Barry Bianco is a star in the Neo Italo Movement scene. Tracks like "Body in the night" and "Draeming Alive" has became some sort of a cult between Italomaniacs, and his video quite a legend after YouTube closed his account after discovering they were made after secret director's cut of Belene Thomas feathurings on a Switz Show. Barry today is our special guest, interviewing Mark Zonda, the man behind the Neo Italo Movement and founder of Kingem Records along with Marie-Agnès Hallé.Here's the inteview so far.
Barry Bianco:Mr. Mark Zonda. How did you got involved in such a strange and ambitious project? I mean... bringing the Neo Italo Disco Movement out of the blue and stuff. Tell us how did you came out with such an intuition....
Mark Zonda: Kingem Records keep us really busy. It's hard to find your way through the day with so many biz to take care of. Music is really helpful in our job, help us to carry on through the working day. The main problem is that everybody in here are ready to kill to put his favourite artist or genre of music through, and Italo Disco happened to be our common ground for a no-fighting zone able to satisfy anyone's taste in an acceptable way. In very few words: it became a mania. We soon began to make personal and very sophisticated Italo Disco compilations, everyone with an unique and precise identity, being able to grab an infinite number of songs from the web. Barry, did you know that there are more Italo Disco songs than musicians? Crazy! We soon discovered that Italo Disco was not a joke really. There were precise rules and canons to be followed to write the perfect Italo Disco hit! That was enough to blast my mind. I soon started to wonder how Italo Disco would have been like if it happened to spread during our days. Just think of that. A very chip music that requires no more than a microphone and a synth. Can you imagine this potential powered and amplified by internet, filesharing and MySpace? The successful revival attempts by Tommy February6 and Sally Shapiro made me realise that it was time to gather these impulses and found a movement.
Barry Bianco: Yeah, but... what do you mean by Italo Disco? Which are the artists from the past that hit your immagination among the others?
Mark Zonda: Italo Disco it's a very very simple music based on boom/claps binary rhythms. Danceable, melodic, dealing with nightlife and romances, futuristic and kin on American and Japanese imaginary. Italo Disco music is the real chance for anyone to get famous for a minute thanks to just few synth notes. You got it Barry: it's basically music for handicapped clowns, with the greates up to having been able to create tunes that we're still singing today in spite of Lady GaGa. Some examples? "Self Control" by Raf and "One for you, One for me" by LaBionda. Who hit my imagination? Projects like "Baltimora" and "Scotch". They used less soubrettes legs than their colleagues replacing pretty painted faces with surrealism and class.
Barry Bianco: It's a nostalgic operation only or are these kind of melodies and sounds still relevant in nowadays musical productions?
Mark Zonda: Barry, I think they really must be more relevant than ever, since MGMT are ripping off Ocean Loadings tunes from C64 and Ariel Pink and Neon Indian are imposing Psy-Folk to the masses.
Barry Bianco: What is the picture of the perfect Neo-Italo artist? Which are his features and what does he or she has to do to move such a producer like you? There are rumours saying that the popularity of the artist in the covers of your records are more important than their music. Is that true?
Mark Zonda: Franly Barry I'm impressed by passion, humour, braveness and good taste for melody. But I have to say that one's charisma to drive fan into your vision of music is not bad at all. Music deals and big productions times are over. The only business you can see before the word music is stealing hay from worldwide government corporations. It's all in being smart and good-looking, really. Image and Imagination: all that Old Italo Disco required back on those glorious days.
Barry Bianco: Now we're looking for an exclusive breakthrough: what about Kingem Records plans to promote the Neo Italo Movement all around the World? Which resources will you employ to promote this musical project? Can we hope at least in a live show exhibition of these tracks on a live show?
Mark Zonda: The Neo Italo thing will come alive being real as the first Kingem Records release:"GEM#001 U.N.DISCO Vol.1". You will find the compilation available for free on our website, still an hard copy of the cd will be at disposal to all those who want rejoice for its cover art, a badge and a sticker. The hard copy will be also sent to clubs, discos and DJs. We're also confident on Series Two Records for an eventual American distribution. It's clear that I will make up some international scandals to let blog and musical zines talk and stuff. Look Carlos. The live thing was one of the first things that came to mind to me and Marie, the other half of the label. It will be totally ace (pass me the '80s slang) since we're also trying to be a booking agency too and we're actually planning a winter double feature tour for Tiny Tide and The Fine Arts Showcase. Sadly this also means what we'll have to steal more money from the planetary government system to make it real. That's why we trust in a Spectre Revival Movement.
