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This Is The World Of Italo Disco!

exodusone | San Bernardino, CA USA | 01/08/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The Italo Disco genre spanned from 1978 all the up to 1990. From 1978-1981, most of Italo Disco sounded like standard disco with electro and funk elements to it. From 1982-1985 the electro disco sound took full form, giving us some real good floorburners. I have always felt that Italo Disco's golden era was 1982-1984 (the genre would peaked in 1984). The genre from 1985 to 1990 started blending Hi-NRG, and other forms of Euro dance styles of the time (sounding rather bland, and generic).



Some of the few things that I have always enjoyed about the 1982-1985 era of Italo Disco, were the moods of certain songs. The key ingredients to the songs were always futuristic, spacy, cold, distant, minimal and a cybernetic atmosphere that embodies the sound and spirit of the early to mid 1980's. It's not quite techno, think of as new wave meets electro with no hip-hop elements to spoil it.



Most Italo Disco compilations that have flooded the market, focus on the more pop element of the genre (ones that were actually on the radio in Europe at the time). This compilation right here, focuses on the pure electronic aspect of the genre. Since no one hasn't given a real discription of the disc, I'm going to review each tracks with some pros and cons.



01) Charlie - Spacer Woman (12" Vocal Version) (7:28)

Released in 1983. It has no melody what so ever, but it was light years ahead of any hip hop electro song out there at the time.



02) Capricorn - I Need Love (12" Instrumental) (6:13)

Released in 1982. The Instrumental version has been the most popular of them all, from Europe to Detroit. A stong age techno classic!



03) Sun La Shan - Catch (Dub Version) (5:25)

Released in 1982. This is the b-side to 12" vocal version. The dub version of this track presented here was edited (my guess was time constrant of the disc). The 12" dub version is actually 6:00.



04) Peter Richard - Walking In The Neon (Club Version) (8:18)

Released in 1985. This was never one of my favorites then and now. In my opinion, a waste of space. Since it appears on 20 other Italo Disco compilations.



05) Sphinx - Collision (Remixed) (6:39)

Released in 1982. This is the b-side of 12" vocal of Collision.



06) 'Lectric Workers - Robot Is Systematic (Instrumental) (7:03)

Released in 1982. This is actually in fact a edited vocal version. The original vocal version was 9:00 long. But this is as close as your gonna get to having this track on CD.



07) Dharma - Plastic Doll (Remixed Instrumental) (5:40)

Released in 1982. This is the b-side of the 12" vocal version, the original time is 5:11.



08) Scotch - Penguin's Invasion (Hot Version) (4:54)

Released in 1983. The B-side of the 12" vocal version. This is actually a edited version, the orginal time is 6:25.



09) Steel Mind - Bad Passion (Instrumental) (4:50)

Released in 1982. This is the b-side to 12" vocal version, but this version of it is edited (and somewhat remixed). The Original time is 6:47.



10) Kano - Ikeya-Seki (5:51)

Released in 1983. Taken from Kano's 1983 LP "Another Life".



11) N.O.I.A - Stranger In A Strange Land (Club Mix) (7:31)

Released in 1983. This is b-side to 12" vocal version, which was 6:50. This version of the club mix is edited, the original is 8:10.



12) Alexander Robotnick - Dance Boy Dance (5:09)

Released in 1984. Taken from Alexander Robotnick's 1984 LP "Ce N'Est Q'Un Début".



13) Klein & M.B.O. - Wonderful (Instrumental) (4:44)

Released in 1982. This is the b-side to 12" Disco Dub and Radio version.



In my opinion, I think the producer of this comp did an okay job. The mere fact that some of these songs are on CD for the first time is amazing. Despite having "Walking In The Neon", I think they could have left it off. They could had put other note worthy instrumentals or dub versions. Like "Magical Body" by Los Angeles T.F. (1983), "Shake It Now" by B. Blase (1984), "Going Crazy" by Lily Ann (1984) or "I'm Hungry" by Stopp (1983).



As for putting the instrumental versions of certain songs on here? Here are a few reasons why. 01) The English on some of the original vocal tracks are left to be desired at times. 02) From a DJ's prospective, most would perfer the instrumentals over the vocal version in this day in age.



This disc clocked at 79 mins."