Pink Project
Encyclopedia
Pink Project is the name of an Italo disco
production created, like its contemporary Kano
, by Italian composer/keyboardist/producer Stefano Pulga, together with his colleagues Luciano Ninzatti (also guitarist/programmer), Matteo Bonsanto (keyboardist) and sound engineer Massimo Noè. Their biggest hit, which also provided them with their name, was a mashup
- one of the very first such creations, actually, in Italy - entitled "Disco Project".
's Another Brick in the Wall
(Part II), which was a big hit in Italy in that period, and The Alan Parsons Project
's equally popular "Mammagamma" had the same tempo and, in some sections, the same key. Plus, in light of Parsons' long-standing association with Pink Floyd - he engineered the band's historical Dark Side of the Moon
album - APP's instrumentals (starting from earlier ones, such as "Lucifer" and "The Gold Bug") were often mistaken for Pink Floyd by Italian club goers and 'dance' fans in general.
Pulga and Ninzatti made a mix which started with APP's "Sirius" (another popular track from their 1982 album Eye in the Sky), then went straight into "Mammagamma" (avoiding Parson's transition to his album's title track), over which an a cappella version of the kids' choir from Another Brick was superimposed, with the octave bass and steady drums from "Mammagamma" running all the way through.
The vocals from Pink Floyd's song fitted perfectly on the Parsons piece, so Pulga and Ninzatti decided to officially release the mix as "Disco Project". However, the final recording was not a mix, in that it did not feature any actual samples from the Parsons or Floyd records; instead, everything (i.e. the whole instrumentation) was very carefully re-played by Pulga, Ninzatti and Bonsanto - in particular, Ninzatti played a nice rendition of David Gilmour
's famous guitar solo - while the choir was performed by a group of schoolkids from an international school in Rimini. [All of this was mainly done because Pink Project had no authorization at all from the any of the songwriters - indeed, they never asked for any - so the only way for them to release "Disco Project" was to actually make cover versions of the three pieces featured in it.] The choir also followed the key shift in the music of "Mammagamma", which was not present in the original mix by Pulga & Ninzatti.
"Disco Project" was a major hit in Italy during the summer of 1982, and this implicitly obliged Pulga & Co. to put up a fictional band for TV performances. Indeed they did - the song was mimed various times on Italian TV by four people (on bass, guitar, drums and keyboards) dressed up in black monk-like robes and black pointed hoods. Although there were rumors at the time about three of the mysterious individuals being actually Pulga, Ninzatti and Bonsanto themselves (with the fourth "member" being Massimo Noè), this was never really confirmed or denied by anyone. Also, the TV performances did not feature any choir or anyone lip-synching the lyrics, although the vocals were clearly heard.
, The Police
, Falco
, Vangelis
and Deep Purple
(among others) while continuing their APP association. Two further singles, 'B-Project' [Michael Jackson's Billie Jean
+ Greg Kihn Band's Jeopardy
] and "Hyper-Gamma-Oxygéne" [combining APP's "Hyper-Gamma-Spaces" and Jarre's Oxygène
Part IV], respectively taken from Pink Project's first and second albums "Domino" and "Split", were minor hits in 1983, like their follow-up (a Pulga/Ninzatti Jarre-styled original, entitled "Magic Flight"). Despite a substantial amount of radio promotion none of Pink Project's albums were hits, and Pulga's creation rapidly died out.
The albums and the singles, released by the Italian pop/dance label Baby Records, have gone out of print since then, but "Disco Project" and "Hyper-Gamma-Oxygéne" can still be found as mp3s on the various Peer-to-peer
networks.
Italo 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...
production created, like its contemporary Kano
Kano (band)
Kano was a post-disco music project formed in 1979 by Italian-based producers/musicians Luciano Ninzatti, Stefano Pulga and Matteo Bonsanto. Kano was the first group to usher in a new style of dance music called Italo-Disco.-History:...
, by Italian composer/keyboardist/producer Stefano Pulga, together with his colleagues Luciano Ninzatti (also guitarist/programmer), Matteo Bonsanto (keyboardist) and sound engineer Massimo Noè. Their biggest hit, which also provided them with their name, was a mashup
Mashup (music)
A mashup or bootleg is a song or composition created by blending two or more pre-recorded songs, usually by overlaying the vocal track of one song seamlessly over the instrumental track of another...
- one of the very first such creations, actually, in Italy - entitled "Disco Project".
"Disco Project": the idea and the recording
"Disco Project" was born out of the mixes that Pulga used to create during his club nights. In early 1982, he and Ninzatti had realized that Pink FloydPink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
's Another Brick in the Wall
Another Brick in the Wall
"Another Brick in the Wall" is the title of three songs set to variations of the same basic theme, on Pink Floyd's 1979 rock opera, The Wall, subtitled Part 1 , Part 2 , and Part 3...
(Part II), which was a big hit in Italy in that period, and The Alan Parsons Project
The Alan Parsons Project
The Alan Parsons Project was a British progressive rock band, active between 1975 and 1990, consisting of singer Eric Woolfson and keyboardist Alan Parsons surrounded by a varying number of session musicians....
