The name Clay Pedrini might not mean a huge amount to you, but for a certain strain of Italo Disco fan, he's a pretty big deal. Despite a career that stalled after one single due to an unfortunate case of whiplash, his name has been whispered from Rome to Rimini, Randazzo to Rapino.That one single, that one moment of pure pop perfection, that solitary effort, "New Dream" is part of a tricolour triumvirate of reissues set for release on San Francisco label, Dark Entries, late this month. Pedrini pops up alongside records by Blue Russell and Wish Key, in a package that's got us desperately trying to kickstart the time machine that's sat in our garage gathering dust, just so we can experience them in their bombastic heyday in the clubs that littered Italian costal resorts in the 80s.We've got an exclusive stream of "New Dream" playing below and trust us when we say that it'll be running through your head all summer long. We also had a quick catch-up with Josh Cheon from Dark Entries about the reissue series and the eternal power of Italo.THUMP: What kickstarted your interest in Italo?
Josh Cheon: I was the RPM music director at my college radio station in New Jersey and would review all the electronic and dance music that was sent to us. I reviewed the I-Robots compilation when it came out in 2004 which contained mostly instrumental versions of many Italo Disco classics and I loved them. Little did I know I was missing a key element to the genre: the vocals. A few months later I met DJ Jeffrey Sfire who introduced me to much broader spectrum of Italo. I was also a member of the CBS (Cybernetic Broadcasting System) message board and would read the Italo threads and listen to the CBS Top 100 each year.How do you go about sourcing records this year and re-issuing them?
As a DJ and record collector, I could not afford many of the Italo songs that I wanted. I decided to start contacting the artists and labels in hopes of reissuing the more expensive records. Eventually I decided to also release classic Italo anthems that were out of print but not fetching hundred dollar sums on auctioning websites.What, if any, Italo 12"s are you still hunting down?
I think the list is too large to mention, but hopefully the upcoming Italo reissues I have planned will help me check off my want list.What is it about the Italo sound that keeps drawing people in?
Chicago House music, Detroit Techno and Miami Freestyle were all influenced by Italo. From time to time I'll hear a pop song on the radio and immediately link it to an Italo song. The music is full of rich melodies and sometimes silly vocals that get stuck in your head. Plus the arpeggiated synthesizers and major key chords scream for attention. Also, many of the songs engage the dance floor and are perfect to weave into any type of DJ set.Dark Entries' reissue series hits shelves on June 30th.Follow Dark Entries on Twitter // SoundCloud // Facebook
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Josh Cheon: I was the RPM music director at my college radio station in New Jersey and would review all the electronic and dance music that was sent to us. I reviewed the I-Robots compilation when it came out in 2004 which contained mostly instrumental versions of many Italo Disco classics and I loved them. Little did I know I was missing a key element to the genre: the vocals. A few months later I met DJ Jeffrey Sfire who introduced me to much broader spectrum of Italo. I was also a member of the CBS (Cybernetic Broadcasting System) message board and would read the Italo threads and listen to the CBS Top 100 each year.How do you go about sourcing records this year and re-issuing them?
As a DJ and record collector, I could not afford many of the Italo songs that I wanted. I decided to start contacting the artists and labels in hopes of reissuing the more expensive records. Eventually I decided to also release classic Italo anthems that were out of print but not fetching hundred dollar sums on auctioning websites.What, if any, Italo 12"s are you still hunting down?
I think the list is too large to mention, but hopefully the upcoming Italo reissues I have planned will help me check off my want list.What is it about the Italo sound that keeps drawing people in?
Chicago House music, Detroit Techno and Miami Freestyle were all influenced by Italo. From time to time I'll hear a pop song on the radio and immediately link it to an Italo song. The music is full of rich melodies and sometimes silly vocals that get stuck in your head. Plus the arpeggiated synthesizers and major key chords scream for attention. Also, many of the songs engage the dance floor and are perfect to weave into any type of DJ set.Dark Entries' reissue series hits shelves on June 30th.Follow Dark Entries on Twitter // SoundCloud // Facebook