Letter 7 - Disco is Dead, Long Live Disco (Part 2) - Neapolitan Funk
Italo disco & and the Neapolitan funk revival
Hi,
This letter is part 2 of a series on modern disco, funk and related genres. You can read Part 1 here to find some recent nu-disco, disco, funk and boogie records.
As always, I have curated playlists that you can listen to while you read - Apple Music - Spotify.
I intended to write primarily about two Italo disco-adjacent 2024 releases (Bassolino’s Città Futura & Ex Generation’s The Napoli Exchange), but as both records represent a new chapter in the story of the revival of a partially forgotten music genre, I thought I should share more of that story with you. So instead, this letter is to introduce you to “Neapolitan funk”, a relatively niche, Italo-disco influenced sub-genre from Southern Italy that I’ve been obsessed with for the better part of 2 years now.
This letter is split into four parts, the first about how I came to this obsession, the second and third containing some context and background for Italo disco & Neapolitan funk, and the fourth with my usual record recommendations.
If you aren’t interested in the background and just want some music to listen to, please feel free to skip to “Part 4 - The Neapolitan Funk Revival (2018 - 2024)”.
No movie recommendations this week, I’ll be back with those next week.
If you enjoy this letter and the music I’ve recommended in it, and you’re based in London, there are two parties you should check out to hear these types of records and similar global groove sounds, played out in a setting they were created for:
Sweetnighter hosted by Neapolitan-London DJ Joseph Russell who plays strictly vinyl-only. The next Sweetnighter is on Saturday December 14th at the Jago in Dalston, and tickets are only a tenner.
Far Corners hosted by Sicilian DJ Daniele Mizar and Arabic-British DJ Kamar. The next Far Corners is actually on Friday December 13th, also at the Jago in Dalston, and tickets are only £11.50.
Also shout out to this 2022 podcast Dimitra Zina interviewing Nu Genea which provided essential colour, this 2022 mini-documentary from Stamp The Wax, and these articles by Jack Needham on the same topic from 2017 and 2019. Each were hugely helpful, particularly given the language barrier.
Finally, a shout out to my pal Alex for putting me on to Nu Genea about 4 years ago, where this obsession all started.
Please like & subscribe, share with anyone who would enjoy, and let me know what you think of any of the recommendations (either directly or in the comments below).
Much love, Odhrán x
Part 1 - Odhrán, why are you giving us a backstory to Neapolitan funk?
Although I’ve been a fan of acts from this genre for about 4 years now, I became aware of my own ignorance of what was happening in Napoli in March 2023, when myself and two pals saw Nu Genea play at The Outernet in London. It was a miserable wet Wednesday night outside, but inside the place was packed with the energy of the Amalfi coast. It felt like every Italian in London was there and the atmosphere was off the charts - everyone knew every word, there were SSC Napoli and Maradona flags draped over the barriers and Neapolitan chants kicked off between songs. I was actually able to dig out a video of my live reaction walking out of the venue.
I really thought we were the only non-Italians in the building, and how these incredible musicians were able to keep this crowd in the palm of their hands through lengthy saxophone and drum solos fascinated me. What really got me though, was the reverence the crowd had for the keys player and the synthesizer player when they stood for their bows, despite both being relatively low-key during the performance compared to the the singers, drummers and guitarists who were front and centre.
This sent me down a rabbit hole of working out who these musicians were and where they came from, which led me to discovering a load of amazing music being released by a loose group of artists and record labels in Napoli. With a couple of commercially successful exceptions, Neapolitan funk is sorely underappreciated outside of Italy, and getting enough of a captive audience to make writing this specific letter worthwhile is a big part of why I started The Odhracle in the first place.
Part 2 - Italo disco & the roots of Neapolitan Funk
As referenced last week, when America largely left disco behind in the late ‘70s, Europe took a different path. ABBA remained a dominant charting force, remixes of tracks like Rasputin and Daddy Cool kept Germany’s Boney M relevant, and critically the synthesizer-driven “Euro-disco” output of France’s Marc Cerrone (son of Italian immigrants) and West-Germany based Italian Giorgio Moroder gained global influence.
