Grazie, mille grazie

Francisco - Fits

Right now, I am fully wrapped up in a post-holiday daze. I am in Florida absorbing the sun when I can, not sleeping enough because of screaming children, eating a lot of Cuban food - basically what I was hoping for and/or expecting for this week. I am also trying to keep up with the posts, though that is harder than you'd think when you're not at home, so here is a bit of dance-floor magic.

With a nod (and a wink) to Metro Area and Luke Vibert's Kerrier District project from 2004, I present one of Italy's foremost electronic producers, Francisco. His new full-length, Music Business, takes its cues from both Italo disco and Detroit techno and electro, and in it I hear something new synthesized from the two. Francisco (Francisco de Bellis) has been producing music since the mid-90s, which he began as part of Mat 101 with Mario Pierro and Emilano Tortora. Emilano left the band, and Francisco and Mario formed Jolly Music - note the Jolly Music electro track with Erlend Øye, "Prego Amore" which appears on Øye's Unrest album. Francisco has also released three EPs on the Pigna label, an EP for the Klakson label (run by Dutch electro master Dexter), and is putting out a series of EPs on the 20/20 Vision label. He has also remixed a number of artists, the most notable (for me anyway) include Mr. Velcro Fastener, Adult. and Munk.

Music Business is solid all through its eleven tracks - some dance-floor tracks, some headphone listening tracks, and some moody head-nodding tracks - all of it worth hearing. You can purchase the album online from the label Final Frontier if you're in Europe, or from our friends at Forced Exposure in the US. I'm a massive fan of Italo (as any reader of the site who has been with us from the beginning will know) and of electro styled dance music, so I hope you like Francisco's stuff, because I know I do.

Enjoy!