Sometimes track titles can be very misleading in music, a cryptic name on occasion being the most complex part of the track, at other times little more than a single syllable used to dub a recondite saga. With a title like Italo82 12 Records pretty much provide the musical equivalent of those plastic sushi models you see at Japanese restaurants, only where Italo tracks from that era sounded as hazy and bleary as a Polaroid, Deep88’s homage to the genre is shot in glorious HD. Alessandro Pasini has had a few releases under the name PSoul, but it’s as Deep88 that you sense he will really make a name for himself. His Summer of Stories EP from 2010 showed the producer had a firm grasp on the ins and outs of deep house and more than enough feeling to hint at even better releases to come. The production on Italo82 reveals that Pasini has been hard at work, honing and fine tuning his skills in the studio, and this time tuned in to the Balearic and italo disco end of the house spectrum.
The title track of this first release for 12Records is a sun-drenched slice of disco house that will keep summer burning long after the beach parties and holidays to bronzed, golden islands are over. Vocal talent The Huge supplies a half-breathlessly whispered/half-sung, poppy lyric that adds to the appeal of the light, summery groove of the track. Part of this groove can be attributed to Pasini using a mixture of live instruments in the track, giving it an organic feel that is missing from more digital productions. The dub mix on the flipside is more appealing to me, using selected cuts from the main vocal, allowing the natural groove of the instruments to shine through. Melchior Sultana provides a hazy, downbeat mix of “Italo82” which I imagine would be a perfect accompaniment to a Café del Mar sunset. But the other gem on this release is “Don’t Play Minimal, Play Minigolf,” which works itself further into the Italo groove with rich, arpeggiated bass lines worming their way around muted horns and gentle, swelling pads. Its mid-paced tempo aligns it more with the disco house of “Italo82” rather than the jacked up, spandex power of proper Italo disco and makes for a great off-sider to the title track. As a first taste of what 12Records has to offer and also of the forthcoming album by Deep88, Italo82 makes all the right moves.