's equally popular "Mammagamma" had the same tempo and, in some sections, the same key. Plus, in light of Parsons' long-standing association with Pink Floyd - he engineered the band's historical Dark Side of the Moon
The Dark Side of the Moon
The Dark Side of the Moon is the eighth studio album by English progressive rock band Pink Floyd, released in March 1973. It built on ideas explored in the band's earlier recordings and live shows, but lacks the extended instrumental excursions that characterised their work following the departure...
album - APP's instrumentals (starting from earlier ones, such as "Lucifer" and "The Gold Bug") were often mistaken for Pink Floyd by Italian club goers and 'dance' fans in general.
Pulga and Ninzatti made a mix which started with APP's "Sirius" (another popular track from their 1982 album Eye in the Sky), then went straight into "Mammagamma" (avoiding Parson's transition to his album's title track), over which an a cappella version of the kids' choir from Another Brick was superimposed, with the octave bass and steady drums from "Mammagamma" running all the way through.
The vocals from Pink Floyd's song fitted perfectly on the Parsons piece, so Pulga and Ninzatti decided to officially release the mix as "Disco Project". However, the final recording was not a mix, in that it did not feature any actual samples from the Parsons or Floyd records; instead, everything (i.e. the whole instrumentation) was very carefully re-played by Pulga, Ninzatti and Bonsanto - in particular, Ninzatti played a nice rendition of David Gilmour
David Gilmour
David Jon Gilmour, CBE, D.M. is an English rock musician and multi-instrumentalist who is best known as the guitarist, one of the lead singers and main songwriters in the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. In addition to his work with Pink Floyd, Gilmour has worked as a producer for a variety of...
's famous guitar solo - while the choir was performed by a group of schoolkids from an international school in Rimini. [All of this was mainly done because Pink Project had no authorization at all from the any of the songwriters - indeed, they never asked for any - so the only way for them to release "Disco Project" was to actually make cover versions of the three pieces featured in it.] The choir also followed the key shift in the music of "Mammagamma", which was not present in the original mix by Pulga & Ninzatti.
"Disco Project" was a major hit in Italy during the summer of 1982, and this implicitly obliged Pulga & Co. to put up a fictional band for TV performances. Indeed they did - the song was mimed various times on Italian TV by four people (on bass, guitar, drums and keyboards) dressed up in black monk-like robes and black pointed hoods. Although there were rumors at the time about three of the mysterious individuals being actually Pulga, Ninzatti and Bonsanto themselves (with the fourth "member" being Massimo Noè), this was never really confirmed or denied by anyone. Also, the TV performances did not feature any choir or anyone lip-synching the lyrics, although the vocals were clearly heard.
Subsequent career and demise
After the big hit with "Disco Project", the three producers used the Pink Project moniker for two compilation albums, mainly made up of more mashups in the same style as "Disco Project", borrowing from Jean Michel JarreJean Michel Jarre
Jean Michel André Jarre is a French composer, performer and music producer. He is a pioneer in the electronic, ambient and New Age genres, and known as an organiser of outdoor spectacles of his music featuring lights, laser displays, and fireworks.Jarre was raised in Lyon by his mother and...
, The Police
The Police
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For the vast majority of their history, the band consisted of Sting , Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland...
, Falco
Falco (musician)
Johann Hölzel , better known by his stage name Falco, was an Austrian pop and rock musician and rapper. He had several international hits: "Der Kommissar", "Rock Me Amadeus", "Vienna Calling", "Jeanny", "The Sound of Musik", "Coming Home " and posthumously, "Out Of The Dark"...
, Vangelis
Vangelis
Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou is a Greek composer of electronic, progressive, ambient, jazz, pop rock and orchestral music, under the artist name Vangelis...
and Deep Purple
Deep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...
(among others) while continuing their APP association. Two further singles, 'B-Project' [Michael Jackson's Billie Jean
Billie Jean
"Billie Jean" is a dance-pop/R&B song by American recording artist Michael Jackson. It was written, composed, and co-produced by Jackson, and produced by Quincy Jones from the singer's sixth album, Thriller . Originally disliked by Jones, the track was almost removed from the album after he and...
+ Greg Kihn Band's Jeopardy
Jeopardy (song)
"Jeopardy" is a hit song released in 1983 by The Greg Kihn Band on their album Kihnspiracy. It is the band's first and only Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, reaching #2 in March 1983 and also hitting #1 on the dance charts the following month. Composition/Chord Structure:The song...
] and "Hyper-Gamma-Oxygéne" [combining APP's "Hyper-Gamma-Spaces" and Jarre's Oxygène
Oxygene
Oxygène is an album of instrumental electronic music composed, produced, and performed by the French composer Jean Michel Jarre. It was first released in France in December 1976, on Disques Dreyfus with license to Polydor. The album's international release was in summer 1977...
Part IV], respectively taken from Pink Project's first and second albums "Domino" and "Split", were minor hits in 1983, like their follow-up (a Pulga/Ninzatti Jarre-styled original, entitled "Magic Flight"). Despite a substantial amount of radio promotion none of Pink Project's albums were hits, and Pulga's creation rapidly died out.
The albums and the singles, released by the Italian pop/dance label Baby Records, have gone out of print since then, but "Disco Project" and "Hyper-Gamma-Oxygéne" can still be found as mp3s on the various Peer-to-peer
Peer-to-peer
Peer-to-peer computing or networking is a distributed application architecture that partitions tasks or workloads among peers. Peers are equally privileged, equipotent participants in the application...
networks.