Many Italo fans all around the world are still curious about the music, artists and record labels that were involved in making and producing Italo music. So we (Marcello and Gino) tried to write a small biography of this music style. We know that we are not complete and we will see things in a different way than others. Nonetheless we have a lot of experience in this scene. Our contacts and dozens of visits to Italy and studio's, artists, record companies, vocalists and music promoters throughout the years gave us some picture of the birth and flowering period of this music style. We've made it into a story through time, discussing the different periods and the highlights. We also give some insight in the people behind the music, the ones that compose, wrote, sang and produced the music. We consider Italo as the dance music made and created by Italians and which over the years evolved in many styles like Italo Disco, Italo House, Italo Progressive, Italo Dance and Italo Euro Beat (sometimes called Hi NRG music).
The i Venti d'Azzurro company was founded in 1986, the year that Italo disco flourished in many European hitparades. The company still exists as a record company creating, producing and publishing "new old" Italo tracks, see www.iventi-records.com. The 4 labels from I Venti Records try to cover the different music styles from the 80s, keeping that magic sound alive. "Old" news and more information can be found at www.iventi.net. The present times offer new possibilities to promote music so we switched some years ago to the internet and social media informing fans and staying in contact with the Italians. But a lot of fans asked for the stories behind the Italo Disco movement, so we've decide to write this "old style" book as an information source for the fans all over the world.
After reading this you will discover that Italo music was not a small period in the disco or dance movement but still plays a part in the disco and dance music history.
Many thanks goes to: Federico di Bonaventura, Jean Paolo Porzio, Gianni Demarin, EugenioTovini, Mauro Farina, Andrea Leonardi, Marcello Catalano, Edward den Heijer, Lex van Coeverden, Ferry Voortmeijer, Michael "Mezza" Halve, Marcel van der Harst, Eddy "Pareggio" Kreischer, Arie "Firenza" van Wiggen, Danny "Silenzio" Roosen, Sandro Roos, Alberto Carpani, Giancarlo Pasquini, Enrico Savino, Mark Hoogkamer, Jeroen Mooijman, Rene van Geenen, Ingo Jahn and Raymond Dijkxhoorn.