Festivalbar with a straight body: at the origins of Italian catchphrases

Like every summer, but with an even greater need for respite than usual, a swarm of catchphrases flies around ustelling about escape, lightness and open spaces far from the usual routine.

Summer 2023 catchphrases

The whole truth about summer songs Colapesche and Dimartino have already talked about this in their self-deprecating short film directed by Zavvo Nicolosi and Giovanni Tomaselli. However, in this demanding August 2023, the ingredients for the perfect summer hit recipe seem to have increased in dosage.. Obviously, we need especially effective antidotes for stress.

The music, as Elodie and Mengoni sing, “goes strong with fear, panic / to send everything to hell / for no reason”, or walking around in slippers and dancing. Girls just want to have fun mix with Be my baby on the red carpet disk paradise to avoid panic for the future, while “anxiety goes up and down like a yo-yo” and the billionaire on duty “has a boat, but also four detours.””. And so with Emma and Tony Effe we ​​go Taxi on the moon or with Angelina Mango you run “like a car on the highway of the sun.” Anyway, no luck, we’ll think about it tomorrow.

Reference to the 80s and 90s

Another striking thing about the lyrics and atmosphere of summer 2023 catchphrases is that constant reference to the 80s and 90s. They range from Rigueira to Cyndi Lauper, from Italodisco from The Kolors to Tony Effe who “reads techno and pasta in the clubs” and is “toxic” like Britney Spears, and then “Cher’s autotune stays in the head” to Marco Mengoni.

It also happens that a supernova like BLACK GLASSES dream teams AVA / ANNA / Capo Plaza you indirectly mention the 90s Saxon Laurent Wolff after the model Mister Saxobeat Alexandra Stan, and StrawberryLuxurious sexy fruit and vegetable fantasy Achille Lauro and Rose Villain flirting with Sunny reggae calm back. Everything is ready for the group dance on the platform.

Summing up, all the roads of catchphrases lead to the most danceable and liberated Festivalbarbut also to be aware of the fact that the reality beyond the dream still exists and maybe even songs cannot change it. We have selected for you some iconic dance numbers taken from the golden decade of Kermesse. Exactly what of the retro proposals launched into orbit crazy music

2023.

Classic Festivalbar catchphrases

1979

Let’s start at the end of the previous decade. The Festivalbar troupe has Italian productions of the highest caliber that are becoming catchphrases, such as cosmopolitan reggae Loredana Berte And the moon knocked or new wave Oh oh oh From Faust’odirected respectively by two historical Battisti collaborators Mario Lavezzi and Alberto Radius.

Loredana went for CGD, and Faust’O went for a rib more artistic and the popular label Ascolto, which Caterina Caselli really wanted to give space to less popular projects.

Another performance ahead of its time was an American supermodel. Ann Steelwho appeared on stage dressed as a sexy astronaut and sang My time. The song was a postmodern fantasy about a world of acrylics and bookshelves, quoting Einstein and the Eiffel Tower. The ideologist and producer of the project was in fact the avant-garde musician Roberto Cacciapaglia, who in this case abandoned his research in the field of pop synthesis, reminiscent of Giorgio Moroder’s sequencers.

Had a great italo dance hit to make the most of it, Hutchi Kutchiamong the latest publications Brothers La Bionda such as DD Sound, the acronym under which the group licensed the most typical dance productions destined for the international market.

1980

This edition was won jointly by Miguel Bosé and the hinting rector Cobra, but which also differed in performance Mirothe unforgettable Maurizio Archeri and Christina Moser, who on this occasion let their icy and post-punk pop synth flirt with the needs of a rhythmic and catchy summer hit.

It was Many kisses, an erotic dream set in Tirana, electronic and sexy, made from synthesizers and sequencers. It will become a timeless classic in DJ sets around the world, from Berlin to New York, through the clubs of London’s East End.

In addition to them, the audience of the Arena di Verona was forced to dance with a colorful performance Peter Jacques Group. The project was born from a collaboration between French producer Jacques Fred Petrus and Mauro Malavasi, one of the most important names in Italian dance. They founded Goody Music Productions and opened a recording studio in Bologna.

Their mix of American disco music and electronic sounds is making great strides towards italo disco. Together with Macho, they became the authors of a cover for I am a manthe first real international success of italo-dance.

1983

This is the year let’s go to the beach. OUR Rigueiracontrary to what one might think, did not win the circulation, overtaking such classics as bubbles From Vascoor Desperate love From Nada. But they left an equally indelible mark.

The fortieth anniversary of the work was marked not only by the victorious intuition of The Kolors, but also by publishing success. Oh oh oh oh oh – Rigueiras, beach and summer 1983, recently published by Nottetempo, in which about three hundred pages talk about the “universe let’s go to the beach“.

