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ITALIANS DO IT BETTER

Cover of Another Heaven by CURSES.

CURSES

Another Heaven

Italians Do It Better

    Berlin-based New Yorker Luca Venezia, better known as CURSES, has joined the Italians Do It Better family. The musician and DJ has signed with the label run by Johnny Jewel and Megan Louise that became known for being home to Chromatics but has since also provided a release outlet lately to Mothermary, Dlina Volny, Causeway, Kid Moxie & Nina, Sally Shapiro, Bark Bark Disco and Love Object.

    For many reasons, the Italians Do It Better union is fitting; known for blending goth rock, new wave, dark disco and synth as exemplified by Venezia’s acclaimed ‘Next Wave Acid Punx’ series of compilations, ‘Another Heaven’ is the third full length CURSES album. Benefitting from Johnny Jewel’s co-production input, it develops on the gloomy vision cemented on the debut ‘Romantic Fiction’.

    Informed by Venezia’s love of alternative club music, one of the highlights of ‘Another Heaven’ comes with its title song; this takes its lead from New Order and ‘Bizarre Love Triangle’, but presents it more as an influence rather than the blatant but very good rip off that Nation Of Language’s ‘On Joy Division Street’ was. Expressing his lovestruck joy across seven wonderful minutes, Venezia said “This is a love song dedicated to the lost ones, a ballad for the lost ones to belong. We are always searching for that immortal love, divine romance, a truth to our mystery, and when we find it, we can only assume, this creature so perfect so made for you must be from an ethereal unknown place”


    TRACK LISTING

    1. Caviar
    2. Another Heaven
    3. Heart & Cane
    4. Like Porcelain
    5. Echoes
    6. Elegant Death
    7. HS2G
    8. Vanish (Feat. Skelesys)
    9. Helium (Feat. Marie Davidson)

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    Cover of After Dark 4 by Various Artists.

    Various Artists

    After Dark 4

    Italians Do It Better

      15 years since their fantasy disco scene-defining 1st volume, Johnny Jewel’s IDIB lasso Sally Shapiro, Desire, Farah, Lovelock and the kreme of their field for a 27-song, 2-hour re-up

      Where previous volumes took their sweet time to arrive, ‘Volume 4’ graces the ‘floor only two years since the last, and nobody’s complaining. From its slo-mo, dry-iced covers of Jennifer Lopez’ ‘Waiting For Tonight’, Don Henley’s ’Boys of Summer’ and even flipping R.E.M.’s ‘Losing My Religion’, thru to exclusive pearls by our disco queen crush, Sally Shapiro, and Johnny Jewel as Desire, it’s the ideal soundtrack for late summer into silly season.


      TRACK LISTING

      1. Wolfram Feat. Desire – Sad Ibiza Song
      2. Orion – Call A Psychic
      3. MOTHERMARY – Coming For You (NICOLAAS Remix)
      4. Double Mixte – Chateau D'eau
      5. Love Object – Epicurus
      6. The Operator – Danser
      7. Talvi - The Day We Met Never Ended For Me
      8. Kid Moxie & NINA* – Waiting For Tonight
      9. Farah – Losing My Religion
      10. Sally Shapiro – Moonlight Dance (Tommy '86 Remix)
      11. Glüme – Dangerous Blue
      12. Cigar Cigarette – Come Correct
      13. Desire – Silver Machine
      14. Causeway – I'm Falling Apart
      15. Esper Star – Boys Of Summer
      16. Juno Francis – Romantica
      17. Sally Shapiro – Purple Colored Sky
      18. Club Intl Feat. Logan Avidan – Hazel Eyes
      19. Mesh Kimono – Afterburn
      20. Dlina Volny – Saturday
      21. Annie-Claude Deschênes – Electric Light
      22. Cameron Romance – Meet You On The Other Side
      23. JOON – I Think They Call It Love
      24. Lovelock Feat. Orion – Riders On Dark Horses
      25. PYNKIE & Social Media – Zoom
      26. Body Double – Telescope
      27. Double Mixte – Am I A Fool To Love You

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      Cover of Games People Play by Desire.

      Desire

      Games People Play

      Italians Do It Better

        Desire return with 'Games People Play', an expansive 21-track double album that finds the band pushing deeper into their world of Dancefloor Pop and Film Noir. Recorded between Los Angeles, Paris, and London, the album unfolds like a game of chess—Desire as the queen, fate as the dealer, and love as the ultimate wager. It’s a cinematic labyrinth of passion, power, and deception where every move counts, and every lover risks heartbreak on the razor’s edge.

