Frankfurt’s Museum of Modern Electronic Music launches new Italo disco exhibition

An exhibition exploring the history of Italo disco is opening this week at Frankfurt’s Museum of Modern Electronic Music [MOMEM].

Titled, ITALO DISCO – Never Stop Dancing, the exhibition opens on October 11 and will be available to catch until April 2.

Launched as part of Italy’s guest appearance at the Frankfurt Book Fair 2024, the show will explore the genre’s origins including iconic tracks and artists such as Ryan Paris, Sabrina Salerno, RAF and the influence of German producer Philipp Lauer.

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The museum shares on socials: “Italo Disco wasn't just a sound of the 1980s - distinctive synthesizers, sugar-sweet string arrangements and futuristic beats defined a unique genre. While classics like ‘Self Control’ and ‘Another Life’ conquered the international charts, the club versions were ubiquitous in legendary Italian mega-discos.”

It continues: “The exhibition highlights how Italo Disco influenced Chicago's house music scene and is still present on dance floors worldwide.”

In 2022, the museum faced backlash by female:pressure for being "too male-centric", "lacking diversity", and for "not properly acknowledging techno's Black roots".

Speaking to Resident Advisor, one member of the pressure group said, the MOMEM board must correct the problem as detailed in an open letter.

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The letter reads: "[The] museum [must] live up to its responsibility as promoters of culture and take action that integrates the achievements of women, non-binary, Black and Latinx artists into the history of electronic music with parity and historical accuracy."

ITALO DISCO – Never Stop Dancing opens October 11, and is open every day apart from Mondays at the MOMEM. Get tickets here.

Becky Buckle is Mixmag's Multimedia Editor, follow her on Twitter