Disco Italia (Essential Italo Disco Classics 1977-1985)

There are plenty of superb obscure Italo disco finds on this 2008 collection from leading reissue label Strut, concentrating mostly on the earlier, more organic end of the genre, before the sound became almost totally electronic. Superbly curated by Steve ‘Chicken Lips’ Kotey with predictably excellent sleeve notes from DJ/author Bill Brewster, Disco Italia collects some of the funkiest Italo disco tracks, with many productions managing to sound both plush and ramshackle, sublime and silly at the same time. Witness Red Dragon’s ”Let Me Be Your Radio” with its layers of funky, percolating percussion and frankly risible vocals or the sub-Rachmaninov piano trills in the middle of slinky, sleazy groove of Five Letters’ “Tha Kee Tha Tha”. Likewise “Tina - Are You Ready” by Valentine combines a tinny impression of Nile Rodgers’ guitar playing, Kraftwerk synths and a fat synth bass into a steamy disco concoction before adding what sounds like animal growls and some weird American-accented narration to the mix. These are tracks that have all the parts you would expect a serious dance floor track to contain that then throw you a wonderfully unexpected musical curve ball. A quality introduction to some obscure and idiosyncratic dance music you’ve probably not heard before.