        The record combines big-room club anthems ('Dream Girl', 'Drama Queen'), shadowy noir interludes ('Othello', 'Réflexion Sous La Pluie'), and timeless ballads ('The Judge', 'Cold As Ice'), all framed by Johnny Jewel’s signature cinematic production. With 72 minutes of music, 'Games People Play' is both a mirror and a mask: part dancefloor, part dream sequence, part broken heart. 


        TRACK LISTING

        1. Darkside
        2. Dangerous Drug
        3. Human Nature
        4. Dream Girl
        5. Sometimes
        6. Vampire
        7. The Judge
        8. Drama Queen
        9. Russian Roulette
        10. Love Races On
        11. Cold As Ice
        12. Réflexion Sous La Plouie
        13. Tell It To My Heart
        14. I Know
        15. Love Theme
        16. I Run To You
        17. Demons In The Rain
        18. Othello
        19. Love On The Air
        20. I See Black
        21. Games People Play

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        Cover of Italians Do It Better - A Tribute To Madonna by Various Artists.

        Various Artists

        Italians Do It Better - A Tribute To Madonna

        Italians Do It Better

          Since 2006, listeners have been curious about the origin of the label name Italians Do It Better. Some say it's an homage to Italo Disco, others guess it's related to ancestry, but in fact it's a nod to the iconic T-shirt Madonna wears in the "Papa Don't Preach" video circa 1986.

          Fast forward to a world pandemic... To encourage creativity & lift spirits, Italians Do It Better President, Megan Louise asked every artist “If you could cover your favourite Madonna song…What would it be?”

          As a tribute to their label muse & the impact Madonna’s music has had on the world around us, Italians Do It Better are sharing a compilation of covers simply titled “Italians Do It Better”. One of the tracks (“Lucky Star” by Club Intl) is even produced by Max Kamins, the son of Mark Kamins, the New York DJ who helped break Madonna in the early 1980's. From the experience he says “Dance music was the soundtrack of my early childhood. Working on "Lucky Star" reconnected me not only to my father, but also reminded me that a good song is timeless".

          Executive produced by Johnny Jewel, the compilation is a passport to 20 covers from the bedrooms of 19 artists across 10 different countries.

          TRACK LISTING

          1. Joon - Papa Don't Preach
          2. Desire - Angel
          3. Sally Shapiro - Holiday
          4. DlinaVolny - Hollywood
          5. Farah - Gang Bang
          6. Mothermary - Like A Virgin
          7. Club Intl - Lucky Star
          8. Love Object - Frozen
          9. Orion - Into The Groove
          10. Number One Pop Star - Hung Up
          11. Double Mixte - La Isla Bonita
          12. Juno Francis - Beautiful Stranger
          13. Glüme - Material Girl
          14. In Mirrors - I'm Addicted
          15. Causeway - Crazy For You
          16. Mothermary - Like A Prayer
          17. Jorja Chalmers - Justify My Love
          18. Pink Gloves - What It Feels Like Fora Girl
          19. Lou Rebecca - Burning Up

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          Cover of II - 2025 Repress by Desire.

          Desire

          II - 2025 Repress

          Italians Do It Better

            Desire is an electronic music band from Montreal and Portland, Oregon. Their debut album, '2', was originally released in June 2009 on Italians Do it Better, and is now repressed on Baby Pink coloured Vinyl. The band is made up of vocalist Megan Louise, producer Johnny Jewel (also a member of the bands Chromatics and Glass Candy) and Nat Walker (also a member of Chromatics) on synthesizer and drums.

            TRACK LISTING

            1. Montre Moi Ton Visage
            2. Miroir Mirior
            3. Don’t Call
            4. Dans Mes Reves
            5. Under Your Spell
            6. Colorless Sky
            7. If I Can’t Hold You
            8. Part II

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            Cover of Escape - 2025 Repress by Desire.

            Desire

            Escape - 2025 Repress

            Italians Do It Better

              2025 repress of Desire's 2022 release 'Escape'. Inspired by the ultra-vivid world of 1970's giallo films, they wrote the soundtrack of their dreams using their favourite musical instruments: Minikorg, Jupiter 8, 909, Mellotron, Simmons Rhythm Modules, String Machine, a D-50 & Fender Rhodes.

              House music rhythms provide the canvas for girl group narratives & a children's choir to paint the picture. Throbbing synthwave & daytime drama soap operas all play into the color pallet of the album. The lyrics are sung in English, French, & Korean, adding even more drama to the mix. Through it all, there is the optimism of true love's compass navigating us through all the chaos life has to offer


              TRACK LISTING

              1. Black Latex
              2. Telling Me Lies
              3. Liquid Dreams
              4. Love Is A Crime
              5. Zeros
              6. Dark Age
              7. Haenim
              8. Ghosts
              9. Escape
              10. The Young & The Restless
              11. Days & Nights
              12. L'Amulette De La Vie
              13. Friends & Enemies

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              Cover of Ready To Live A Lie by Sally Shapiro.

