Disco Made In Puglia: The Legacy of Pioneering C&M Record Label

Between local folk and rising disco culture, the Bari-based label was the only hub for aspiring musicians from southern Italy between the mid 70s and early 80s.

When I was 10 years old, my small home town in Puglia offered very little to anyone interested in music or entertainment. The closest hub was the city of Bari for people who wished to cultivate their passion beyond their school’s end of year recitals. It was quite an effort to get there but my mom was an angel. Every day we took the bus so that I could attend music classes at C&M (Cultura e Musica), a cultural compound that included recording studios, various labels as well as music classes. With the guidance of Rosa Cavalieri - daughter of C&M founder Lino - , I studied music theory and piano together with other kids around my age.

I remember the coming and going of emerging artists, record executives, orchestra musicians, instruments and cables all wrapped in a cloud of cigarette smoke, lush indoor plants and stylish leather couches. And as I observed all of this, in the recording room, some of the coolest disco and Italo disco tracks were being recorded. Tracks that though passed qu…