- Young Marco compiles the third and final compilation of sweetly melodic house music from Italy.
- Italy's house music scene circa the late '80s and early '90s was as varied as that of any other mainland European country. But for many, that era and that country's house sound was defined by the kind of hands-in-the-air piano pounders that acts like Black Box, 49ers and Double Dee were serving up, fueled by a Mediterranean brand of la dolce vita escapism. Just a few steps away from those acts, however, existed a deeper, groovier, more celestial Italo house style, exemplified by tracks like the Manuel Göttsching–sampling "Sueño Latino" and Don Carlos's elegantly vaporous "Alone." Subdued, richly melodic and blissful, it was a utopian vision of deep house.
This is the Italo house we get on Welcome To Paradise Vol. III: Italian Dream House 90-94, the third installment of the compilation series curated by Young Marco. This sound's DNA can be heard in the work of any number of contemporary DJs and producers, but Marco has taken it to heart more than most. Through the Welcome To Paradise series, his Italo-tinged productions and DJ sets, he's shown himself to be a devotee. As with previous editions, the third volume sees him drawing from the sound's lesser-known tunes, though a few of its major players are accounted for.
One of Welcome To Paradise's bigger names is Giorgio Canepa, who ran the MBG International label. His track as Optik, "Illusion," is pretty much the template for the compilation. You'll find bouncing synth bass in the low-end, soothing synth washes in the middle, and a few plinks, plonks and glissandos in the upper register. The song glides along on a barely-there two-chord structure, with no serrated edges to disturb it. The music is both sumptuous and fleeting.
The rest of Welcome To Paradise is equally, well, paradisiacal. Some of it may be a bit too ethereal for some tastes, but there's enough variety to keep things interesting. Another of Italo house's main men, Alex Neri, partners with Marco Baroni as Green Baize (students of this music will also know the pair via their Korda and Kamasutra co-productions). "Tramp Heart" has the customary swooning synths and rubber-band bassline, but they're paired with congas and a processed tribal chant. Deep Choice's xylophone melody, ping-pong percussion and disco bassline on "Children Trip" resemble the Strictly Rhythm or Nervous Records 12-inches emerging at the same time. Deep Blue's "Deep Blue (The Inner Part of Me)," the only track that strays from a straight four-to-the-floor rhythm, is piano-laden breakbeat.
The most appealing cuts, though, stick closest to the dream house template. On Cosmic Galaxy's "Walkin' On The Moon," a wistful synth melody sounds as waves crash and space-age squiggles bubble up through the ether. It's a bit hackneyed, but also quite lovely. The best track of all, perhaps, comes courtesy of Leo Anibaldi, who's better known for tougher material—'90s albums like Muta and Void (the latter released on Rephlex) are classics of Italian experimental techno. But with "Waves," he's working with a far different palette: orchestral synth chords, rounded low-end, percussive keys and a cocktail-jazz organ, a tone that is fairly common in the Italo house realm. Like many of Welcome To Paradise's tracks, the song effortlessly blends feelings of joy and pathos, a huge part of this sound's allure.
Tracklist01. Jacy - Resounding Seashell
02. Optik - Illusion
03. Leo Anibaldi - Universal
04. Green Baize - Tramp Heart
05. Deep Choice - Children Trip
06. Deep Blue - Deep Blue (The Inner Part Of Me)
07. Cosmic Galaxy - Walkin' On The Moon
08. Golem - Sun City
09. Lonely Dance - Sweet Pieces (Alternative Mix)
10. Neurostate - Dance To The House (Unreleased Edit)
11. Don Carlos - Ouverture