Growing up and right into my early 20s, it was the likes of ABBA, Chic and Earth, Wind & Fire that I would have associated with the word “disco”. It wasn’t until I started hitting more grown-up dancefloors and hearing DJs mix songs like Cheryl Lynn’s Got to Be Real and Donna Summer’s I Feel Love with modern house music did I start to connect some of the dots - and it was learning about Donna Summer and Giorgio Moroder’s creative partnership that really opened my eyes to the world of Italo disco, and its related genres like Hi-NRG.
The term “Italo disco” has loose origins to West Germany where it was used to market Italian disco music, typically featuring electronic beats, synthesizers and (often cheesy) English lyrics, although the term is generally considered a broad church of disco music produced in Italy across the ‘70s and ‘80s. Italo disco became a mainstream genre producing national and international hits, a lot of which have stood the test of time like Pino D’Angio’s Ma quale idea, or Sabrina’s Boys (Summertime Love), whilst others feel extremely dated (e.g. Baltimora’s Tarzan Boy).
Outside of those hits, I suspect the Italo disco that readers of this letter will be primarily familiar with are the Giorgio-influenced modern dancefloor-friendly tracks played out by the likes of Palms Trax or Hunee (e.g. Mr Flagio’s Take a Chance & Hypnosis’ Pulstar).
Falling somewhere just outside of those two Italo disco buckets are the sounds that emerged from Napoli during the same period. The term Neapolitan funk is doubtless a simplification of a complex genre - it covers funk, disco, boogie, various fusions and all influenced by Italo disco, and also benefitting from other factors which helped create its distinctive character.
Napoli’s role as a Mediterranean port means it was exposed to Mediterranean and African music and culture not as prominent in Northern Italy. Consequently, Neapolitan acts that achieved commercial success at the time like Tullio De Piscopo (Stop Bajon - an absolute banger by the way), Pino Daniele (A Me Me Piace ‘O Blues) & Napoli Centrale (Campagna (B)) intertwined funk, jazz and blues with Neapolitan sounds and language. This created a unique breeding ground, and away from those mainstream Neapolitan artists, the city and the region produced huge amounts of music throughout the late ‘70s and ‘80s.
Unfortunately, the music industry in Napoli at the time was largely controlled by the Camorra mafia, who used record producing and distribution as a means of money laundering. As a result, little of this unique funk, disco, boogie and afro-beat influenced music made it outside of Napoli, and the reissues, compilations and remixes that kept funk and disco alive elsewhere passed Neapolitan funk by.
Part 3 - Prima della Nuova Napoli (2015 - 2018)
I need to introduce some of the key names of this early stage:
NG Records is a label founded by Massimo Di Lena and Lucio Aquilina, who are the founding members of Nu Genea (then-called Nu Guinea).
Early Sounds Recordings is an independent record label founded by Dario Di Pace (Mystic Jungle), Pellegrino S. Snichelotto (Pellegrino & Zodyaco) & Di Lena.
Periodica Records is an independent record label from Napoli founded by Di Pace and Raffaele Manny Arcella (DJ Whodamanny).
Napoli Segreta are a DJ duo formed of Lorenzo Sannino (Famiglia Discocristiana) & Gianpaolo Della Noce (DNApoli).
Also to set the scene prior to April 2018:
Napoli Segreta began to structure their DJ sets around obscure Neapolitan funk, boogie and disco records, found in the back of record stores or at flea markets in the Napoli region.
Berlin-based Nu Genea had released a couple of electronic music singles, a tribal-dance EP (World (2015)) and their debut LP (The Tony Allen Experiments (2016)), jointly released by Early Sounds Recordings and French label Comet Records. A great jazz-funk album based on re-working the drums of afro-beat legend Tony Allen (Africa ‘70/Fela Kuti), but it’s not quite the Neapolitan funk sound we associate with Nu Genea today.
Pellegrino similarly released his debut jazz-funk LP (Periplo (2016)) on Early Sounds Recordings.
Critically, in 2017 Nu Genea, as a wedding gift for a friend of a friend, recorded a Balearic funk cover of Chrisma’s Amore and pressed it as a 7” record, released on Early Sounds Recordings.
