VA - Mellow Bangers Vol.2 (2025)

Since its inception in 2020, Italo Moderni’s energy, spirit and inspiration has been the dancefloor. The darkened bunkers of Belgium, the trembling speakers of Valencia, the warming dawn of Rimini, these influences have been the lifeblood. Solidifying this tireless effort, Mellow Bangers Vol 2 is the label’s most ambitious collection to date.
In celebration of the imprint’s fifth anniversary, fifteen artists gather with every single one united under a rallying cry. From across the globe, machinists have been drawn together to deliver a statement of acid and wave, of electro and synth with flourishes of italo. The shadowy fringes of the floor are well represented, audio artisans like Cyrk and Djedjotronic serving distorted drums and melodies dripping with menace. Brightening these tones are the likes of Lauer with his Balearic infusions or Gravedad Cinética’s otherworldly “Fake Atmosphere.” Amongst the litany of talent are musicians who have both inspired Italo Moderni as well as those who have appeared on the label. Antoni Maiovvi fits such a description, the sound sorcerer slicing beats through bittersweet bars in the immersive “Stopping Power.” Ceaselessly developing the Spanish scene, Iberian artists are rightly showcased. Madrid’s David Poziano offers the cascading luminance of “In Search of Gold”, shimmering synthlines punctuated by breathy samples and pulsing percussion. New discoveries rub shoulders with established veterans, E-Bony’s bending and undulating “Brain U.F.O.” beside rising names like Ivan Pavletsov with the steely “No Future” and DjBoeing with the beaming joy of “Cheetah.”
Mellow Bangers Vol 2 is a breathless expression of the floor. A contemporary imagining of the racing rhythms and addictive hooks of the 1980s and 1990s. Fifteen works that summarise what Italo Moderni is and will continue to be.