Premiere: Alexander Robotnick – Green Past

Music

A slice of vintage Italo and Electro from a veteran of the sound.

Was it possible to feel both satisfied and unfulfilled at the same time? To be complete yet empty? Straddling two worlds that are seemingly contrasting but strangely they both make complete sense to you… People always say the grass is greener but there’s no knowing if that’s ever really true – usually the thing you need is already staring you right in the face. If it’s not, then perhaps you’re in the wrong lane altogether.

It’s likely when you think of 80s Italo Disco, Alexander Robotnick’s name will immediately come to mind. A veteran of the Italian electronic music scene, it’s been 40 years since he helped to pioneer the now infamous sound, defined by its infectious arpeggios, analogue drums and robotic vocoders.

Still hard at work today and now in his 70s, Robotnick’s latest venture takes him to Italy’s Bosconi Records, a departure from releasing on his own Hot Elephant Music, which has been the home of most of his recent work. The Hidden Game is made up of three original cuts, previously unreleased, that blur the lines between Italo, electro and techno, bolstered by a remix from a new flag-bearer of the modern Italo sound, Tiger & Woods co-founder Marco Passarani.