View source for Italo dance

{{Short description|Music genre}}
{{Infobox music genre
| name              = Italo dance
| other_names = Italodance
| stylistic_origins = {{hlist|[[Eurodance]]|[[Italo disco]]|[[Italo house]]}}
| cultural_origins  = Mid-1990s, Italy
| derivatives       = {{hlist|[[Lento violento]]}}
| subgenres         = 
| fusiongenres      = 
| other_topics      = {{flatlist|
*[[Eurobeat]]
*[[Bubblegum dance]]
*[[Eurotrance]]
*[[Hands up (music)|Hands up]]
*[[Music of Italy]]
}}
}}
{{Electronic music top}}

'''Italo dance''' (also written '''Italodance''') is a genre of [[electronic dance music]] that originated in the mid-1990s in [[Italy]] as a regional development of [[eurodance]]; its sound subsequently evolved into a distinct yet closely related form.

The genre had its peak of popularity from the late 1990s to the mid-2000s, chiefly in [[Italy]] and [[San Marino]], but it also enjoyed great success in the rest of [[Europe]] and in the [[Americas]].

The genre's most successful acts include [[Eiffel 65]], [[Gabry Ponte]], [[Paps'n'Skar]], [[Kim Lukas]], [[Neja (singer)|Neja]], [[Prezioso & Marvin]] and [[Gigi D'Agostino]].

==Sound==
===Influences===
The sound of the genre evolved directly from [[Eurodance]]. Italo dance displays a great influence from [[Italo disco]], a genre which was very popular in Italy during the 1980s. Italo disco was a direct continuation of [[disco music]] (which would never experience a [[Disco Demolition Night|rejection wave]] in Italy), incorporating the new sounds that had begun to emerge from the late 1970s. Another main influence comes from [[Italo house]], an Italian-based form of [[house music]] also influenced by Italo disco.

===Characteristics===
The sound of Italo dance usually tends to be positive and uplifting. Lyrics are mainly about [[love]], [[partying]], [[dancing]] and expressing [[feelings]], and are generally sung in English or Italian. <br/>
The genre is characterized by the extensive use of [[synthesizer]]s, [[piano]]-based melodies and simple, catchy [[Chorus (song)|chorus]]es. Other typical elements are a 'metallic' [[bassline]] and the use of the [[four to the floor]] rhythmic pattern; [[vocals]] often employ [[vocoder]] and [[pitch correction]].

==History==
Through the 1990s, several [[electronic dance music|dance]] artists from Italy enjoyed huge international success: amongst them [[Alexia (Italian singer)|Alexia]], [[Black Box (band)|Black Box]], [[Corona (band)|Corona]], [[DJ Dado]], [[Gala (singer)|Gala]], [[Robert Miles]], [[the Tamperer featuring Maya]], [[Double You]] and [[Whigfield]].
They became known outside Italy, in countries such as France, Spain, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States. Albums like ''Best of Italo Dance Vol. 14'' managed to make their way to the charts of some countries, as it happened in Sweden. In November 1994, [[Warner Music Group|WEA Italy]] launched the IDM (Italian Dance Machine) label, aiming to popularize Italo dance on a global scale.

In the meantime, from the mid-1990s, the sound of some artists began to evolve and become gradually distinct from "general" Eurodance; this new sonority broke through from the end of the decade. <br/> During 1999, several Italo dance artists dominated the international music charts, in particular dance group [[Eiffel 65]], but also [[Ann Lee (singer)|Ann Lee]], [[Gigi D'Agostino]], [[Neja (singer)|Neja]], [[Kim Lukas]] and [[Prezioso & Marvin]]. <br/> Eiffel 65's first single, "[[Blue (Da Ba Dee)]]", was released in late 1998 and became an international hit in the following year, peaking at #1 on the music charts in several countries, including Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Australia and Canada. In the United States, the single reached #6 on the [[Billboard Hot 100]], while the album ''[[Europop (album)|Europop]]'' peaked at #4 on the [[Billboard 200]]. Amongst other successful singles from the album, "[[Too Much of Heaven]]" and "[[Move Your Body (Eiffel 65 song)|Move Your Body]]" (both 1999). <br/> In summer 1999, Gigi D'Agostino released his hit single "[[Bla Bla Bla (Gigi D'Agostino song)|Bla Bla Bla]]", mixing [[Italo house]] and Italo dance: the song reached #3 in Austria and #4 in Germany. In 2000, he repeated the success with his signature single "[[L'amour toujours]]". <br/> Also in summer 1999, Italy-based English singer [[Kim Lukas]] released her hit single "[[All I Really Want (Kim Lukas song)|All I Really Want]]": the song entered the top 10 in Italy, Canada (peaking at #2), Denmark and Austria. Prezioso & Marvin released their single "[[Tell Me Why (Prezioso & Marvin song)|Tell Me Why]]", also entering the top 10 in various countries.

These successes paved the way for the new genre: in 2002, Eiffel 65 DJ [[Gabry Ponte]] started a parallele solo project, releasing hit singles such as "[[Geordie (ballad)|Geordie]]" (a remake of the eponymous song by [[Fabrizio De André]], based on a traditional English [[Sentimental ballad|ballad]]) in the same year, and "Figli di Pitagora" in 2004, featuring Sammarinese pop-rock legend [[Little Tony (singer)|Little Tony]]. In 2003, Eiffel 65 participated in the [[Sanremo Festival]] with the song "Quelli che non hanno età"; they also released successful singles in the Italo dance style, such as "Viaggia insieme a me" (2003). In 2005, group [[Paps'n'Skar]] released their best-known song, "Vieni con me". <br/> Since the beginning of the new millennium, other artists began to release new material inspired in the Italo dance sound, even outside Italy: as an example, German group [[ItaloBrothers]] can be quoted.

