Disco Made In Puglia: The Legacy of Pioneering C&M Record Label
Between local folk and rising disco culture, the Bari-based label was the only hub for aspiring musicians from southern Italy between the mid 70s and early 80s.
When I was 10 years old, my small home town in Puglia offered very little to anyone interested in music or entertainment. The closest hub was the city of Bari for people who wished to cultivate their passion beyond their school’s end of year recitals. It was quite an effort to get there but my mom was an angel. Every day we took the bus so that I could attend music classes at C&M (Cultura e Musica), a cultural compound that included recording studios, various labels as well as music classes. With the guidance of Rosa Cavalieri - daughter of C&M founder Lino - , I studied music theory and piano together with other kids around my age.
I remember the coming and going of emerging artists, record executives, orchestra musicians, instruments and cables all wrapped in a cloud of cigarette smoke, lush indoor plants and stylish leather couches. And as I observed all of this, in the recording room, some of the coolest disco and Italo disco tracks were being recorded. Tracks that though passed quite unnoticed at the time, today’s audiences are bestowing upon them the much deserved popularity and prestige they deserve.
Disco Bambino
In the late 70s, Puglia (and southern Italy in general) was no place to cultivate a kid’s dream to become someone in the music world. Everyone would migrate - or at least try - to cities like Rome or Milan, where the TV and music industry was flourishing. However, smaller and local realities managed to develop and create their own communities of artists, with many of them breaking through the geographic and cultural boundaries and catching the attention of national and international audiences. The label and recording studios C&M was one of these, thriving in a very unique area, producing the work of local folk artists as well as new acts of the rising disco and dance scene; the perfect bridge between tradition and novelty.
We recently spoke with Rosa Cavalieri, daughter of C&M founder Lino Cavalieri, who has played a key role in the thriving of the pop, disco and Italo disco made in Puglia. Being a woman and wanting to have an active role as producer, arranger, composer and writer in Italy (especially in the south) presented some challenges; which is the reason why under the suggestion of her father Line, Rosa worked under the pseudonym Cavaros.
Together with her brother Tommy Cavalieri who was overseeing the sound engineering portion of all records coming out of the studio, they gave birth to a brilliant music scene that sounds fresh and innovative still today.
“In the mid-1970s, when the Italian music industry was largely concentrated in cities like Rome and Milan,” says Rosa “my father Lino dared to defy convention and establish a musical hub in Bari. He was a passionate saxophonist and clarinetist who played in the musical group Siemens, performing behind the scenes for major artists such as Camaleonti, Dalida, and Pooh. His journey from musician to entrepreneur was driven by a vision to create a space where southern Italian musicians could thrive without being overshadowed by the industry giants in the north.”
Lino’s transformation from a performer to a pioneering music entrepreneur began when he crossed paths with a friend who was well-versed in the emerging world of music technology. Together, they founded C&M in 1974, laying the groundwork for what would become a landmark institution for musicians in Bari. Until then, local artists had no dedicated recording spaces or industry support. C&M quickly became the go-to meeting place for Bari’s musicians, bringing together talents such as Anna Oxa and others who had previously struggled to find a platform for their music.
Setting up a record label in Bari rather than Milan or Rome was a bold and unconventional move. At the time, southern Italy was largely isolated from the mainstream music industry, making it difficult for artists to gain national recognition
At its core, C&M initially focused on the traditional folk music of Bari, working with notable artists such as Gianni Ciardo, Nico Salatino, Vito Signorile, and Pino di Modugno. However, as the music landscape evolved, so did C&M. In the late 1970s, Lino recognized the growing popularity of disco music and decided to expand into more contemporary genres. This shift led to the emergence of bands like Rainbow Team, Evo, Joe Ontario and more.
“The disco boom of the late 1970s and early 1980s opened new doors for our record label. My dad’s deep connections with local musicians and nightclub owners facilitated collaborations that would contribute to the future of Italo Disco.” Many local artists who wanted to start a career in music started to gravitate around our studios. Even a young Anna Oxa, one of the most iconic Italian performers, started here. One day, she simply buzzed at the studio's doors saying that she knew how to sing.
It was a disco scene being born by very skilled musicians who came together with the desire to have fun and also to create something that sounds new and fresh. Here we list 5 favorite tracks (and artists) that came out of the C&M Studios in Bari, in which our Rosa Cavalieri (Cavaros) is very much involved and that we are still loving and dancing today.
Rainbow Team “Bite The Apple” (1982)
Taking the name from a discotheque in Bari in the late 70s, Michele Violante and Luciana Cirillo, are the mastermind behind the wonderful track (and album) and you can still catch today walking in super fashionable boutiques around the world.
Evo “Din Don” (1983)
Verona based artist Silvana Norris, had always been enamoured by the Japanese figure of the samurai. It all came together in the most perfect way when C&M produced her first single “Din Don” that Silvana performed on stage by dressing and moving like a samurai. Collector’s item!
Rita and The Dangers “Io E Lui Al Lago Nassua” (1980)
Brother and Sister Rita and Patrizio Giarletti. Little did they know that their first single would be one of the most sought after items of early italo disco collectors 40 years later. Very short lived band, for a brilliant and timeless disco oddity.
Nico Salatino “Raptus” (1979)
This is the perfect example of how C&M was able to find that special intersection between local folk and futuristic sounds. In this track, local comedian Nico Salatino “raps” about his bongage friendly sex encounter over a synth driven instrumental, written and arranged by Rosa herself.
Franco Camassa “Non Andar Via” (1981)
Born and raised in Barletta, Puglia, Franco Camassa sings his heart out in this beautiful disco ballad co-written with and arranged by Rosa Cavalieri.
Today Tommy and Rosa Cavalieri continue their work in music with their studios and label, still based in Bari. Find out more about their recording studios here.
Wow 🥹