To be honest, Naples is the long-term smuggling world capital, especially in the fields of cigarettes and of illegal fireworks. Despite, the city of Vesuvius has a great history in light music, even if, until the year 1991, it wasn’t important in electronic dance music, that, at the time, was known as “house music”. However, in late 80’s Mr. Angelo Tardio, also known as Funk Master Sweat, founded there a small record company, named “Flying Records”, whose main activity was the distribution of record productions coming from northern Italy. Thanks to the collaboration of a passionate Neapolitan, Mr. Patrizio Squeglia, who was locally the most successful house music DJ, in the year 1991 Mr. Tardio decided to create a special division of Flying Records, dedicated to rave music, with a special attention to tunes similar to Detroit techno. The special division was named “Underground Music Movement”, and became popular under the acronym of UMM. The activity of UMM was developed in three different directions: by one side, the label published the original productions of some of the most prominent Italian house music DJs; by another side, the label distributed productions coming from USA and UK; to the other side, the label offered special remixes to tracks coming from the cited countries, and even some remakes, featuring new vocal parts of Anglo-Saxon collaborators, such as Ronnie Lee, an American known under the nicknames of Ronny Money and MC Rage, and the British female singer Jo Smith. The earliest original production of UMM was by D.B.M., alias Kurt DJ and Giulio Benedetti. The earliest special remix was performed by Luca Pretolesi, artistically known as Digital Boy. The very first American record distributed by UMM was “Underground Resistance – living for the nite”. A series of brief, general information: UMM opened two seats in London and in the USA; the most successful year was 1995, when UMM gained the equivalent of 7,5 million euro; UMM went to bankruptcy in the year 1997, even if it was reopened by other subjects a couple of times, without notable results; Mr. Tardio, the founder of UMM, doesn’t own a single copy of whatever production of UMM; I have doubts about the existence of a complete catalogue of UMM, and a series of other doubts, bound to the nature of businesses in Naples.
Why is UMM a global myth in the field of EDM? First, because its spirit was simple, clear, and agreed by all the DJs who were the publishers of vinyl records at 12”. Second, because the DJs who worked for UMM were excellent professionals, with fantastic, original ideas. I cite some of those DJs, under two different lists, the first dedicated to Italians (or based in Italy), the second dedicated to Anglo-Saxons. The first list: Alex Natale (Alex Party), Andrea Cosma, Blast, Claudio Coccoluto, Elvio Moratto, Emanuele Luzzi (Onirico), Enrico Mantini, Fathers of Sound, Fulvio Zafret, Giancarlino with Paul and Peter Micioni (G.M. and Progetto Tribale), Gianni and Paolo Visnadi (CYB and Nu-World), Ivan Iacobucci (K.G.B.), Leo Young with Maurizio Tannino and Stefano Di Carlo, Lino Lodi and Stefano Mango, Luca Cucchetti, Nicola Dragani, Paolo Varianzi and Vic Palminteri (Rhythm 3 Request), Roberto Masi and Fabio Fiorentino, Stefano Facchielli (D-Rad), Stefano Noto, Stefano Righi (alias Johnson Righeira), Tony Carrasco. The second list: Armand Van Helden, Blake Baxter, Darryl Pandy, DJ Pierre, Erick Morillo, Kenny Dope Gonzales, Little Louie Vega, Masters at Work, Ralph Falcon and Oscar Gaetan (Murk Boys), Ralphie Dee, Roger Sanchez, Spooky, Todd Terry (House of Gypsies). American experts say that UMM was the Italian equivalent of the NYC label named Strictly Rhythm, that has been the label number one for deep house.
In my opinion, UMM has been even more precious and inspiring than Strictly Rhythm, because more eclectic, and with better “mind openness”. It’s time for a conclusion. UMM record label was a joke of the Fate, because the previous contribution of Naples to EDM had been irrelevant, and the same contribution still continues to be very small. Was Mr. Andrea Tardio a genius of music? Ok, I don’t want to badmouth him, but, as it seems to me, the myth of UMM is much more bound to the work of the DJs cited above. Nevertheless, I have to confirm that Mr. Tardio has done what no one else ever did before, making a number of individualists, such as house music DJs, work together for a common purpose, the promotion of their activity. Naturally, the mix of the page is the digital equivalent of a C 60, entirely made of UMM releases. I find that my style is suitable to the many variations contained in the tunes, that I have acquired legally (sorry for the punctualization).
File name is “web C 60 by Max Look DJ, the myth of UMM label (end of Aug 2025)”, about 1 hour and 3’ of rare releases of the UMM label, mixed on the beat.
Top EDM from Naples, the playlist:
G.M. – L.O.V.E. ambient (1991)
Onirico – stolen moments (1991)
Underground Resistance feat. Yolanda – living for the nite (1991)
Nu World – chrystol dance (1992)
KGB – Detroit 909 (1991)
Phantasia – more than just a dance (1992)
Rhythm 3 Request – desafinado (1992)
Sonar – state of panic (1994)
House of Gypsies – samba (1992)
Submission feat. Jackie Buckley – trouble (1992)
Spooky – land of Oz (Poppyfield mix, 1992)
Blast feat. VDC – take you right (1993)
Roberto Masi & Fabio Fiorentino – deep code (1996)
Groovers – ride on the power (1996)
