The Italian popular music tradition of the last several decades has been an idiosyncratic one.
When rock 'n' roll was paramount, Italians were considered the least likely to rock your world. Their sole contributions during the classic rock era being mainly sappy, straight-laced pop stars like Lucio Battisti. But their coolness factor would decidedly improve in the late '70s and early '80s, when legendary synth pioneer Giorgio Moroder kickstarted the futuristic Italo-disco wave, invading dancefloors around the world.
Despite growing up in Belgium, Aeroplane's Vito De Luca calls himself Italian first and foremost, and his own 21st century cosmic disco sound owes a great deal to Moroder's enduring influence.
Originally a duo that included fellow Italian DJ-producer Stephen Fasano, Aeroplane is now De Luca's one-man project, which suits the prolific multi-instrumentalist just fine. In just a couple years, Aeroplane has taken the transatlantic dance music scene by storm with a classically melodic, crowd-pleasing take on nu-disco and '80s-styled Balearic beats.
There have been much-lauded remixes for the likes of MGMT, Sébastien Tellier, Friendly Fires, and even Grace Jones. And with 2010's debut long-player We Can't Fly, De Luca has proven his vision and versatility in the studio. But it was arguably an invitation to mix the landmark 500th BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix earlier this year that has firmly placed Aeroplane among the EDM heavyweights of the world.
Aeroplane. Friday, May 27. The Vagabond, 30 NE 14th St., Miami. The party starts at 10 p.m. and tickets cost $10 via wantickets.com. Call 305-379-0508 or visit thevagabondmiami.com.
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