American iTunes has recently acquired an astonishing collection of nu Italo disco releases from a decade ago. These songs were my favorites to spin during the early "Eurotrash or Eurotreasure?" days, so my jaw literally dropped, like this --> :-O when I saw the incredible collection of singles (with ALL THE REMIXES) now available. I used to pay a small fortune for imports of this stuff (when I could get my hands on the releases at all; more often than not I couldn't). Italy had terrible international music distribution at that time. Adding to the obscurity factor, I never met an Italian who was aware of the tremendous dance music scene going on within their country's borders.
Some favorites of mine that are now available on American iTunes:
Danijay (feat. Hellen) - Il gioco dell'amore (Extended Smat Mix)
Big boom-boom tune that perfectly captures that romantic/bombastic nu Italo disco spirit.
Quiki (feat. Lisa) - Together (Extended Mix) (the first of the unlabeled mixes offered here)
One of the coolest, sexiest dance songs I have ever heard.
Banshis - Day By Day (Banshiskipedia album version)
Not disco, but an especially gorgeous song from a group that had previously kicked out some dancefloor pumpers, vastly superior in its full running time and in the group's native Italian to the previously available shortened English-language version.
T42 feat. Sharp - Find Time (Fargetta Mix) (first of the unlabeled mixes on offer here)
My favorite feel-good nu Italo song from that era.
Supasonic - Love Again (Love Mix)
Emotional, romantic yearning appealingly hitched to the boom-boom sound.
Carolina Marquez - Pleasure Ground (Original Pleasure Extended)
This is my favorite of Ms. Marquez's catchy/trashy tunes because it sounds genuinely eerie, then turns weirdly beautiful at around the four minute mark. Only the Italians made songs that sounded anything like this--NOBODY ELSE. What a wonderfully weird fucked-up thing this is. The entire back catalog of the Colombian-born Italian seems to be available.
2 People - Holiday Ride (Piparo'S Main Mix)
Slighter than the other recommendations, but nonetheless an extremely cute and appealing representative of the nu Italo sound.
Prezioso feat. Marvin - Let Me Stay
Sort of silly sounding, but the melody of the sweeping-arm-gestures chorus is a killer. It looks like the entire Prezioso catalog is now available.
Levy 9 - I'm Not Scared (Hard Tunes Mix
Trash cover of an obscure 80s tune with huge synth riffs and boom boom beats.
Datura - Will Be One (Todo en Todos Extended)
A very theatrical tune.
Neja - Time Flies (Original Mix) (third of the mixes listed here)
I happily paid $20 for the CD single, but now you can have it for much less. ;-)
And a non-Italian bonus:
Jazmine - Makes Me Go (Mmm...) (Radio)
Sugar-overload track that acquired near-mythic status in the underground trash circles due to its scarcity. The whole single is now available.
You have to admire the nu Italo disco scene for its uniqueness. I feel it demonstrated greater originality and ambition than that displayed in most of the more fashonable dance music of the time. Now is a good time to find that out for yourself.
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