Searching the site…
Try a search
Site search
Search covers page content as well as titles.
Nothing found. Try another word.
Sixth track already - save favourites and download without limits
Sign upThe core of Disco Magic - Italo Disco of the 80s: history, formula, artists.
224 articles newest first
In 1983 the group Big Ben Tribe releases a cover of David Bowie's “Heroes” (1977) on Zanza Records. The same year Hipnosis covers Vangelis's “Pulstar” (1976) on Memory Records, and Cockroach covers The Beatles' “Get Back” (1969) on the Out label. Three covers in one year - all on Italian labels.
1983, Italy. On the Crash label - a sub-label of Il Discotto Productions - a 12-inch single appears: China Town “Bette Davis Eyes”, catalogue number DS 005. It is a cover of Jackie DeShannon's song, which Kim Carnes turned into a number-one hit in 1981. The vocalist is Dora Carofiglio, uncredited on the sleeve. The single does not chart, gets no rotation, and twenty years later exists only in collectors' hands.
The Technics SL-1200 arrived in October 1972. The Pioneer CDJ-500 - in 1994. Between these two models lies the boundary that separated the 80s disco from the 90s: vinyl gave way to CD, the analog synthesizer to the sequencer, the live MC to the DJ set. The key "disco 80s 90s" is searched 131,196 times a month - but the difference is not in "mood", it is in technology, carriers and the format of the evening.
1983 and 1993 - ten years, two sounds, one dancefloor. Italo-disco with a four-on-the-floor kick on a LinnDrum and a melody on a Roland Jupiter-8 meets Eurodance, where the same kick is already programmed in a sequencer and the vocals are split between male rap and female chorus. Party music for the 80s and 90s is not two playlists back to back but one set where the seam between decades is inaudible.
A model-neutral first session: clear a pattern, place kick and snare across sixteen steps, animate the hi-hat with accents, add restrained swing and record the result.
Italo Disco and synth-pop use the same instruments but chase different goals. We compare tempo, vocals, structure and examine ten ambiguous tracks that could belong to either camp.
Soviet songs dressed in Italo Disco introduce familiar melodies to a new generation. We explain what makes a cover work, the arrangement technique, and the best makeovers from the Disco Magic catalogue.
Italo Disco lyrics were often written by non-native English speakers, so literal translation rarely works. We explain how to preserve rhythm, image and mood, and give tips for anyone who wants to translate.
"Don't Wake Me Up" by J.D. Jaber is a prime example of melodic yet overlooked Italo Disco. We break down the credits, label, vocals, versions and why the song keeps coming back.
Montreal in the early 1980s became one of the capitals of Hi-NRG: Lime, Trans-X and the French-English scene produced dozens of dance hits. We look at the studios, labels and key releases of Canadian electronic dance music.
The Cyber People project combined space-age synthesizers, mechanical vocals and the dance foundation of Italo Disco. We trace the group's history, the cult track "Polaris", and its link to spacesynth.
Tony Carrasco brought electro-funk rhythm and New York club energy into Milan's Italo Disco scene. We look at his work with Klein & MBO, his Saville connection, and how he shaped the sound of European dance floors.
The SSL 4000 console became the studio standard of the 1980s thanks to flying faders, its legendary bus compressor and clean preamps. Here is how this British desk changed the density and brightness of Italo Disco, synth-pop and European pop mixes.
A working profile of the 1985 Roland JX-8P: two DCOs per voice, the purpose of the PG-800, useful preset lessons and a fair comparison with Juno-106 and Yamaha DX7.
From the organist TR-77 of 1972 to the digital R-8 of 1989: Roland released rhythm machines that shaped the sound of pop, disco, techno and Eurodance. Full chronology and sound of each model.
Eurodisco - live strings, 110-128 BPM and smooth dynamics. Eurodance - Roland TR-909, 130-150 BPM, rapper + singer and sectional radio form. Comparing the two European dance genres.
Mid-80s, Barcelona and Madrid. Blanco y Negro and Max Music license Italian hits, while local projects release their own Italo-disco. A map of the Spanish scene.
Favourites, the live chat and requests come with the account.
Free of charge. Favourites, the live chat and playlists come with the account.
Enter the email your account is registered with - we will send a reset link. It is valid for 1 hour.
Enter the 6-digit code from the email and the account is ready.
The link from the email works too - it is valid for 24 hours.
Loading your saved tracks…
