Italian Disco vs Italo Disco

How to make a distinction between two music genres that are often and mistakely classified together.

Around 1985, I found myself performing live all over Puglia. Some were song contests, some were appearances on local TV stations, such as Telebari or Telepuglia. People would catch my performances and invite me to sing live at political rallies, carnivals, and fairs, where I’d serve as the opening act for established Italian singers such as Bobby Solo and Marcella and Gianni Bella. 

That same year, I also started opening for italo disco acts as well, such as Novecento and the artist known as Den Harrow, who claimed he was from Boston but was born and raised in Nova Milanese. Harrow was at the peak of his popularity, with singles such as “Future Brain,” from the album Overpower. This sent me down the rabbit hole of the back catalogue of Baby Records, which had become a continent-wide leading label as it specialized in Italian pop and Schlager crossover alongside italo disco. 

Mind you, this was not my first experience with the sound that would then be known as italo disco: two years prio…