Eiffel 65
Eiffel 65 is an Italian three-piece group formed in the late 1990s and best known for pioneering in pitch-correction and autotune, and for their international hit "Blue ". Their other hit singles include "Move Your Body" and "Too Much of Heaven", all of which appeared on their album Europop,...
, although by this time it had a more commercial appeal than Gigi's music usually had.
Italo dance is mostly nightclub-oriented music mainly produced in Italy. The genre never really became mainstream enough for the whole European market but got a lot of airplay on Italian radios, especially the dance radio m2o
M2o (radio station)
m2o is the main Italian Electronic/Dance/House music radio station, owned by the Gruppo Editoriale L'Espresso. It was founded in 2002.Broadcast FTA on Hot Bird, on SKY Italia channel 700 and on Alice Home TV channel 776.-Programming:...
, and in the southern parts of Europe.
Characteristics of the music
Italo Dance is characterized by synthesizer-riffs, vocals modified with vocoders with catchy and simple chorus and typically a bass with a 'metallic' sound often referred to as "TubaTuba
The tuba is the largest and lowest-pitched brass instrument. Sound is produced by vibrating or "buzzing" the lips into a large cupped mouthpiece. It is one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra, first appearing in the mid-19th century, when it largely replaced the...
-Bass".
Vocals
Italo Dance is often very positive and uplifting music; the lyrics mostly involve issues of love, partying, dancing or expressing feelings.Most of the lyrics are in English but Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
lyrics are also very common. Modifying the vocals with vocoders and pitch correction
Pitch correction
Pitch correction is the process of correcting the intonation of an audio signal without affecting other aspects of its sound. Pitch correction first detects the pitch of an audio signal , then calculates the desired change and modifies the audio signal accordingly...
is also very common.
Percussion
Almost all Italo Dance involves percussion and rhythm like most other electronic uptempo genres. They usually have a metallic sound and sounds like the bass produced by a tubaTuba
The tuba is the largest and lowest-pitched brass instrument. Sound is produced by vibrating or "buzzing" the lips into a large cupped mouthpiece. It is one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra, first appearing in the mid-19th century, when it largely replaced the...
except faster. The percussion is always produced by synthesizers, and the typical BPM
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
is around 140 although it varies from 60-165 beats per minutes.
Melody
Italo is often very melody-driven and is held together by the chorus and the main-theme (melody), some progressive derivates of italo is just driven by percussions and a male vocal though (see hard dance style).History
Due to the diminishing popularity of italo-disco music in the late 1980s and thanks to the rise in popularity of eurodance, Italian music producers such as CappellaCappella
Cappella was an Italian Eurodance act formed in 1987 by producer Gianfranco Bortolotti. The act went through a number of line-up changes over the years but was most successful in the early 1990s when it was fronted by British performers Kelly Overett and Rodney Bishop...
and Clubhouse
Clubhouse (group)
Clubhouse is a disco and house music studio group from Italy. They climbed to #75 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1983, with a mashup medley of Steely Dan's "Do It Again" and Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean". In 1991, they hit #1 on the U.S...
and owner of the label Media Records, Gianfranco Bortolotti developed a new derivate of eurodance called "Mediterreanean Progressive" in co-operation with the famous Italian dj's and producers Gigi D'Agostino
Gigi D'Agostino
Luigino Celestino Di Agostino , better known by his stage name Gigi D'Agostino, is an Italian DJ, remixer and record producer...
, Mauro Picotto
Mauro Picotto
Mauro Picotto is an Italian electronic music musician. Previously a member of the Italian rave outfit, Cappella. He became well-known as a solo artist with techno-trance tracks including "Komodo" , "Pulsar" and most famously for "Lizard"...
and Swiss Robert Miles
Robert Miles
Robert Miles is an Italian record producer, composer, musician and DJ in electronica and alternative music.-Biography:...
.
