Posted on June 9, 2010 - by Mark Zonda

Italo Disco: it’s all about imagination

Don’t know how many of you are aware of this, but among various musical project I’m involved in, it’s been a while since I’m gathering some indie artists into a modern times reinvention of what was called “Italo Disco” music. First album is on its was to deliver, but we’re already heading to a “Vol.2″ with the original champions of that era. Everything started from a first row of interview ’bout “Neo Italo Disco” to the first pioneers of the genre. First to “start the dances” was Reeds, one of the first Italian singers to give strenght to that musical movement tying to give an “Indepenent” home-made response to the more glorious and expensive in matter of production American bands disco music.

What was Italo Disco all about? Basically 2 beats tempo, with a boom and a clap, easy melodies, coolness and lyrics about exotic, dreamy and nonsense night-life sketches and romance, with a deep use of synts and drum machines.

But let Reeds be the voice of that marvellous period on this interview.

Mark Zonda: Reeds, what’s your most precious memory about Italo Disco times?

Reeds: First of all let me say hello to our fellow readerds. After the ’60s and the ’70s the ’80s represents the last of the real musical movements. Allright. You might say that house music could be counted in, but I don’t wanna even mention it, since it’s not even music at all. What can I say… we were young, and the World was our oyster. It was a cool movement and going to a disco would have brought nothing wrong, no side effects. Going at the disco was a pleausure, a chance to meet new people, find girls, dance, drink great cocktails. Everything was REAL, and it was drug free. People really knew how to have fun. Coming back to myself, I spend some time in London, and I came back home with a luggage full of music and ideas. I wanted to live, and I wanted to explode. Musically, of course! I remember meeting with other musicians in the greatest Italian and European discotheques, and later being followed by a great audience on tour.

Mark Zonda: I’m really happy to hear from the live voice of a dance musician that “House” it’s not even music, and I’ve personally always thought that “Techno” was even worst for discos. How it happens we came in such a dark period in a certain point of pop music history? Was it a matter of drugs too?

Reeds: Just like I told you before. House and Techno ruled the ’90s and 2yk ruining the “Disco World” in an irreversible way. A complete disaster! They took what was pure fun into a race to the greatest blast, with no limits at all. Drugs had its role on it, for sure, still I personally think that Society had a bigger role on that. Look back to that kind of music: stereotyped, commercial, with no values at all. No wonder that its decay generated an empty music. Was it nobody’s fault? Maybe everyone of us was involved, since we were dragged into that! But, as you can see, we’re already stepping back to conquer our personal spaces once again. And that’s an improvement.

Mark Zonda: How it happened that you became an Italo Disco artist?

Reeds: I was running down a dream. I was a singer and guitar player in a band, into some international pop rock thing. I was the writer. I wrote all the songs of the band and I used to arrange the melodies with them. Someone noticed my voice on a contest in Veneto. Some impresarios from Milan were in the crowd. After a week I was already in Milan recording my first album and trying to stay in the surface working as a model and doing picture stories on magazines. Two months passed and my first album for Discotto Records was released.

Mark Zonda: Wasn’t a kind of retreat leaving your guitar for a “computerized” music?

Reeds: Yes, no. Computer music was fine with electro sounds. It was a peculiarity of dance. We needed to pass through it. As you can see guitars are back everywhere in the pop universe since many years.

Mark Zonda: Was Festivalbar a good way to promote Italo Disco artists or Disco Ring and other niche tv shows were more relevant in order to be cool?

Reeds: Disco Ring was more like an institution. A presence in the National TV Station RAI has always been considered a decisive passage in someone’s career. Festivalbar was a travelling show, bringing tv into big squares. You had a real contact with the audience in there. I can remember some dates with more than 40.000 persons! It was the caravan, a real circus bringing along mates, men from record labels, producerds and beautiful women! Totally cool!

Mark Zonda: Still… were there groupies in the world of Italo Disco as well?

Reeds: Yeah. Sort of. But those kind of groupies weren’t so emphasized like the ones of the ’70s. The main difference was that those girls didn’t followed the musicians on their moves, but we regularly met girls on our shows on every place we went. We used to move really quick, and we couldn’t allow ourselves to have obstacles on our way. We used to do even 10 shows in a week. Just remember that days in a week ad usually 7 and that we worked all over Europe and…

Mark Zonda: How deep Italo Music has influenced other international musical fashions?

Reeds: I would say that rather than influenced any Italo Disco literally blew so many genres away. We used to race head to head with the untouchable Brits and Americans. It was a great satisfaction for many Italians. We finally were able to touch the World! It’s clear that that movement was deeply influenced by American sounds. But the first drum machines, sequencers and a more commercial approach to the songs were able to distinguish our music from English and American productions.

Mark Zonda: Still wasn’t Italo Disco a smart ass move to save money on recordings without investing in big bands just like American productions?

Reeds: Well… I wouldn’t say smart ass. It was just the first step! We had the chance to use samplers and electronic in commercial music for the first time. The original movement required that: rythm, sequencers, keyboards able not to miss a beat. The unforgettable sounds of Linn and Roland drums were not inferior to DX7 vibes. I also remember that sax had also its moment, and I used to really like it sound too. Now it’s practically forgotten by any kind of music, from dance to rock. It’s quite a miracle that it was not wiped away from jazz! If we wanna talk ’bout not being professional and cutting edge let’s talk about house! It was a lot worse! House and techno! Those were failing trying to be smart asses! Just a person in a room taking care of everything at home just with a keyboard and a beat at 140 bpm! They killed horses, and they weren’t Klaus Shultze at all!

Mark Zonda: What’s your impression on Neo Italo Disco project? Why there’s still so much hype about this kind of music after so many years? A reprise of this movement has good chances to spread or it’s all about revival and nostalgia?

Reeds: Mark, on the real world it’s normal for music to recycle itself. Today we can see ’80s sounds coming back just everywhere all around the world. What’s impossible to clone it’s the real movement and that’s because the times we’re living are too different for our behaviours and culture. Allright, we can sure agree that we all do miss those days, so you can still count on many Italo Disco listeners. Technically speaking even I wouldn’t be able to make new songs with the sounds of the eighties. Too many things has changed for me. Inside and out. I live music following my feelings, through senses and my own eyes. I’d go for pure revival then. Never the less it’s been a year since I’m back with a new band playing live, and reprising some of my and some friends  hits from those times and a new production. I’m working on it right now.

Mark Zonda: Hey! It’s good to see you alive and kicking! Tell us a little about your new adventure….

Reeds: Yeah! I was surprised as well, even if telling you the truth I never stopped doin’ music. But I can tell you I’m feeling a new energy since we started recording, and I’m looking forward to play new stuff live too.  We’re six on the stage, and we’re one of the few bands able to offer a real good version of revised ’80s dance tunes live. We’re working on a new project in studio. We’ve got a cool vintage rock attitude with and  international sound. We’ve got a lot of piano and guitars. Tones of melody. The name of the band is “The Key”. I’m working with DJ Omar B and Luigi Salamon, an arranger able to work on anything passing through classical music to jazz and dance pop. An interesting project. Every song has got a deep emotional strength, being able to communicate feelings really straight. It will be ready next year. Meanwhile… Hughes and kisses to all ’80s Italo Disco lovers all around the World!

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