Ah, Italia. Home of cappuccinos, delicious pasta, gorgeous suits, and cars that rarely leave garages for fear of catastrophic engine failure. Italy is also known for a legacy of electronic dance music that includes the astounding Giorgio Moroder as well as the influential Italo Disco pioneers Mr. Flagio and B.W.H. But this post will focus on the Italian House that utilized piano chords, Roland drum machines and synthesized bass and pads. Lush, gorgeous pads that reflect the beauty of the Italian people and idyllic landscapes of the Mediterranean.
Popular throughout Europe during the 90s, Italian Dream House provides a baroque counterpoint to the austere Teutonic techno. It also emerged after the House success of Italy’s Black Box, who produced the classics Ride on Time and Everybody, Everybody, but was more inspired by the Deep House sounds coming from Chicago and New Jersey. The same drum machines and synthesizers used in the U.S. were utilized in the making of Italian Dream House, which makes it seem familiar while the ethereal chords and sparkling melodies give it a “dreamy” feel.
The music seems made for the French and Italian Riviera, or the clubs in Ibiza, where the only worry for an ecstatic clubber is whether their tan will turn into a burn before the sun sets. The fluid baselines were usually produced with a Yamaha DX series solid bass and drive the groove while a steady 909 kick, bright cymbals and claps keep the energy up. The ubiquitous M1 piano, chimes, luxuriant synth pads and sounds of nature fill out the rest of the sound and nearly afflict the listener with Stendhal Syndrome. There’s few better remedies for the dreariness of urban life as this overwhelmingly positive music.
Italian Dream House has enjoyed a recent resurgence due to compilations released by Young Marco, an Amsterdam-based DJ and producer, on his Safe Trip label between 2017-2018. The releases document the best of Italian Dream House between 1989-1993 across three volumes, and showcase artists like Key Tronics Ensemble, Dreamatic, K2 and Jacy. The compilations are available on Spotify (Vols. 1 & 2 and Vol. 3) and I’ll end the post here as you should listen to the compilations.
Don Carlos – Alone (1991)
While not on the Young Marco compilation (likely due to copyright issues, as the omission is too glaring to be one of ignorance or selection), Don Carlos’s Alone is probably the best Italian Dream House song. Alone features all of the typical elements, but the introduction of a gauzy saxophone vaults it to the forefront of the discussion over the definitive Italian Dream House track. Vol. 3 does include Don Carlos’s Oeverture, though, so at least the collection includes a track from one of the best in the genre.
Key Tronics Ensemble – Calypso of House (1990)
Calypso of House from Kekko Montefiori is used to open of the Welcome to Paradise series, and its hard to think of a better way to get the party started. A piano melody runs through most of the song, supported by sparse piano chords, thin cymbals and strings with a simple bassline driving the groove.
Dreamatic – Audio Trip (1991)
Gorgeous. Released on the DFC, an Italian House label founded in 1987 and a big promoter of the Italian Dream House style through about 1993. Nothing too complex about this one, but it uses its limited sound palette to great hypnotic effect.
Green Baize – Tramp Heart (1992)
Hello, Alex Neri! One of the finest Italian House producers, Neri has made music over a three-decade career and is still very active, producing new dance classics like Peaceful Warriors and the single Redeem. He was also in the Italian electronic group Planet Funk, whose hit Chase The Sun reached #5 on the UK singles chart. If you like the idea of a really cool DJ set in a Florence market with fresh produce in the foreground, this one’s for you – it even closes with Agua Re’s Holy Dance from 1992. Wow! Look at those beautiful people!
High Tide – Time Unlimited (1990)
Its got moans! And a harp! Really great tune, full of weird sounds and an unexpected flamenco solo near the end.
Orinoco – Stolen Moments (1991)
Unlike many of the other “dream” house sounds, Orinoco’s Stolen Moments was recently repressed in 2016 and has a more of an acid techno feel than the others. It also shows a strong influence from the bleep techno coming from Northern England, and shows the diverse dance music Italy was producing in the early 90s.
Sueño Latino – Sueño Latino (1989)
An early example of the genre, Sueño Latino was also released by the DFC label and was a minor hit throughout Europe in 1989. It heavily samples, with credit, from Krautrock musician Manuel Göttsching’s E2-E4, a popular club hit itself from the early 80’s.