Chinese Revenge
By Koto
“Either they hadn’t cared, or the news was slow to reach them: Disco was over.”
An orchestrated effort had been undertaken to erase the genre that had grown to the highest of altitudes in its popularity. It reached all corners of the world. The attitude in Europe and Italy, in particular, showed no sign of appreciation of this significant event.
To make clear, this was not a sinking ship scenario; the ship had sunk and now found itself on the ocean floor. However, for DJs in Milan, Florence, and Rome, the party was just beginning. They kept throwing wood into the fire, a supply that seemed endless. This was Italy just at the beginning of the decade - of the early 1980s - and the music business was booming for a genre that had just been written off.
Anfrando Maiola was 28 and had spent the previous decade getting his foot into the music scene. He had started as a drummer and would gradually learn other instruments. He found himself being pulled in the direction of electronic instruments and sounds. Maiola would meet producer Stefano Cundari and together, under the band name "Koto," would release their first single.
“The single was called “Chinese Revenge,” and for a first single, it was an outstanding piece of music.”
It was fully-fledged electronic music, but it was hard to discern the Disco elements; Italo Disco was not exactly an Italian clone of American Disco. For one, it was fully electronic; it could most appropriately be described as electro-pop.
"Chinese Revenge" manages to achieve a synthesized Oriental sound with keyboards; it's structured in such a way that effectively showcases the composer - Maiola's - melodic prowess. The drum machine is no less impressive, diving in and out of patterns of pop, funk, and sometimes ethnic traditions.
Maiola admits a "fascination" with everything Oriental. Koto would have other Asian-themed tracks, including "Japanese War Game" and "Dragon's Legend" - which samples computer game sounds much like Japanese electro band Yellow Magic Orchestra.
Italo Disco did contain some defining elements found in Disco: baselines that stood out, loud and pounding drums. Maiola describes Italo as "happy" music that immediately engages you, and you can't resist dancing to it. "Chinese Revenge" was co-produced by Alessandro Zanni, a close friend, and collaborator of the pair. Their arsenal of electronic instruments included a Roland TR 808, the Roland MC-500 Sequencer, an Oberheim OB-X, a Korg Lambda Synthesizer, and others.
This 'Disco' would re-emerge in the United States - in this new form. Italo Disco is credited for helping create House Music and, notably, Chicago House Music. DJ Chip E., a pioneer of the Chicago House, shares this view saying without Italo, it's "possible that it might have taken longer" to get him and his peers into House Music. "It's the middle piece that got us there, and it, Italo Disco, is a part of our history. Italo Disco is a part of House Music."
"Chinese Revenge" is a synth wave production and contains all kinds of synthesizer wave sounds mashed together into a beautiful - and danceable - tune. It was not until a re-release the following year, in 1983, that would generate the necessary hype and embed itself into the minds and hearts of Koto's loyal fandom. Anfrando Maiolo relates that while the song was successful in its time, most of its popularity comes from the legendary status it enjoys from later fans.