After the mid-2000s, however, Italo dance's popularity began to decrease, as other genres were rising to prominence: amongst these, the [[electro house]] pioneered by Italian DJ [[Benny Benassi]] with his 2002 single "[[Satisfaction (Benny Benassi song)|Satisfaction]]", and the music of [[electronic dance music|EDM]] producers like [[Bob Sinclar]] and [[David Guetta]].

Nowadays, Italo dance is still cultivated by fans, and songs in the genre are sometimes aired by radios all over the world. The genre is also usually present in retrospective music festivals, such as Arena Suzuki ([[Arena di Verona]], Italy).

In 2022, the genre experienced a revival thanks to [[Dargen D'Amico]]'s hit "Dove si balla", heavily inspired in Italo dance sound and atmospheres.<ref name="GQ">{{cite web|access-date=6 February 2022|first=Cecilia|last=Uzzo|date=3 February 2022|title=Dargen D'Amico è tutti noi quando si domanda Dove si balla|url=https://www.gqitalia.it/show/article/dargen-d-amico-dove-si-balla-significato-testo-canzone-sanremo|website=[[GQ Italia]]}}<!-- auto-translated by Module:CS1 translator --></ref><ref>{{cite web|access-date=6 February 2022|first=Gabriele|last=Marino|date=3 February 2022|language=it|title=Dargen D'amico con "Dove Si Balla" a Sanremo ci invita a fottercene del disastro|url=https://www.sentireascoltare.com/news/dargen-damico-dove-si-balla-sanremo-disastro/|website=Sentireascoltare}}<!-- auto-translated by Module:CS1 translator --></ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* James Arena, ''Stars of 21st Century Dance Pop and EDM : 33 DJs, Producers and Singers Discuss Their Careers'', [[McFarland & Company]], 2017 {{ISBN|978-1-4766-2894-3}}, {{Google Books|id=kNUkDwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover|title=online preview}}
* Riccardo Sada, ''EDM, E Dio Mixa: Guida polifonica all'Electronic Dance Music'', Nobook, 2017 {{ISBN|978-88-98591-30-5}}, {{Google Books|id=EHcoDwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover|title=online preview|language=it}} (in Italian)
* Andrew Whittaker, ''Italy: Be Fluent in Italian Life and Culture'', Thorogood Publishing, 2010 {{ISBN|978-1-85418-628-7}}, {{Google Books|id=VkI7VU2D-twC&printsec=frontcover|title=online preview}}

==External links==
* {{cite magazine|first=Michael|last=Paoletta|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]], vol. 114, nº 26, 24 June 2000, p. 86|title=For Italo Dance-Pop, "Business Isn't Great, It's Huge"|url=http://americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Music-and-Media/90s/1996/MM-1996-07-27.pdf}} {{ISSN|0006-2510}}
* {{cite magazine|last=|first=|date=27 July 1996|title=Market Place > Gabriel Giusty: Happy Summer – New Music (Italy)|url=http://americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Music-and-Media/90s/1996/MM-1996-07-27.pdf|url-status=bot: unknown|magazine=[[Music & Media]]|location=|publisher=|volume=13|issue=30|page=10|archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20171129171916/http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Music-and-Media/90s/1996/MM-1996-07-27.pdf|archive-date=2017-11-29|access-date=}}
* {{cite magazine|first=Mark|last=Dezzani|date=26 November 1994|title=Southern Dance in Prime of Life, Majors Get Into Action|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Music-and-Media/90s/1994/MM-1994-11-26.pdf|url-status=bot: unknown|magazine=Music & Media|location=|publisher=|volume=11|issue=48|page=8|archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20170629170235/http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Music-and-Media/90s/1994/MM-1994-11-26.pdf#federation=archive.wikiwix.com&tab=url|archive-date=2017-06-29|access-date=}}
* {{cite web|url=https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.9981&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.9981.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.9981|title=Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 9981|magazine=[[RPM (magazine)|RPM]]|publisher=[[Library and Archives Canada]]}}
* {{cite web|author=|publisher=swedishcharts.com|title=Best of Italo Dance Vol. 14|url=https://swedishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=&titel=Best+Of+Italo+Dance+Vol%2E+14&cat=a}}
* {{cite web|publisher=vice.com|title=Gigi D'Agostino e Gabry Ponte rivivono in Germania grazie agli Italobrothers|url=https://www.vice.com/it/article/italo-brothers-i-tedeschi-che-amano-la-dance-italiana/|language=it}}
* {{cite web|publisher=vice.com|title=Dieci pezzacci dall'era d'oro dell'italodance|url=https://www.vice.com/it/article/dieci-pezzi-era-oro-italodance/|language=it}}
* {{cite web|publisher=[[discogs.com]]|title=Italodance|url=https://www.discogs.com/it/style/italodance}}

[[Category:20th-century music genres]]
[[Category:Pop music genres]]
[[Category:Dance music genres]]
[[Category:Eurodance]]
[[Category:Italian popular music|Dance]]