Why Is 80s Italo Trendy And 90s Europop Not?

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

The subject line sez it all frankly!

I am assuming - from the evidence of my ears - that the one is no better than the other. How did Italo become such a buzzword? Do you like it? If so why? (Please do not be defensive and assume I do not like it!!)

Comments

[acute-records.livejournal.com]

sorry I didn't see this till now. Maybe by now you've heard enough other stuff, but italo means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. In the widest sense it goes back to early euro-disco from the 70s all the way to pop hits of the 80s. Through the filter of DJs and importers in the states, the only italo that got "hipster cred" was the stuff that DJs in NY, Chicago, SF etc were playing, which mostly was either the classic disco stuff (Macho, Kasso, Peter Jacques Band, Change) or, especially in Chicago and Detroit, the more minimal/electronic stuff, which has as much to do with New Wave, Synth-pop and Electro-funk as it does with disco. My exposure to Italo was through the records you'd find in american dj shops and what you'd hear on old radio and live recordings. Klein + MBO, Scotch, Pineapples, Gay Cat Park etc. My interest in italo-disco brought me to the more popular stuff, but most of it didn't take. Sure I can see the similarities, but it doesn't mean I have to like it.

Likewise, it's obvious to me that some of the most euro-pop club hits of today are clearly related the hipster italo obscurities of yesterday, but they're not necessarily the same either.

To say not liking Tarzan Boy is just snobbery...that only works if you Tarzan Boy sounds exactly like Spacer Woman or Mr. Flagio. Other then those all being "italo-disco", there's a world of difference there.