Di Pace released two synth-driven Italo disco and Balearic funk records on Periodica, one with Arcella and fellow Periodica musician Milord as The Mystic Jungle Tribe (Plenilunio (2017)) and one solo as Mystic Jungle (Night of Cheetah (2018)). Both excellent records.
Napoli Segreta started releasing mixtapes featuring those Neapolitan funk sounds from their DJ sets, which caught the attention of Nu Genea, and the duos recognised the synergy between their journeys.
Part 4 - The Neapolitan Funk Revival (2018 - 2024)
In rough chronological order, I’m going to discuss some of the most important records released as part of the revival, as well as some of my favourites from this genre, culminating in the two 2024 releases I reference at the top of this letter.
As usual I have linked each record’s Bandcamp page in its section’s title. I can’t list every song I like in this section, particularly as many have only been released as singles, but I’ve included a broader selection in the playlists so you can get a fuller picture Apple Music - Spotify.
Nu Genea - Nuova Napoli (2018)
Encouraged by the response to their wedding gift recording, Massimo & Lucio decided to record and release a full LP of music inspired by Neapolitan funk. Nu Genea were tentative in their approach, only pressing 1,500 copies in the initial run. They undershot this number by a significant factor, and Nuova Napoli, kickstarted something of a niche revolution.
The laidback baselines, low synthesizers and mesmerising vocals on the title track Ddoje Facce were a hit. On a more up-tempo disco kick, Je Vulesse is a disco dancefloor filler, and the funky guitar riffs, silly vocals and catchy melodies on Disco Sole stick with you. The record features several musicians on top of Massimo & Lucio, including vocals from Fabiana Martone who I mentioned in last week’s letter.
Napoli Segreta - Vol. 1 (2018) & Vol 2 (2020)
A few months later, the Nu Genea boys teamed up with Sannino and Della Noce to release Napoli Segreta - a 9 track compilation of obscure Neapolitan disco and funk from the ‘70s and ‘80s. The compilation lives up to its name (roughly meaning “secret Napoli”), sourcing the tracks from the dark corners of Napoli was only half the battle, the other was securing the distribution rights. The aforementioned nature of the Neapolitan music industry at the time the songs were recorded presented unique challenges - for example the credited creators of I’ve Got The Music of Your Love were on the whole reluctant to acknowledge any involvement in its creation due to the context in which it was produced.
Still, it was well worth the effort to share these gems that would otherwise have gone unheard - I love Nun Ce Sta Nient a Fa which sounds a bit like a Neapolitan Ian Dury & The Blockheads, and disco toe-tapper Cicogna, suited for a montage from an Italian Magnum PI.
They teamed up again in 2020 to release Vol.2, this time with more funk and greater obscurity. I can’t help making a stank face for 3 straight minutes listening to the bassline and shouted vocals on Non C’e Sole, and I love the theatrical singing and guitar riff by on Dimme by the absurdly (in this context) named Marie Kelly.
In marrying Napoli Segreta with Napoli Nuova this crack team of cratediggers had already achieved what they set out to - marrying Neapolitan sounds of new and old, giving them each the exposure and appreciation they deserve.
Pellegrino - Zodyaco (2018) & Morphe (2020)
Pellegrino released his EP Zodyaco on Early Sounds Recordings in November 2018. Perfectly capturing the essence of Neapolitan disco, opening track Astri & Riflessi gentle lapping ocean shore gives way to funky baseline and some bongo drums, as the record gradually builds to Genti del Mediteraneo, featuring crazy bass slapping and disco beats, bongos and a gentle flute melody.
The disco-funk blend of Genti del Mediteraneo as a standalone track is perhaps more instructive than any other about where this micro-genre was going to go. When Pellegrino released full length LP Morphe with his band Zodyaco, the electronic disco-funk on Amermai feels both incredibly fresh with its electric keys and synthesized beats, but also true to the records which inspired him.
Mystic Jungle - Jurakan (2019) & Deviant Disco (2022)
Continuing to champion the more electronic Giorgio-styled end of the sub-genre at this stage, its hard to believe that title track of Mystic Jungle’s EP Jurakan was not made in some futuristic version of the 80s. Laser gun synths shoot across electric keys chord progressions, continually building to a drop consisting of electronic tribal drums - a cycle which repeats for a glorious head-bobbing 7 minutes. Definitely one of my favourite tracks coming out of this scene.
