Wikipedia

Italo dance

Italo dance(also writtenItalodance) is a genre ofelectronic dance musicthat originated in the mid-1990s inItalyas a regional development ofeurodance;its sound subsequently evolved into a distinct yet closely related form.

Italo dance
Other namesItalodance
Stylistic origins
Cultural originsMid-1990s, Italy
Derivative forms
Other topics

The genre had its peak of popularity from the late 1990s to the mid-2000s, chiefly inItalyandSan Marino,but it also enjoyed great success in the rest ofEuropeand in theAmericas.

The genre's most successful acts includeEiffel 65,Gabry Ponte,Paps'n'Skar,Kim Lukas,Neja,Prezioso & MarvinandGigi D'Agostino.

Sound

edit

Influences

edit

The sound of the genre evolved directly fromEurodance.Italo dance displays a great influence fromItalo disco,a genre which was very popular in Italy during the 1980s. Italo disco was a direct continuation ofdisco music(which would never experience arejection wavein Italy), incorporating the new sounds that had begun to emerge from the late 1970s. Another main influence comes fromItalo house,an Italian-based form ofhouse musicalso influenced by Italo disco.

Characteristics

edit

The sound of Italo dance usually tends to be positive and uplifting. Lyrics are mainly aboutlove,partying,dancingand expressingfeelings,and are generally sung in English or Italian.
The genre is characterized by the extensive use ofsynthesizers,piano-based melodies and simple, catchychoruses.Other typical elements are a 'metallic'basslineand the use of thefour to the floorrhythmic pattern;vocalsoften employvocoderandpitch correction.

History

edit

Through the 1990s, severaldanceartists from Italy enjoyed huge international success: amongst themAlexia,Black Box,Corona,DJ Dado,Gala,Robert Miles,The Tamperer featuring Maya,Double YouandWhigfield. They became known outside Italy, in countries such as France, Spain, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States. Albums likeBest of Italo Dance Vol. 14managed to make their way to the charts of some countries, as it happened in Sweden. In November 1994,WEA Italylaunched the IDM(Italian Dance Machine)label, aiming to popularize Italo dance on a global scale.

In the meantime, from the mid-1990s, the sound of some artists began to evolve and become gradually distinct from "general" Eurodance; this new sonority broke through from the end of the decade.
During 1999, several Italo dance artists dominated the international music charts, in particular dance groupEiffel 65,but alsoAnn Lee,Gigi D'Agostino,Neja,Kim LukasandPrezioso & Marvin.
Eiffel 65's first single, "Blue (Da Ba Dee)",was released in late 1998 and became an international hit in the following year, peaking at #1 on the music charts in several countries, including Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Australia and Canada. In the United States, the single reached #6 on theBillboard Hot 100,while the albumEuropoppeaked at #4 on theBillboard 200.Amongst other successful singles from the album, "Too Much of Heaven"and"Move Your Body"(both 1999).
In summer 1999, Gigi D'Agostino released his hit single "Bla Bla Bla",mixingItalo houseand Italo dance: the song reached #3 in Austria and #4 in Germany. In 2000, he repeated the success with his signature single "L'amour toujours".
Also in summer 1999, Italy-based English singerKim Lukasreleased her hit single "All I Really Want":the song entered the top 10 in Italy, Canada (peaking at #2), Denmark and Austria. Prezioso & Marvin released their single"Tell Me Why",also entering the top 10 in various countries.

These successes paved the way for the new genre: in 2002, Eiffel 65 DJGabry Pontestarted a parallele solo project, releasing hit singles such as "Geordie"(a remake of the eponymous song byFabrizio De André,based on a traditional Englishballad) in the same year, and "Figli di Pitagora" in 2004, featuring Sammarinese pop-rock legendLittle Tony.In 2003, Eiffel 65 participated in theSanremo Festivalwith the song "Quelli che non hanno età"; they also released successful singles in the Italo dance style, such as "Viaggia insieme a me" (2003). In 2005, groupPaps'n'Skarreleased their best-known song, "Vieni con me".
Since the beginning of the new millennium, other artists began to release new material inspired in the Italo dance sound, even outside Italy: as an example, German groupItaloBrotherscan be quoted.

After the mid-2000s, however, Italo dance's popularity began to decrease, as other genres were rising to prominence: amongst these, theelectro housepioneered by Italian DJBenny Benassiwith his 2002 single "Satisfaction",and the music ofEDMproducers likeBob SinclarandDavid Guetta.

Nowadays, Italo dance is still cultivated by fans, and songs in the genre are sometimes aired by radios all over the world. The genre is also usually present in retrospective music festivals, such asArena Suzuki(Arena di Verona,Italy).

In 2022, the genre experienced a revival thanks toDargen D'Amico's hit "Dove si balla", heavily inspired in Italo dance sound and atmospheres.[1][2]

References

edit
  1. ^Uzzo, Cecilia (3 February 2022)."Dargen D'Amico è tutti noi quando si domanda Dove si balla".GQ Italia.Retrieved6 February2022.
  2. ^Marino, Gabriele (3 February 2022)."Dargen D'amico con" Dove Si Balla "a Sanremo ci invita a fottercene del disastro".Sentireascoltare(in Italian).Retrieved6 February2022.

Bibliography

edit
edit
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Italo_dance&oldid=1247286481"