Italo disco
The Italian take on disco established itself as a style in its own right, influencing everything from house to synthwave
I-f brought Italo disco to a new generation with his Mixed Up In The Hague compilations
© Rene Passet
It’s very common for genres to be named after the place in which they were first developed – think Detroit techno, Philly soul or UK funky – but there’s a second category of genre which represents a location’s take on an existing style. Sounds like Berlin techno, UK drill or even Scouse house weren’t completely new, but were a local evolution of an existing sound. The same can be said of this month’s genre, Italo disco. What makes this interesting though, is how the sound evolved into its own distinct style and went on to influence countless other genres.