Italo Disco is one of the more obscure and perplexing sub cultures within dance music, inducing a fanatacism that can, to outsiders, seem somewhat odd. After spending years on the fringes, the last decade has seen a slow but sure revival in this late 70's/early 80's Italian style. Italo’s influence on the emerging scenes in Chicago and Detroit was overlooked for some time but has enjoyed a recent renaissance thanks to artists and DJs from the Netherlands channeling its sounds into their sets and productions.

Not too much of a surprise then that the upcoming Italo festival Magicwaves, happening on July 10/11 in London is heavily populated by both Italians and Dutch.

Taking place in the excellent Corsica Studios, Magicwaves is the brainchild of James Pembrose, aka Casionova, whose work will be familiar to those interested in the Cyber Dance and Dissident labels (the former of which he co-runs). It's the first Italo party on this scale in the UK - and for fans, it is a mouthwatering prospect. Legendary Italian names such as Fockelwulf 190, Fred Ventura and Alex Novaga will be performing live sets while the new school Dutch crew will be represented by the likes of Alden Tyrell, David Vunk, Ricky the Dragon and Mr Pauli. London is not really a city that one would associate with Italo - compared with the likes of Rotterdam or even Dublin - but there has been a recent mini-explosion, so hopefully the parties will be well attended (and it's cheap as chips at only £35 for the two nights plus some pre and after party action on the Thursday and Sunday)

Two of the aforementioned Dutch names also make appearances on two new 12” compilations from Rotterdam's Moustache Records (run by the aforementioned David Vunk). The brilliantly-titled ‘You Can Trust A Man With A Moustache’ volumes one and two are possibly the the best releases from an already impressive discography. The garish pink and white pressings have a funky stencil of Tom Selleck on their labels, adding a nice touch of humour to the whole package. Volume 1 kicks of with ‘Breakaway’ by Elecktric Dragon aka Ricky The Dragon (who actually has about 20 aliases over the years, producing all sorts) followed by Lucy Montenegro's ‘Lucy Likes Hairy Boys’, both of which are killer Italo jams which sound as much like they were made 25 years ago as today.

One difference between a lot of the original Italo and today’s takes is the lack of vocals – and, bar the vocoder on ‘Breakaway’, we are in instrumental zone here. On the flip, Alden Tyrell delivers a three-minute slice of perfection with ‘What Your Eyes Can Do’. More downtempo than the first two songs, it's over just as quickly as it starts but Tyrell manages to squeeze into it a killer riff imbued with melancholic yearning, a true heartbreaker in the Italo tradition. It's certainly more favourable a track than what he has been coming up with on Clone, where he has adopted for a more guitar-centric approach, one that isn't pleasing to this listener’s ears. Having said that, he does have to keep himself interested, never mind us. Finally the on-the-rise Elitechnique wraps up Volume 1 with the disco banger ‘Minirimini’. It's not a million miles away from Tiefschwarz's remix of Unit 4's ‘Bodydub’ from a few years ago, but with added Italo histrionics. Halfway through it lets itself down a little bit by aping the bassline from Moroder/Summer's ‘I Feel Love’. It was doing fine without it.

Volume 2 kicks off with a second Electrick Dragon contribution ‘Davorite’ , as catchy and as danceable as his first, this time with added handclaps to help unleash the dancer inside of you. Mark Du Mosch is up next, his ‘Vexilloid’ more influenced by the earlier Italo sounds of the likes of Azoto from the late 70's.

Lucy Montenegro also returns on the second installment with possibly the most instant song form the two releases, ‘Lucy In The Sky’. This is Italo at its most poppy, a sound that heavily influenced the hi-nrg scene, which the likes of Stock, Aitken And Waterman borrowed heavily from. None of this should put off any prospective listeners though! Wrapping things up in grungy mode is ‘Supercry’ by is Mauno Kalevi, who takes us down a darker route than previously on show over the course of the two pressings. Overall these are a superb and fitting tribute to Italo without ever being just a tired retreading of old sounds.

Another man unafraid to wear his 80s influences on his sleeve is Ed Upton, more commonly known as Edmx or DMX Krew. Never a man to take it easy on the release front, it can be hard to keep up with him. His own Breakin' Records imprint is home to his newest EP, ‘Bongard Problems’. For a man as prolific as he is, Upton always gives bang for the buck, with five songs of electro funk with a tinge of 90s flavoured techno and acid here. It's when he slows it down a little on the closing ‘Blank Expanse’ and lets the funk take over that he raises the game. It's like the perfect soundtrack to those funky little dance moves he pulls when he DJs. Upton’s seemingly never ending enthusiasm for his music always shines through on his productions, and his time release is no different.

