ITALIAN DANCE FUNK - SELECTIVE DISCOGRAPHY

 Jacques Fred Petrus and Mauro Malavasi epitomised the first wave of Italian disco. They not only set up a commercial bridge but also a cultural one between US and Italian dance music. Little Macho Music motivated a whole world of labels to join the game. During the early '80s Italian top deejays like Claudio Cecchetto, Paul & Pietro Micioni, Leonardo Re Cecconi and Alvaro Ugolini moved on to the music business just like Fred Petrus had done earlier. Whether they cloned the style of pioneers Malavasi & Petrus or not, Italian musicians succeeded in making a typical Italian funk sound that could easily stand the test with funky U.S. productions. They frequently made up American-sounding names to lend credibility to their productions and were in fact the forerunners of Italo Disco. Many of the records were mixed at Mediasound studios in New York City where plenty of great background singers were available.
Successful Italo-funk producers were: Claudio Simonetti & Giancarlo Meo (Vivien Vee, Easy Going, Capricorn, Kasso), Giancarlo Meo (Barbara York, Fascination), Celso Valli (Tantra, Azoto, Passengers), Stefano Pulga & Luciano Ninzatti (Kano, Jimmy Ross), Tiziano Mazzilli (J.M.T. Band, Jimmy Ross, Vin-Zee), Laurent Van Meerhaeghe (J.M.T. Band , Jimmy Ross, Vin-Zee), Dario Raimondi & Alvaro Ugolini (Advance), Claudio Donato (Selection, Tom Hooker, Jago, Kano, Rainbow Team, Firefly, Trance, Band Of Jocks, Electric Mind, Stephany, George Aaron), Franco Donato (Selection, Orlando Johnson), A. Candelora (Electric Mind), Fio Zanotti (Marzio, Game, Flowchart, Harry Valentino), Claudio Giusti (Metropole, Cristal White), Romano Trevisani (Marzio, Game, Mesa, Bravo, Flowchart, Cruisin' Gang, Harry Valentino), Luigi 'Luis' Figini (Dr. Togo, Kano), Leonardo Re Cecconi (Dr. Togo, Koxo), Serse May (Bravo, Mesa), Michele Violante (Korja, Rainbow Team, Jago, Ago), Kynsha (Korja, Ago, Jago), Al Festa (Metropole, Dr. Jerky & Mrs. Hives), Geoff Bastow (KID), R. Cucinotta (Boeing), Maurice Cavalieri (Evo, Rainbow Team, Firefly, Nexus, Ago, Korja), Maurizio "Sangy" Sangineto (Firefly, The Armed Gang, The Creatures, The Passengers), Paul Micioni (Mr. Lover, Mike Francis, Amii Stewart, Gary Low), Peter Micioni (Mr. Lover, Mike Francis, Gary Low), Tony Carrasco (The Gong's Gang), Matteo Bonsanto (Kano) and Victorio Pezzola (Asso).
The tasteful Italian R&B-disco or boogie not only appealed to the European dance public but also seduced the American dancefloors. Many Italian disco artists like Vin-Zee, Jimmy Ross, Kano and Firefly reached high positions on the U.S. Billboard Disco/Dance Charts and the Billboard R&B Charts.
The artists and producers involved in this thriving and vibrant Italian music scene were like one great family. Illustrative for this Italian funk in-crowd is perhaps the figure of Luigi 'Luis' Figini. He produced Dr. Togo’s soulgem “Be Free” and enrolled Kano-singer Glen White as Dr. Togo’s lead vocalist in 1983. Figini also produced Kano and participated in projects of Peter Jacques Band, Change and B.B.&Q. Band in 1985. Luigi Figini is a close friend of Mauro Malavasi too. Paolo Gianolio conducted and mixed the Vivien Vee disco album With Vivien Vee in 1983, on the sleeves of which both Kano-singer Glen White and Davide Romani get a special thanks. Davide Romani played bass guitar on Flowchart’s rare New Harlem Funk / A Little Love A Little Wine album under the pseudonym of Dav. Mandingos. The Italian boogie-funk scene was one great family indeed! In 1983 George Mikulski of the German label ZYX launched the term Italo-Disco to label Italian dance music in general.