After a 3 year break, Di Pace returned as Mystic Jungle to heat up January 2022 with Deviant Disco, a 5-track EP of summertime Italo disco and boogie heaters, produced with Arcella and other Periodica musicians.
Less synthesizer focussed than Di Pace’s earlier records, the two obvious highlights are the dancefloor-ready Don’t Stop Your Love and Get Down On It. The former perfectly captures that 70s disco feeling as a track bursting at the seams with detail across the litany of instruments used, and the latter is a boogie two-tapper, and like Jurakan is a song I can’t help but bob my head along to.
Ciro Miami - Fratelli Malibu (2020)
Okay this is where (a) I get a bit loose with what I’m capturing genre-wise in this letter; and (b) the output gets more and more “out there” from this group of Neapolitan musicians. Fratelli Malibu is the musical vehicle of producers Andrea De Fazio and Paolo Petrella, the drummer and bassist in Nu Genea’s live band.
Fratelli Malibu is this cocaine-drenched ‘80s soundscape built of wobbly synthesizers and electro drums. The release notes put it best - “think of Ciro as a Neapolitan expat in the American dream, where he discovers a world of excess, flashy cars, cocktail bars, beautiful women, cocaine, gambling, spaceships and videogames that erodes all of his money forcing him to go back to Napoli completely broke, but with a fistful of wonderful memories.”
Originally released in 2020, re-issued in 2024 on La Scimmia Records (a label Petrella co-founded which focusses on releasing new Neapolitan music), I’ve had this record on repeat for weeks. My personal favourites are Salame Napoli which would have been perfect on the Vice City soundtrack, and closer Arkanoid, an 80s space opera with this crazy bassline.
Nu Genea- Bar Mediterraneo (2022)
Bar Mediterraneo, a bit of a concept album of a cultural melting-pot coastal bar, represents a slight step away from the pure Neapolitan-ness of Nuova Napoli and towards sounds a more Mediterranean sound. Given its commercial success (Marechià is approaching 30m Spotify streams and Tienaté just passed 21m), I’ll not eat up space in this letter by going on about it, but just to say it is truly one of my favourite albums, and I’m so grateful for how it highlighted this scene on a global stage. Seeing Nu Genea perform this album live in London in 2023 was one of the best gigs I’ve had the privilege of attending.
Lapa Dula - Agua (2023)
A late addition to the scene comparatively, the debut LP of guitarist and producer Lapa Dula (the Neapolitan Dua Lipa), Agua feels like a fun more-pop orientated take on the same sound Nuova Napoli drew on, with greater emphasis on the ‘80s than the ‘70s, but without taking as far a step into an electronic sound as taken by Mystic Jungle. Title track Agua is a holiday of a track - opening with some bird-like whistling and afro hand drums, breaking down into a synthy bassline and funky guitar riff, then whispered vocals and a summery melody on the keys creates a lovely vibe.
Psyché - Psyché (2023)
Formed of 3 Nu Genea live band members - guitarist Marcello Giannini alongside Petrella and De Fazio, Psyché’s eponymous debut album was actually going to be featured in my Khruangbin letter from a few weeks ago (not in the clones category, I promise!) and when the mellow guitar on opener Kuma at about 1:40 drops into this funky cumbia-inspired riff, you’ll know why.
I love how this Afro-Latin-Neapolitan guitar record is hypnotically relaxing, introducing a real psychedelic side not really present in the other records this crew have produced. Second track Cumbia Mahare is my personal favourite for how the rhythm and bass guitar sneak along as if soundtracking a heist in mid-century Mexico.
Paolo Petrella - Cumbia Luciana (2023)
Has Petrella had a day off in about 3 years? Insanely prolific, this is where this loose crew of producers are starting to experiment outside of their already quite blurry genre boundaries. Cumbia Luciana is a re-imagining of the hits of mid-century Neapolitan musician Renato Carosone, set in the sounds of Peruvian Cumbia.
