Originally released in 1980, Kano is the group’s debut full-length album. Many consider the effort’s use of funk synth and disco to have influenced the electro and breakdance sound of the ’80s. The remaster is being released through Full Time Production, a sub label of renowned Italian record label Goody Music Production. The label covers a wide range of electronic music including house, tech house and electro.

Earlier in 2021, Kano cofounder Stefano Pulga released a solo album titled No Cents… Go Funky!

Formed in 1979, Kano’s first international hit was the single “I’m Ready,” which peaked at #21 on the US Black Singles chart. Two other singles, “It’s a War” and “Ahija,” reached #2 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play charts in the U.S. for five weeks. The group was known for combining ’70s disco, funk, and R&B while also using synthesizers and percussive handclaps. They also extensively used raw-processed and vocoderized vocals to create their influential sound.

Each vinyl edition of the album is hand-numbered and includes an MP3 version available through Bandcamp. For more information on the release, including how to purchase it, head here.

The seven tracks comprising Radio Versions Vol. 3 hail from various points throughout Robotnick’s extensive discography. “Les Grands Voyages De L’amour” came out in the early ’80s, for instance, whereas “Can I have an Ashtray” arrived a little over a decade ago. Radio Versions Vol. 4, meanwhile, includes covers of songs by jazz greats Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis and John Coltrane in addition to five originals from Robotnick’s 2015 album, Music For an Imaginary Club.

Italo disco was the missing link between the disco of the ’70s and the tracky sounds of ’80s house and techno. Alexander Robotnick (real name Maurizio Dami) was one of the foremost artists associated with the genre, perhaps most notably for his 1983 hit single “Problèmes D’Amour.”

As the years passed, however, Dami did not let his moment in the Italo spotlight define his career. In the late ’80s he explored world music by collaborating with the likes of Govinda, and he organized the inaugural Ambient Music Festival in Florence in 1995.

More information on Radio Versions Vol. 3 and Vol. 4 is available on the Hot Elephant Music website.

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)