The long musical tradition of electro-disco, Italo style, foregrounds Innervisions’ newest release. Bringing together five producers for a celebration of their cosmic past and future-forward present, Romantico Disco EP is a resolutely Italian affair.
As a three-decade stalwart of the music scene in his native Sicily, Mauro Di Martino is best known and well- known for his house sound under the moniker Musumeci. Elsewhere the elusive, anonymous newcomer Phunkadelica has offered a fresh injection of rugged dimension and intergalactic groove since their 2017 debut. Uniting on the first half of this EP, Musumeci & Phunkadelica’s talents merge in a playful, complex tug-of-war. “Babilonia” is as abundant as its mythical name suggests, with a snaky groove and retro laser trails embedded in the framework of a modern house burner. The pair’s second production, “Velluto Blu,” means ‘Blue Velvet’, and is a moody and evocative take on dark, slow disco full of cinematic suspense.
On the record’s B-side, alumni artists Stereocalypse, aka Olderic & Andrea Doria, return from the heights of “Blue Dome Escargot,” as featured in the latest instalment of acclaimed Innervisions series Secret Weapons Part 10 . In similar spirit to the guitar licks that drove “Blue Dome Escargot,” the first of the duo’s Romantico Disco productions, “Lone Solo Drummer,” focuses on the rhythmic capabilities of a percussive kit, joined with bass and sparkling synth stabs for a live band sound aesthetic. To complete the EP, Stereocalypse’s second production, “The Cunning Man” gazes across the sea to the Balearic Islands, and further beyond that to the cosmos, growing in size to engage its full intergalactic powers.
Published: 3rd October 2018