              Sally Shapiro

              Ready To Live A Lie

              Italians Do It Better

                Swedish italo disco / synthpop duo Sally Shapiro announce their fifth studio album, 'Ready To Live A Lie'. Taking inspiration from synthwave, italo disco, nudisco, indie pop and bossanova, the album becomes their second for Italians Do It Better - again mixed together with label founder Johnny Jewel (Chromatics, Glass Candy, Desire).

                'Ready To Live A Lie' may, however, be the duo's darkest album yet. The lyrics have shifted from the euphoria of first love to exploring "Sally's" struggles in long-term relationships—love triangles, boredom, resentment, and the lingering sense of loneliness.


                TRACK LISTING

                1. The Other Dyas
                2. Hard To Love
                3. Rent
                4. Purple Coloured Sky
                5. Happier Somewhere Else
                6. Guarding Shell
                7. Hospital
                8. Did You Call Tonight
                9. Oh Carrie
                10. He’s Not You
                11. Rain

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                Cover of Escape by Desire.

                Desire

                Escape

                Italians Do It Better

                  Desire shares Escape, their new album written & recorded in Los Angeles & Palm Springs, California. Inspired by the ultra-vivid world of 1970's giallo films, they wrote the soundtrack of their dreams using their favorite musical instruments: Minikorg, Jupiter 8, 909, Mellotron, Simmons Rhythm Modules, String Machine, a D-50 & Fender Rhodes.

                  House music rhythms provide the canvas for girl group narratives & a children's choir to paint the picture. Throbbing synthwave & daytime drama soap operas all play into the color pallet of the album. The lyrics are sung in English, French, & Korean, adding even more drama to the mix. Through it all, there is the optimism of true love's compass navigating us through all the chaos life has to offer.

                  TRACK LISTING

                  Side 1
                  1. Black Latex
                  2. Telling Me Lies
                  3. Liquid Dreams
                  4. Love Is A Crime

                  Side 2
                  5. Zeros
                  6. Dark Age
                  7. Haenim (ft. Ether)

                  Side 3
                  8. Ghosts
                  9. Escape
                  10. The Young And The Restless

                  Side 4
                  11. Days & Nights
                  12. Broken Windows
                  13. Friends & Enemies

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                  Cover of Sad Cities by Sally Shapiro.

                  Sally Shapiro

                  Sad Cities

                  Italians Do It Better

                    REWIND…

                    15 years ago, they shared their first song online. Blogs & record labels immediately took notice & swarmed. Our introduction to the elusive Swedish duo was the now classic “I’ll Be By Your Side”, a shimmering Italo Disco track with ethereal vocals that hypnotized everyone who heard it. Johan’s elegant production was years ahead of what anyone else was doing at the time, & the elusive falsetto of the dreamlike singer was unforgettable. In 2007, their debut album, Disco Romance, was revered by the press. The album was nominated as “Best Dance/Electronic Album of the Year” & was given a spot in Pitchfork’s Top 50 albums of 2007. Their sound was a unique take on the romantic club music of the mid 1980’s. At the time you could count the artists exploring this territory on one hand. Johnny Jewel began corresponding with Johan later that year resulting in Agebjörn’s remix of Glass Candy’s “The Chameleon”. The seminal After Dark compilation had come out that summer & the kindred spirits kept in touch.

                    Their debut album sees remixes by other likeminded producers like Lindstrøm, Tensnake, Junior Boys, CFCF, & Juan MacLean. In 2009, My Guilty Pleasure, picks up where Disco Romance left off. They collaborated with Electric Youth (known from the ”Drive” soundtrack) on their third album Somewhere Else in 2013. Johan is a fixture on European dancefloors collaborating with Lindstrøm, Glass Candy, Annie, Wolfram, Hercules & Love Affair, & more. In 2018 he produced the addictive Samantha Fox single “Hot Boy”.

                    PAUSE…

                    Sally is notoriously shy, remaining shrouded in anonymity. To this day she insists on recording her vocals alone in the studio & refuses to perform her songs live. In 2016, the duo went underground & released what was thought to have been their final single.

                    FAST FORWARD…

                    Working in deep seclusion over the last half decade, they recorded an incredible collection of material out this fall via Italians Do It Better. A gorgeous bouquet of pure electronic bliss mixed by Johan Agebjörn & Johnny Jewel. The enigmatic duo re-surfaces from the underground this week with “Fading Away”, a first look at a new era.

