In 1980, disco music was dead to rights and on its way out. There was no fresh and inventive take on the dance music genre, having been polarized by popular culture, a new wave of conservatism, and a generation recovering from the effects of their exploration into the darker edges of sexual freedom and drugs. Crack cocaine didn’t exist, there was no internet, cell phones were unthought of, and only a couple of years before had the home computer market begun to explode with the introduction of the Apple II+ computer. While American performers shyed away from making disco, Europe’s discotheques and cafes were rife with new grooves, many of them produced by the band Kano.

Headed by Italians Stefano Pulga, Luciano Ninzatti, and Matteo Bonsanto, the Kano production machine released a 12-inch record that would become considered by many to be the quintessential break. The track, entitled “I’m Ready”, was released in 1980, quickly exploded across Europe, and landed Kano a record deal with American label Emergency Records & Filmworks. That record deal would eventually produce a stunning self-titled collection of “italo-disco”, including their other notable hit, “It’s A War” leaving an album that levelled the playing field for electronic funk jams and served as a subtle and moving force for breakdancing culture to arise.

Emergency eventually went bankrupt or lost their distribution deal (depending on whom you ask) and this single and it’s follow-up albums New York Cake and Another World are log out of print. But the song “I’m Ready” has been steadily and consistently falling into the right hands, infecting untold groove-seekers over the past 26 years. The way the production builds and drops out is a blueprint for hip-hop, house, funk, and so many other genres. To call it a groundbreaking record would never do it justice. The basslines and breaks on this track alone were responsible for countless caterpillars, moonwalks, emcee battles, remixes, and limitless inspiration to two generations of b-boys and b-girls — including an appearance on Spank Rock’s Couche-tard mixtape this year.

Summary (for those who don’t like to read): This song is one bad motherfucker. Now dance.

Listen To Kano – I’m Ready

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