In 1995 Gigi D'Agostino released the single "Fly" which became a huge success in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
which was followed up by singles such as "Elisir (Your love)" and "Gigi's Violin". One of the first countries to adopt the style was Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
where the label ZYX
ZYX Music
ZYX Music is a German record label which was founded in 1971 by Bernhard Mikulski. Until 1992, the label's name was Pop-Import Bernhard Mikulski. The label specialized in disco and early house music. Founder Bernhard Mikulski is credited with coining the term Italo disco in the 1980s...
began to release a lot of Italian produced dance-music. Some of the more notable and recognizeable artists include Da Blitz, Einstein Dr Deejay, Taleesa, Double You
Double You
Double You is a Eurodance group founded in 1985, when William Naraine started producing demos with Franco Amato and Andrea de Antoni.In 1992 they've sold more than three million records and the single "Please Don't Go" was a success.- 1990s :...
, and Co.Ro. But it wasn't until the late 1990s the genre became mainstream in most European clubs. The producer Prezioso
Prezioso
Prezioso refers to Andrea Prezioso and Giorgio Prezioso, an Italodance duo with hit singles in countries including Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and Germany. The brothers have released best-selling records as solo artists and as part of italo house ensembles. They are known today as part of the...
got huge success with his single "Tell Me Why" from 1999 and so did Gigi D'Agostino also with his massive hit-single "L'Amour Toujours
L'Amour Toujours
"L'amour toujours" is a dance song by the Italian DJ Gigi D'Agostino, from the 1999's homonymous album. The song was released to US clubs and Dance Radios in late April 2001, and received a commercial US release in vinyl format on June 12, 2001...
" also from 1999.
The genre had its golden age from 1999 to 2003. Others look at the period of 1993 to 1995 as being the Golden age of this genre due to its infancy. Though the great italo hits by Eiffel 65
Eiffel 65
Eiffel 65 is an Italian three-piece group formed in the late 1990s and best known for pioneering in pitch-correction and autotune, and for their international hit "Blue ". Their other hit singles include "Move Your Body" and "Too Much of Heaven", all of which appeared on their album Europop,...
, Prezioso
Prezioso
Prezioso refers to Andrea Prezioso and Giorgio Prezioso, an Italodance duo with hit singles in countries including Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and Germany. The brothers have released best-selling records as solo artists and as part of italo house ensembles. They are known today as part of the...
, Gigi D'agostino
Gigi D'Agostino
Luigino Celestino Di Agostino , better known by his stage name Gigi D'Agostino, is an Italian DJ, remixer and record producer...
, Molella, Gabry Ponte
Gabry Ponte
Gabriele "Gabry" Ponte is an Italian DJ best known for his membership in the Italian dance group Eiffel 65. Ponte has been involved with the Bliss Team, DJ Gundam, and Sangwara...
and DJ Lhasa still get lots of airplay the genre is far from mainstream today where it has been replaced by mostly electro and house music. Prezioso and Molella now produce house (music) and electro (music)
Electro (music)
Electro is a genre of electronic dance music directly influenced by the use of TR-808 drum machines, Moog keytar synthesizers and funk sampling...
and most other artists have also changed their genre, however Gigi D'Agostino, Gabry Ponte and Luca Zeta still produce italo.
Notable Italodance artists
- AlexiaAlexiaAlexia may refer to:People*Alexia *Alexia *Alexia Bryn, a Norwegian pair skater*Alexia Dechaume-Balleret, a French professional tennis player...
- Bliss TeamBliss TeamBliss Team was a 1990's Eurodance band from Italy. They are known for their hits such as "Love Is Forever", "People Have The Power", and "You Make Me Cry".-History:...
- Gigi D'AgostinoGigi D'AgostinoLuigino Celestino Di Agostino , better known by his stage name Gigi D'Agostino, is an Italian DJ, remixer and record producer...
- Jam Machine
- Da Blitz
- DanijayDanijayDanijay is an Italian Italodance deejay and artist. Born in 1977 in Genoa, Italy, Danijay began deejaying in 1994 and producing in 2003. His first single, Il Gioco dell'Amore was released in 2003 and became a European dance radio hit and one of the best-selling dance singles of the year...
- Eiffel 65Eiffel 65Eiffel 65 is an Italian three-piece group formed in the late 1990s and best known for pioneering in pitch-correction and autotune, and for their international hit "Blue ". Their other hit singles include "Move Your Body" and "Too Much of Heaven", all of which appeared on their album Europop,...
