Kano

Kano pioneered and exemplified Italo disco, a heavily melodic and synthesizer-oriented style of dance music inspired by U.S. and European disco, from Chic and Giorgio Moroder. The work of producers and musicians Matteo Bonsanto, Luciano Ninzatti, and Stefano Pulga, along with an array of session musicians and vocalists, Kano released a trio of album-length projects during the early '80s: Kano (1980), New York Cake (1981), and Another Life (1983). From a commercial standpoint, the group wasn't very successful. The effervescent "I'm Ready" (featuring a high-pitched group vocal) reached number 21 on the Billboard U.S. R&B chart, while "Can't Hold Back" (featuring powerful soul vocalist Glen White) reached number 35 on the same chart. In the group's homeland, three other singles charted, led by the swift disco-funk of "Baby Not Tonight" (another group vocal), a number three hit. Kano's impact was greater in underground clubs; three decades after release, the charting singles, as well as the likes of "It's a War," "Another Life," and "Dance School," remained popular with house and throwback-disco DJs, as well as compilation producers. Kano's greatest exposure, however disguised, came with Tag Team's 1993 Miami bass/pop-rap smash hit "Whoomp! (There It Is)," which sampled a synthesizer line from "I'm Ready." ~ Andy Kellman