                    PLAY…

                    TRACK LISTING

                    1. Forget About You
                    2. Believe In Me
                    3. Down This Road
                    4. Sad City
                    5. Dulcinea
                    6. Falling Clouds
                    7. Love In Slow Motion (Feat. Electric Youth)
                    8. Million Ways
                    9. Tell Me How (Feat. Tommy ’86)
                    10. Christmas Escape
                    11. Fading Away

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                    Cover of Midnight Train by Jorja Chalmers.

                    Jorja Chalmers

                    Midnight Train

                    Italians Do It Better

                      Jorja Chalmers enjoys a quiet life. The Australian born mother of two lives in Margate, the Kent coastal town that is turning into something of a cultural hub. Yet there’s another, shadow version of Jorja Chalmers, one that resides in a liminal realm; a saxophonist & composer, a brooding, vampiric, twilight soul who yearns for some sense of aesthetic transformation.

                      New album ‘Midnight Train’ comes close to severing the two. Constructed during the long winter lockdown, Jorja would put her kids to bed before closing the door in the spare room, building lengthy, undulating passages of cinematic terror, patching together European art-pop glamour with outsider electronics. It’s composed, intense, & challenging – but it’s also utterly exhilarating.

                      “I feel incredibly proud of this album,” she says. “It feels like a life’s work squeezed into one space. It feels like I’m saying something.”

                      TRACK LISTING

                      A1. Bring Me Down
                      A2. I'll Be Waiting
                      A3. Rabbit In The Headlights
                      A4. Boadicea
                      A5. Love Me Tonight
                      A6. Nightingale
                      A7. Riders On The Storm
                      B1. Rhapsody
                      B2. The Poet
                      B3. The Wolves Of The Orangery
                      B4. On Such A Clear Day
                      B5. Midnight Train
                      B6. Underwater Blood

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                      Cover of Closer To Grey by Chromatics.

                      Chromatics

                      Closer To Grey

                      Italians Do It Better

                      Portland's masters of cinematic synth, the inimitable Chromatics are back with their fifth studio LP, "Closer To Grey". The band's first album since 2012, "Closer To Grey" continues the outfit's exploration of neon lit diners, freezing city streets and 80s noir, kicking off with a stripped back and atmospheric interpretation of Simon & Garfunkel's "The Sound Of Silence". The tempo rises for "You're No Good", "Closer To Grey" and twist the knife, which alternate between vintage Italians Do It Better disco and propulsive new wave, before "Light As A Feather" pairs Chromatics' trademark sound with the fresh addition of a breakbeat. The first disc ends on a note of romance with the prom-friendly "Move A Mountain", a reminder that vocalist Ruth Radelet can kill with a whisper. As we head to the C-side "Touch Red" leads us through a little lounge-styled melancholy while "Whispers In The Hall" finds the middle ground between trap-bass tones and Carpenter's Halloween soundtrack. A synth and scuzz cover of Jesus And Mary Chain's "On The Wall" reminds us of the group's DIY origins, a wonderful contrast to the luxurious textures of "Love Theme..." and dreamy closer "Wishing Well". 

                      And just like that, Chromatics pull off that most difficult of tasks, creating something which is the same, but different. All the emotion, feeling and mood remain, but bolstered with a few new musical flavours which compliment rather than detract. 

                      TRACK LISTING

                      1. The Sound Of Silence
                      2. You’re No Good
                      3. Closer To Grey
                      4. Twist The Knife
                      5. Light As A Feather
                      6. Move A Mountain
                      7. Touch Red
                      8. Through The Looking Glass
                      9. Whispers In The Hall
                      10. On The Wall
                      11. Love Theme From Closer To Grey
                      12. Wishing Well

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                      Cover of B/E/A/T/B/O/X - Clear Vinyl Pressing by Glass Candy.

                      Glass Candy

                      B/E/A/T/B/O/X - Clear Vinyl Pressing

                      Italians Do It Better

                      It's hard to think of any other record that so perfectly encapsulates that favourite part of the day for all nighthawks, revellers and DJs. The hour before dawn, when the streets of the city are empty, lights change for traffic that isn't there and a lone fox is you're only companion on your walk home. Taking their inspiration from the synth-heavy soundtracks of John Carpenter (especially "Assault On Precinct 13"), Kraftwerk, Madonna and Timbaland their sound is unique because of the absence of sequencers and computers. There's something undeniably refreshing about dance music that goes out of time occasionally. Highlights include "Rolling Down The Hills" and "Beatific" but it's their cover of Kraftwerk's "Computer Love" that's the record's masterpiece. It's hard to believe that a song written nearly thirty years ago could soundtrack, so perfectly, the alienation of city living in the twenty first century. Thank you Italians Do It Better for "B/E/A/T/B/O/X".

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