The Genesis of Italian Disco (No, Not Italo Disco)
American influences, early synths, and Italy's own tradition created a unique sound
Within a mirror-clad, black-box-like set complete with neons, strobes, and flashlights, the spandex-clad American-born dancer-turned-soubrette Heather Parisi breezily performed a meta-poetic song about disco music, delivering some sort of manifesto.
“Disco disco dove io sono veramente io… Disco disco manda via, tutta la malinconia…,” [disco disco where I am my real self, disco disco chases all the sorrows away] she sang with helium-infused vocals, voicing both the liberating power of the four-on-the-floor beat and the ubiquity of the music genre. These were the opening shots of the 1979 variety show Fantastico, then the prime showcase of music, comedy, and dance on national TV. It owes its title to the mix of reality and fancy, and to its over-the-top set designs.
By 1979, you could hardly escape the disco sound, and that was true even for…
