Bad Boys Blue: an International German Trio
A trio from Cologne with members from the USA, UK, and the Antilles. L.O.V.E. in My Car and You're a Woman became era anthems, especially in Eastern Europe.
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Notes on music, craft, and the era
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10 Best Italo Disco Tracks of 1987
1987 - the final year of the classic Italo Disco era. Boys Boys Boys, Flames of Love, Touch in the Night, Dance Control - ten compositions on the edge of peak and decline.
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Fairlight CMI: a Synth for the Chosen Few
The story of the legendary sampler available only to the richest '80s studios, and its role in shaping the sound of Italo Disco.
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The Synths That Built Italo Disco
Roland Juno, Yamaha DX7, Korg Polysix - a look at the instruments that shaped the sound of a whole genre and a whole decade.
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Italo Disco Harmony: Chords and Progressions
Am-F-C-G, minor keys, signature moves - a breakdown of Italo Disco's harmonic foundations. Why the genre sounds the way it does at the level of chord progressions.
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How to Build a Vinyl Collection
A practical guide to collecting Italo Disco vinyl - where to start, where to find rarities, how to spot fakes, and what it all costs.
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Fun Fun: Italo Disco's Main Female Duo
Ivana Spagna and Angela Parisi - a rare successful female duo in a genre dominated by male voices. Hits Happy Station and Baila Bolero, solo career, retro return.
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Sequential Prophet-5 and Italo Disco
The 1978 Sequential Prophet-5 - a cult polyphonic synth used by Michael Jackson and Prince. In Italo Disco it was deployed by premium studios.
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Sabrina and "Boys Boys Boys"
The story of one of the '80s' brightest Italian singers - the Italian whose "Boys Boys Boys" video became a cultural event discussed for years in the European press.
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Italo Disco in TikTok and Memes
How a genre from the '80s unexpectedly became part of internet culture - from viral TikTok clips to popular memes built on classic tracks.
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Lian Ross: the German Voice of Italo Disco
Josephine Hiebel under the Lian Ross name recorded 1985's "Fantasy" - one of the main female hits of German-Italian Italo Disco. A cult in Eastern Europe through the 2020s.
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The Strange and Beautiful Videos of Italo Disco
Why '80s music videos looked so ridiculous and gorgeous at the same time - the budget magic of Italo Disco clips, lasers, smoke machines, and models in shimmering outfits.
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Italo Disco in Contemporary Film Soundtracks
How the genre's classic hits land in 21st-century films and series - from "Stranger Things" to current arthouse pictures.
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The Discotheques of Rimini: Where It All Happened
The story of Italy's main resort and its club scene - the place where Italo Disco culture took shape and where all of Europe danced.
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Scotch and Their "Disco Band"
The story of one of the main Italian groups of the early '80s, whose hit "Disco Band" became a genre classic and a calling card of a whole era.
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Why the Lyrics Are So Naïve
A breakdown of Italo Disco's vocabulary - why the English lyrics were so simple, and how broken language became part of the genre's charm.
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Jock Hattle Band: a Forgotten Page of the Genre
The story of an Italian team that nearly vanished from the radar, whose work today is known only to collectors and real genre enthusiasts.
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