Much like Ciro Miami, Cumbia Luciana is a concept album blending the sounds of the Neapolitan coast with that of the coastal Americas. I love opener Sarracino, but I’ll probably talk more about this album when I eventually write a letter about modern Cumbia music (which is 100% in your future given how many times I’ve rinsed this Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso Tiny Desk this year).
Bassolino - Città Futura (2024)
FINALLY, I reach the record I intended to start writing about at the start of this letter. Dario Bassolino is a Neapolitan producer, pianist and composer who’s worked with Nu Genea and Pellegrino over the years, and this debut album marks a new stage for a mainstay of Neapolitan funk.
One significant feature I haven’t discussed up to this point, which applies to many of the records I’ve talked about above, is the importance of cinema to a lot of the releases coming out of this space. You get a feeling that many of the tracks I’ve referenced can easily be slotted into the soundtrack of Hollywood ‘80s cheese or classic Italian cinema.
That sense is inescapable on Città Futura, as described by Bassolino speaking to Rhythm Passport - the creative process for the album “began with a screenplay I penned, depicting an 80s music producer adrift. The initial goal was to translate those images into music”, and Dario says the record’s “themes addressed are closely related to many movies. The concept of a soundtrack serves as a catalyst for listeners, aiming to offer something beyond mere listening.”
He achieves this cinematic soundscape with the vocals and guitar on ‘E Parole, conjuring up dramatic shots of the Italian coast, and on the jazz-heavy penultimate and final tracks Città Futura and Fuga Finale featuring dramatic arpeggios and basslines perfectly suited to 70’s and ‘80s spy and gangster films.
A real achievement in cinematic song-making, and a strong album adding an extra, jazzier dynamic to the Neapolitan funk scene.
Ex Generation - The Napoli Exchange (2024)
Switching hemispheres briefly, producer-combo Ziggy Zeitgeist and Lewis Moody emerged from the Melbourne-scene at the same time, now based in Berlin and London respectively. The pair established record label Energy Exchange Records in 2022, and have looked to release records created through international and cross-cultural collaboration.
The genesis of The Napoli Exchange came when Federico Gallotti, one of the co-founders of La Scimmia Records and Tartelet Records, suggested Zeitgeist and Moody should visit Napoli to record an album with various members of the Neapolitan funk scene. Zeitgeist & Moody did just that, putting together an assortment of musicians - Petrella, Bassolino, Alessio Pignorio (SuperMegaFunkinMachine), Paolo Bianconcini (Nu Genea), Pietro Santangelo (Nu Genea & PS5 - check out their stunning 2024 jazz EP Echologia), along with vocals from Melbourne singer Allysha Joy and Honeylips.
This exceptional dancefloor-ready disco, jazz & funk album was recorded in Napoli by Moody and Zeitgeist under the moniker “Ex Generation”, with the aim of “finding a middle ground between the new wave of Napoli Funk and Italo Disco, UK/AUS Jazz-Rave and German Electronic Music”.
I really like every track on this record - my favourites being the opening two tracks Juno Minerva, Venus e Fortuna and Che Fresco, with the ascending dreamy vocals and hand drums of Bianconcini dropping into what I presume is Petrella’s funky bassline on the former being a particular highlight.
Holding Your Heart showcases the crossover of Neapolitan funk/Italo disco with what I’d usually consider to a distinctly London neo-soul sound, although I can’t seem to find out much Honeylips, who’s buttery vocals feature on this song.
Their Bandcamp promo notes say this record “is the first edition of what is rumoured to be some kind of global jam band, an especially ambitious undertaking from the team at EX records”, and whilst its obviously silly PR guff for a band’s own promo notes to hint at rumours put forth by the band, I’m very excited to hear what comes next.
It feels fitting to end with this June 2024 release, showing how the Neapolitan funk revival, and the drive, ambition and dedication of those behind it, has grown from those pre-Nuova Napoli releases, and spread far beyond the borders of Italy, bringing this wonderful sound to the world.
I also saw Nu Genea perform in 2023, at a festival near Malaga, and I agree it was one of the best gigs I've ever been to! I hope that they can do another tour in the future, and maybe even release a live album.