The apocalyptic breath that reigns in the text is not far from another of the great catchphrases of that year, also clearly present in the Festivalbar, the famous Tropicana belonging italian groupcuriously reminiscent of the doomsday atmosphere that seems to characterize our summer days.

Along with the feat of the Rigueira brothers (who were assisted here by Carmelo La Bionda) there were other Italian successes based on the sound of sequencers and drum machines. Was IC Love

unusual cybernetic funk of new wavers Ghaznevada, Adventurers From Joe Squillo and second single Diana East, Louvreagain, like the previous, historical, single tenaxproducer Enrico Ruggieri.

Then there were some of the main italo-disco italian production groups. Claudio Simonetti and Giancarlo Meo higher from Vivienne Vee, now in decline, Pierluigi Giombini and Paul Michioni, with I want you Gary Low I like Chopin gazebos.

Finally, there was Claudio Cecchetto with a very blond Croatian singer, a naturalized Italian, Sandy Marton. The following year, he was destined to disappear due to one of the most popular Italian disco phrases: People from Ibiza.

Here were the general rehearsals. Sandy Marton sang well run, a synthetic pop dance track that has been around for a while and is associated with Sandy’s first moniker “M. Basic” and was used as the ringtone in an advertisement for the Philips Videopac console. Italo disco became a reality.

1984

What is certain is that the 1984 Festivalbar cast was very rich in catchphrases more or less tangentially related to the genre. Besides Sandy Marton, which we’ve already talked about, and that mixture of songwriting, AOR and Italo disco that self control From Raf (and then Laura Branigan), that year the public was hit by a flurry of success right at the box office.

The review becomes wandering. In addition to Verona, the show stops in Jesolo, Chioggia, Marsala, Vieste, Syracuse, Fiera di Primiero. Even in Malta.

Hits seem to sound from one beach to another moving on twentieth century and Night side project of Valerie Dore, survivor Mike Francis (first example of downtempo italo disco), Only you by Savage, ultra melodic Perhaps one day creatures, Shine in the dance former beatnik of Carrara, dreams P. Lyon.

Some projects were more focused on a funk sound with a thousand twists. This is the case Change of heart belonging Changethe creation of the aforementioned Mauro Malavasi along with Peter Jacques, and witch queen belonging Kano, a project produced by Luciano Ninzatti and Matteo Bonsanto, directed by producer and keyboardist Stefano Pulga. The latter in those years also began an interesting solo career on his own behalf.

However, as a sign of the times, we prefer to specify the transformation Amanda Lear from disco queen and italo disco queen with single Murderer. It was written for her by Cristiano Malgioglio and Alberto Radius. He also had a video clip directed by filmmaker Mauro Bolognini the year he won the Festivalbar. Photo romance Gianna Nannini.

1986

The 85 edition was the prerogative of Rigueira, but also of smaller Italo-disco hits such as Tarzan Boy from Baltimore dance number Ivan Cattaneo e future brains Dan Harrow. Instead, italo disco became a real taste imperative the following year.

In fact, Claudio Cecchetto’s discovery won the ’86 edition. Tracey Spencer. Cape Verde naturalized the English language, it was quick to succeed in Italy, and just as quick out of the circle.

It means little. His only album Tracey is a small collection of Italo-disco clichés, beautifully orchestrated by Cecchetto along with Pierpaolo Peroni and Marco Guarnerio. Also contains Love is like a game, written for her by Ivana Spagna, is indeed Spain. The latter received a prize for revelation with floor filler. Light lady.

Two pearls of the edition for the report. The first is the debut of a very young girl Sabrina Salerno

which is sure to prove itself next year with an ultranote boys. Sabrina sings here, with all the sour elegance of her performances of the time, sexy girl. A real minor classic, masterfully produced by the usual Claudio Cecchetto.

Then there is another meteor, this time much more unknown. It’s about Linda DiFranco. She became famous thanks to the single TV scenes. But that year he promoted My bosswhich was part of the album Rise of the heartproduced by Don Vas and wanted by Francesco Carboncini, who called great musicians such as keyboardist Luis Edgardo Resto and Anglo-Polish guitarist Jakko Jakszyk, then Level 42 and even King Crimson.

Linda wanted to direct, so that was her only foray into a discography. One of the latest tracked news about her is that she is on a film crew Star Trek.

Song of the swan

These were the last bullets. Italian dance, as evidenced by other catchphrases at Festivalbars in later years by artists such as Technotronic, Snapp or Mecano, was gradually reabsorbed by Eurodisco. The geography of production has shifted to the other side.

The festival bar itself, which initially outlived the jukebox with which it was so tenaciously and even symbolically associated, will gradually lose its centrality. About those nights on the Riviera, about those “vacations in ’83” that, as the Baustels sing, “seemed artificial”, nevertheless remains one of the photographs most subject to the ups and downs of fashion. Snapshot. Strictly Polaroid.