Alexander Robotnick, a longtime electronic musician who broke through during the Italo disco heyday of the early ’80s, has announced two compilations. Radio Versions Vol. 1 and Radio Versions Vol. 2 each consist of seven singles. They release April 16th and 30th, respectively, on his own Hot Elephant Music.
As the titles suggest, all the songs on each compilation are radio edits of previous Alexander Robotnick (real name Maurizio Dami) singles. The original versions first appeared in his Robotnick’s Archives series – with the exception of “Je t’Envoie” from Vol. 1 and “Fischio” from Vol. 2. The combined tracklist encapsulates Dami’s progressive style of synth disco: sometimes lighthearted, sometimes tense, but enduringly danceable.
Dance Music’s Lost Era
Italo disco is a somewhat nebulous term that describes that synthesizer-heavy style that coalesced in Italy after the Stateside supply of disco nearly ground to a halt at the end of the ’70s. The 1983 Alexander Robotnick single “Problèmes D’Amour” was among the most popular songs of the era. It was one of the first pieces of music to use a Roland TB-303 Bass Line synthesizer – years before misuse of the device birthed the acid house phenomenon.
Dami branched out into world music in the late ’80s, collaborating with the likes of Indian-Italian band Govinda on songs like “Devotion” and “Transcendental Ecstasy.” He went on to organize the first-ever Ambient Music Festival in Florence in 1995, and he revisited electro after the turn of the millennium with a 2002 album titled Oh no…Robotnick.
Radio Versions Vol. 1 and 2 will be available for purchase on the Hot Elephant Records website. Find the tracklist for each upcoming effort below.
Radio Versions Vol. 1:
1. Waiting for You (Radio Version)
2. Serenade (Radio Version)
3. It’s All Right Baby (Radio Version)
4. I Want You (Radio Version)
5. Le Freak (Radio Version)
6. Give me Something (Radio Version)
7. Je t’Envoie (Radio Version)
Radio Versions Vol. 2:
1. Funky Skunky (Radio Version)
2. Fischio (Radio Version)
3. Can You Hear Me? (Radio Version)
4. Infinite Solitude (Radio Version)
5. Minore Terzo (Radio Version)
6. This Is No Country For Heroes (Radio Version)
7. Disco Action (Radio Version)
