Italians Do It Better is an independent record label based in

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

and

West Hollywood West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. It is considered one of the most prominent gay villages ...

. It was started by

Johnny Jewel Johnny Jewel (born John David Padgett; May 31, 1974) is an American musician, record producer, composer, and visual artist. He is a multi-instrumentalist who is known for using all-analog equipment. Jewel has been recording and releasing materia ...

and Mike Simonetti on July 20, 2006, to focus on Jewel's projects

Glass Candy Glass Candy is an American electronic music duo from Portland, Oregon, formed in 1996 by vocalist Ida No and producer and multi-instrumentalist Johnny Jewel. The band is part of the Italians Do It Better label. While the band's early work blends ...

and Chromatics and later Desire, Symmetry and Mirage, in addition to other artists from prior releases. Genres from the label have been described as contributing to the synth-pop, post-punk, and Italo-disco revivals. They have released three label compilations, 'After Dark' (2007), '

After Dark 2 ''After Dark 2'' is a compilation album featuring artists from the Italians Do It Better label. The album was released on May 17, 2013, and produced by Johnny Jewel. It is a sequel to the 2007 album '' After Dark''. Artists and bands featured on ...

' (2013), 'After Dark 3' (2020), and 'After Dark 4' (2022), all of which feature music from their roster. Italians Do It Better is owned by

, who produces, writes, and contributes to all the acts on the label.

History

Beginnings

Italians Do It Better was founded on July 20, 2006 by Johnny Jewel and Mike Simonetti. Jewel's group Glass Candy initially released music through Simonetti’s label

Troubleman Unlimited Records Troubleman Unlimited Records was a record label specializing in indie rock and similar genres. Founded in 1993, the label was based in Bayonne, New Jersey and owned by Mike Simonetti. History The label started as an offshoot of a fanzine called ...

, but they wanted to create a more electronic-focused label and began Italians Do It Better. The label was named after a phrase on a T-shirt worn by Madonna in her 1986 music video for "

Papa Don't Preach "Papa Don't Preach" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Madonna for her third studio album ''True Blue (Madonna album), True Blue'' (1986). The song was written by Brian Elliot with additional lyrics by Madonna, who produced it alo ...

". In an interview with Vice's music website Noisey, Jewel commented on the label's origins:

One of the reasons why I started Italians Do It Better is because I didn't want someone telling me when a record was due, or when something needed to be written or recorded. Or when I needed to go on tour. I believe in doing things when it's ready. It’s a dangerous game because the world is moving so fast. But ultimately the only reason we're having this conversation is because I love music. And that's the path that it's led me on in my life. I never set out to be a successful musician, but musical decisions have always guided my life. For that reason, I will stay true to what I really feel…

2007-present

Italians Do It Better began gaining significant international recognition in 2007 with three consecutive releases of the label compilation ''After Dark'', Chromatics' ''Night Drive'', and Glass Candy's '' B/E/A/T/B/O/X.'' Other major releases on the label include the 2011 album ''Themes for an Imaginary Film'' from Symmetry (a collaboration between Johnny Jewel and Chromatics' Nat Walker), Chromatics' 2012 album ''

Kill for Love ''Kill for Love'' is the fourth studio album by American electronic music band Chromatics. It was released on March 26, 2012, by Italians Do It Better. On May 7, 2012, a drumless version of the album, containing 11 songs with no percussion, was ...

'', and ''

'' in 2013. The songs "Tick of the Clock" by Chromatics and "Under Your Spell" by Desire were both used in the soundtrack to the 2011 film ''Drive''.

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...

br>stated
"Whether you treat it as background music, incidental listening, or a two-hour magnum opus, ''Themes for an Imaginary Film'' is a well-rounded portrait of a key figure in the American electronic music landscape." BBC Music called ''Kill for Love''
one of the finest records to surface
in 2012. When asked to comment on his own production sound for SPIN's 8-out-of-10 review of ''

'', Jewel describes it as that specific
point in the night, you've passed out or you're done making love or whatever. That mindset opens the CD up for room ambience and conversation, and we step into the background — we slip away."
A number of the label's releases have been awarded the coveted "Best New Music" tag from

includin
''After Dark''''After Dark 2''
and Chromatics
''Kill for Love''.
''

'' was released on May 17, 2013. It featured new tracks from Chromatics, Glass Candy, and Desire.

is currently working on a new album entitled ''Body Work.'' In December 2014, Chromatics announced that a new, 17-track-album entitled ''Dear Tommy'' will be available via the label "in time for Valentine's Day." As of 2022, the album has not been released. Italians Do It Better released the original motion picture soundtrack to Ryan Gosling's directorial debut, '' Lost River'', on March 30. The soundtrack features music from the score, as well as songs from the film by Glass Candy, Chromatics, and Desire, plus songs sung by

Saoirse Ronan Saoirse Una Ronan ( , ; born 12 April 1994) is an American-born Irish actress. Primarily known for her work in period dramas since adolescence, she has received various accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, in addition to nominations fo ...

and

Ben Mendelsohn Paul Benjamin Mendelsohn (born 3 April 1969) is an Australian actor. He first rose to prominence in Australia for his breakout role in ''The Year My Voice Broke'' (1987) and since then he has had roles in films such as '' Animal Kingdom'' (2010) ...

, who star in the film. The soundtrack is released on CD, digitally, and as a limited 2xLP on purple vinyl.

Artists

Artists on Italians Do It Better include: * Bark Bark Disco *

Bottin Bottin (Guglielmo Bottin, born 1977) is an Italian composer, producer, DJ and music scholar, based in Venice, Italy. His tracks have a clear italo disco and retro-futurist electronic music influences. Before moving to contemporary space disco, ...

*Causeway * Jorja Chalmers * Chromatics *Club Intl * Desire *Double Mixte *Farah *Juno Francis *Michel *Glüme *

*Heaven *In Mirrors *Invisible Conga People *Ivory *

*JOON *Mirage *Alejandro Molinari *MOTHERMARY *Muscle *

Nite Jewel Ramona Gonzalez (known professionally as Nite Jewel) is an American singer-songwriter from Los Angeles, California. Biography Ramona Gonzalez began as Nite Jewel in 2008 as the result of her juggling music with undergraduate studies.

*Orion *Pink Gloves *Ramxes *Tess Roby *Andrew Douglas Rothbard * Symmetry *Twisted Wires *Fred Ventura

References

External links

Official WebsiteOfficial Facebook PageItalians Do It Better
at