- Floorfilla
- Hotel Saint George
- ItaloBrothers
- DJ Lhasa
- Kim LukasKim LukasKim Lukas is a British pop singer and a dancer with a career based in Italy. She graduated at Academy of Live and Recorded Arts of London and is known for the song "All I Really Want" charting in several European countries.- Singles :* 1999 "All I Really Want" * 2000 "Let It Be the Night"* 2000...
- MabelMabel (singer)Paolo Ferrali, better known as Mabel, is an Italian singer, renowned for his singles Disco Disco, Bum Bum and Don't let me down. He had reached the top of the sales chart in Italy, France, Germany and Austria.-Career:...
- Magic BoxMagic BoxMagic Box may refer to:* The Magic Box , a 1951 British movie* Magic Box, Italian DJ-singer* The Magic Box , a fictional place in the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer...
- Molella
- Billy More
- Neja
- Gabry PonteGabry PonteGabriele "Gabry" Ponte is an Italian DJ best known for his membership in the Italian dance group Eiffel 65. Ponte has been involved with the Bliss Team, DJ Gundam, and Sangwara...
- PreziosoPreziosoPrezioso refers to Andrea Prezioso and Giorgio Prezioso, an Italodance duo with hit singles in countries including Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and Germany. The brothers have released best-selling records as solo artists and as part of italo house ensembles. They are known today as part of the...
- Promiseland
- DJ RossDJ RossDJ Ross is the stage name of DJ and music producer Italian Rossano Prini, born in Milan on 13 August 1973. DJ Ross is, until today, one of the biggest DJs of eurodance and, since 2005, is working with the group Double You.-Biography:...
- Safeway
- The Soundlovers
- Vanni G
- Lady Violet
- Luca Zeta
- Zorotl (Eiffel 65)
Lento Violento
Meaning "Slow and Violent" in Italian, Lento ViolentoLento Violento
Lento Violento is a style of electronic dance music that developed in Italy. Its name means Slow & Violent, as this style typically has a tempo between 70 and 120 BPM...
is a subgenre of Italo dance developed by Gigi D'Agostino as a much slower and often more melodic type of music. The BPM is often reduced to the half of typical Italo dance tracks. The bass is often noticeably loud, and dominates the song.
Hard Dance Style
A much harder type of italo originally invented by Roberto Molinaro and Provenzano DJ, reminds of some the hard electronic genres.Notable internet radio stations
- Italo Sound Radio, 24/7 Specialized ItaloDance Radio with requests and one of the largest selections of the genre in the world.
- IDN - ItaloDance Radio and Portal with many famous deejays
- Italo Dance FM broadcasts 24/7 Italo Dance & Italo Disco. There are also reviews of the newest and hottest Italo Dance releases.
See also
- Italo discoItalo discoItalo disco encompasses much of the dance music output in Europe during the 1980s. It is one of the world's first forms of mostly electronic dance music and evolved during the late 1970s and early 1980s in Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and other parts of Europe...
- Italo houseItalo houseItalo house is a form of house music popular in Italy, Britain and United States since the late 1980s. It fuses house music and Italo disco. The genre's main musical characteristic is its use of predominantly electronic piano chords in a more lyrical form than classic Chicago House records...
- Eurodisco
- Euro pop
- EurodanceEurodanceEurodance is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1980s or early 1990s primarily in Europe. It combines many elements from House, Techno, Hi-NRG and especially Italo-Disco...
- EurobeatEurobeatEurobeat is a form of italo-disco/hi-NRG music that developed in the late 1980s.In the United States, Eurobeat was sometimes marketed as Hi-NRG and for a short while shared this term with the very early freestyle music hits....
- Euro-TranceEuro-tranceThe term Euro-trance describes all "trance"-like European imports into the American dance music market, especially those recorded in Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium.-Dream house:...
- Lento ViolentoLento ViolentoLento Violento is a style of electronic dance music that developed in Italy. Its name means Slow & Violent, as this style typically has a tempo between 70 and 120 BPM...
- List of Eurodance artists