9 Obscure Italian Disco Tracks That Celebrate Queer Culture (1977–1983)

Check our playlist of hidden anthems of identity and escape, pulsing with disco beats and subversion.

Pride is here, and Italian Disco Stories invites you to hit the dancefloor—or the bedroom—with these hidden gems produced by Italian artists between the late '70s and early '80s. While being openly queer wasn’t easy back then, these tracks offered a fabulous escape into a world where everyone could finally be themselves.

Wonder – “I Woman” and “I Man” (1978)

Very little is known about the mysterious singer who went by the name Wonder. Aside from a handful of recordings and a few record sleeve images, there's hardly any trace of him. We can't even say for sure if Wonder was Italian, though the label behind the release, the iconic Baby Records, and the names of the writers and producers suggest a strong Italian connection.

In 1978, Wonder released a two-track single: I Woman and I Man - two disco-drenched cuts that challenge gender norms and celebrate queer identity. The lyrics express a fluid sense of self, against a backdrop made of driving basslines, arpeggiated synths, and dancefloor-ready energy. Wonder’s vocal delivery is expressive and feels a bit Amanda Lear-ish, blending vulnerability and power to deliver a message of self-acceptance and gender liberation.

Virginie et Barbara – “Viens” (1977)

Sultry, slow-burning, and wrapped in soft French whispers, Viens by Virginie et Barbara is a non-disco gem that simmers with queer undertones. Recorded and released in Italy in 1977, the track falls in a short lived trend of whispered and moaned sapphic sensuality floating over a bed of mellow synths, steady rhythms, and cinematic strings. These records (and mostly tapes) were usually not in regular record stores but in gas stations and newsstands - points of sales and distributions of erotic fantasy to the male italian population.

Spoken in Italian with a playful French accent, the lyrics are a murmured invitation to let go between two women friends somewhere alone with a thunderstorm as their companion. More chanson than anthem, Viens is disco’s slow exhale, mysterious, romantic, and quietly radical.

Eve Court – “Venere + X” (1977)

Venere + X is a stunning oddity from the shadowy corners of Italian disco; a cosmic, erotic funk journey that feels like it was made for red-light districts underground discotheques. Built on a hypnotic arpeggiated bassline and pulsing drums and percussions, the track is a slow seduction, layering pads and spoken vocal fragments that talk about the birth of a special kind of Venus (the artist himself/herself), with a voice that is male in nature but both gendered in intentions.

Produced by Piero Manera (long time collaborator of Dino Siani, Marcello Giombini and other notable Italian musicians) the track (and full album) is drenched in analog orchestral warmth and an almost mythological sensuality. What gives Venere + X its queer resonance isn’t in lyrics, but its energy and mood: androgynous, futuristic, and liberated from binary structure. It’s music for seduction, a perfect example of how Italian disco could be both intimate and otherworldly.

Cristiano Malgioglio - "Io, la pantera" (1978)

Even if it’s not so “obscure” here is a dramatic dive into the flamboyant side of Italian disco, “Io, la pantera” - pure dancefloor decadence. The track builds on a pulsing disco beat that is reminiscent of Gino Soccio’s banger “Dancer” that was also released that year: brass stabs, sweeping strings, and a series of dramatic screams announcing the descent of the alluring panther that is Malgioglio himself.

Cristiano Malgioglio’s vocal delivery is the star: campy, theatrical, and full of sleazy seduction that sits outside of any norm. There’s no traditional structure here, just a sustained sense of drama and liberation. The lyrics may be sparse and repetitive, but they work like a mantra: a confident declaration of gender liberation that cuts through the swirl of the disco beat.

Sonia Argento – “Supergay” (1980)

Supergay is a high-camp, slow disco/pop queer gem. The track opens with a bouncy, almost cartoonish synth riff that feels lifted from a B-grade erotic comedy or a late-night variety show, and that’s precisely its charm.

The lyrics themselves are fun and a rare instance of explicit queer visibility in a time when most Italian disco flirted with innuendos. But beneath the kitsch, there’s an undeniable empowerment in reclaiming the label, turning what might have been an insult into an anthem. Supergay sits on the B-side of Argento’s single “Fallo Insieme A Me”, where she invites one of her straight girlfriends to let go of inhibitions and make love to her.

A true pop gem for your list — fearless, funny, and fantastically flaming.

Easy Going – “Fear” (1979)

“Fear” is a masterpiece of queer- infused erotic tension. From the moment it opens, the track radiates menace and seduction in equal measure. Claudio Simonetti’s production oozes in the synth lines, cinematic strings, and a bassline that creeps rather than grooves set the tone for one of the most daring pieces in Italy’s queer disco canon.

Vocally, it’s raw and theatrical: the fear is real, but so is the pleasure. As with much of Easy Going’s output, homoeroticism isn’t just suggested, it’s embedded in every beat. The lyrics push it into fetish territory, blurring lines between danger and desire.

What makes “Fear” so powerful is how it captures the darker side of liberation. While disco is often remembered for joy and excess, this track plunges into the shadows, showing how fear, repression, and fantasy can coexist on the same dancefloor. It’s BDSM in 12-inch form, a proto-industrial Italo trip that dares to make you uncomfortable.

Isadora Juice – “Isadora” (1980)

A futuristic disco rock oddity, Donna Automatica by Isadora Juice sounds like it was beamed in from a parallel dimension where cyborgs vogue and gender binaries are scrambled. Over a mechanical rhythm and icy guitar textures, Isadora intones the words “uomo… donna…” in a voice that’s both seductive and alien, blurring the very concept of identity.

The track blends performance art and disco that wouldn’t be out of place in a Fiorucci fashion show. It’s camp, cold, and channeling the aesthetic of robotic femininity as a sensual act.

Leopoldo Mastelloni – “Donna” (1978)

A theatrical statement disguised as disco balladry, Donna by Leopoldo Mastelloni walks a tightrope between cabaret, queer confession, and avant-garde pop. Here Mastelloni delivers a powerful, androgynous vocal that sounds like a scream for liberation more than a melody. If being gay, was something to be quiet and reserved about, Leo makes sure that the entire world can hear his claim to femininity.

Known for his unapologetically queer persona in Italian theatre and TV, Mastelloni turns this track into a performance of gender itself. His repeated invocation of “donna” feels less like a love song and more like an incantation, summoning, questioning, and impersonating femininity all at once. In the landscape of 1970s Italian disco, this track is an anomaly, less dancefloor-filler, more queer art intervention. But its subtext and delivery mark it as essential listening: a rare example of disco being used not only for escapism but for reinventing identity through performance.

Melissa – “Un Po’ Gay” (1980)

With its cheeky title and bouncy disco production, Un Po’ Gay is a sugar-coated anthem of ambivalent liberation. Over a simple disco-pop beat, Melissa sings with a wink, teasing, coy, and knowingly camp.

However beneath the bubblegum, Melissa captures a pivotal moment in Italian pop culture where queerness was beginning to flicker at the edges of mainstream media. Not politicized, not tragic, just flirtatious and fun, highlighting how a gay man is the perfect man for a straight woman.

Hildegard – Gay (1983)

“Gay” by Hildegard is a defiant, high-camp italo disco gem launched directly at the heteronormative expectations of early '80s pop culture. Sitting between disco and synthpop, with mechanical rhythms and bright keys, the track overpowers Hildegard's vocals that remain seductive and unique. The lyrics are an invitation to a young gay man to embrace self-acceptance, to break free from social constraints, and make love—however it sets him free. “How old are you? Who cares if you are gay” is the opening line and the manifesto of the entire track, which over time has become a sought-after gem for Italo disco lovers.