wanexa: the man from colours

Gianluigi “Gigi” Farina and Francesco Rago are to be counted among Italo disco's true originators. Operating as a duo under many monikers, they brought us masterpieces such as Wanexa's “The Man From Colours”, ‘Lectric Workers' “Robot Is Systematic”, and Decadance's “On And On”. Their sound is propulsive and ethereal in equal measure - dense, psychedelic, and tinged with melancholy. “The Man From Colours” was recorded in Milan in 1982 and released on Discomagic Records the same year. The song’s music was composed by Rago and Farina, with lyrics written by Xenia Monneret, who was only 16 at the time. Mournful synth pads are buoyed by an 808 groove, while Lyana Galis provides haunting vocals, singing of a man who will bring color to this grey world. “The Man From Colours” was influential on early House and Techno music thanks to support from WBMX in Chicago and and WJLB in Detroit. It was later a cornerstone in the 90's Hague electro scene, frequently appearing in DJ sets by I-F and Intergalactic Gary. On the B-side is the instrumental version with extended breaks, drum claps and additional vocoder verses. There is a slight warble in the beginning of each version that was due to the band re-recording multiple takes on the same reel of tape.