Continuing on an electro tip, the mysterious D.I.E (Detroit In Effect) returns with the brilliant ‘FM Sucks/Nothing's Like Detroit’. I heard an interesting rumour about who is behind these records while I was in Detroit, but the internet kills these psuedonyms too easily these days so I'm keeping tight-lipped. A little bit of mystery never hurt anyone. ‘FM Sucks’ is the heavier of the two sides (both feature alternative versions of the each song) with a low-fi stomp not dissimilar to the current electro being produced by DJ Skurge and some of the Underground Resistance crew. It's not my favourite sound but it's a funky jam all the same. ‘Nothing’s Like Detroit’ is the real winner here though. Electro as a genre has been going through a rough patch of late, and it's a shame that there aren't more releases like this out. It has a timeless quality lacking – this song could have come out anytime in the last 15 years and wouldn't sound dated. For electro fans (Boys Noize fans need not apply) this is a must buy.

Two of Detroit’s most well known sons are also on show at the moment. I've already voiced my opinions about Carl Craig and his Planet E imprint’s recent direction so it was with slight trepidation that I approached the new ‘Angel’ remix package, which features Jerome Sydenham and Keith Kemp both reworking the CC original. It's not quite astounding but I did enjoy it. Kemp keeps it big room but there is a good level of funk going on, keeping the blandness at bay, though it is slightly forgetable. Sydenham on the other hand keeps it sparse and darker with a warehouse/techno feel on his two versions - in the long run they will prove to the be real choices on here. Second up, Theo Parrish continues his great recent run with Space Station/Going Through Changes. ‘Space Station’ is a warped lo-fi techy cut, unmistakably Theo while he gets more soulful with ‘...Changes’, a great companion piece to last year’s ‘Chemistry’.

Pittsburgh may seem like an unlikely source for house and techno but two labels appear this month from the city. First up is the recently revived Technoir Audio, which has mostly been a showcase for Pittsburgh's main export Shawn Rudiman. Himself and Arne Weinberg have a 12” each on the label, its first releases in a few years. These are two producers who on paper should be brilliant but at times let themselves down by over complicating their sounds. Rudiman's ‘No Hope. No Fear.’ EP kicks off with some solid deep techno business, ‘Skin on Skin’, and is nicely restrained where before the overkill drifts in. He then shifts gear with the more hi-tech funk-esque ‘We Are Electric’ but I'm not fully convinced by the vocal, though the track is a fun techno take on Prince. The dubbier flipside ‘Artificial Soul’ is the most successfull element here. Dub techno is a style that has been worn out quite a bit in the last couple of years, but this has some nice accordant elements that are too often lacking in other releases which get lost in a sea of echo and reverb. Weinberg's ‘Avengers Return’ EP will please fans, though I still feel that he is trying too hard. If he just cut back a little, his talent would shine through more. ‘Nexus Shifting’ the B2 cut comes out on top here, playing a balancing act between some lilting keys and a more aggressive synth lurking in the background.

Disco Nihilist is a brand new producer hailing from Austin, Texas whose debut comes via the new Pittsburgh label, Love What You Feel. This is no frills house music with raw 707/303 sounds in the majority. Fans of early Chicago and also the raw house of Omar S should lap this up. The stripped down design of the music makes them perfect DJ tools while still retaining an identity all of their own. An excellent start for both label and producer - Disco Nihilist is certainly one to look out for.

Last but certainly not least, the genre hopping Todd Osborn returns under his Osborne guise with his latest EP ‘Hovercrafting’ on the Michigan based Spectral Sounds. Osborn has released various styles of music over the years so it's no surprise to see him keeping it fairly eclectic here. The A-side here is just that little too cheesy though. It's got a funky pop/disco-ish feel to it but the vocoder vocals are tacky and that style I feel just can't be pulled off anymore. Daft Punk kicked it off a fair few years ago now, and it's been pilfered by bad pop and R'n'B acts to the point where hearing it instantly puts you off. Not to fear though, as the A side is quickly erased from the memory by the wonderful ‘Fire’. It's nothing more than an updated piece of disco music - but what disco! The lush orchestration and funky guitar licks have ‘summer hit’ written all over them. I can't think of a better song this year to soundtrack a summertime party. If there's any justice this will blow up over the coming months. He finishes things off in a somewhat different manner with ‘The Count’. We are now in Chi-town territory: crisp hi hats and 909 claps accompanied by little more than a few bleeps that chop and change. A little more suited to the dark environs of a club than ‘Fire’ - both should be bringing smiles all summer.