Italians Do It Better is an independent record label based in

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

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. History Most historical writings about West Hollywood be ...

. 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 material ...

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

Glass Candy Glass Candy was 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 Symmetry () in everyday life refers to a sense of harmonious and beautiful proportion and balance. In mathematics, the term has a more precise definition and is usually used to refer to an object that is Invariant (mathematics), invariant und ...

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 four label compilations, 'After Dark' (2007), ' After Dark 2' (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, 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 Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

in her 1986 music video for "

Papa Don't Preach "Papa Don't Preach" is a song by American singer Madonna from her third studio album, '' True Blue'' (1986). Written by Brian Elliot, it was produced by the singer and her collaborator Stephen Bray. In the United States, the song was released as ...

". In an interview with Vice's music website

Noisey ''Vice'' (stylized in all caps) is a Canadian-American magazine focused on lifestyle, arts, culture, and news/politics. It was founded in 1994 in Montreal as an alternative punk magazine, and its founders later launched the youth media company ...

, 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

(a collaboration between Johnny Jewel and Chromatics' Nat Walker), Chromatics' 2012 album '' Kill for Love'', and '' After Dark 2'' 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 or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

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 Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...

's 8-out-of-10 review of '' Kill for Love'', 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

including ''After Dark'', ''After Dark 2'' and Chromatics' ''Kill for Love''. '' After Dark 2'' 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'' would be available via the label "in time for Valentine's Day." As of 2025, the album has not been released. Italians Do It Better released the original motion picture soundtrack to

Ryan Gosling Ryan Thomas Gosling ( ; born November 12, 1980) is a Canadian actor. His work includes both independent films and major studio features, and his accolades include a Golden Globe Award, in addition to nominations for three Academy Awards, a ...

'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, she has received various accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, with nominations for four Academy Awards and sev ...

and

Ben Mendelsohn Paul Benjamin Mendelsohn (born 3 April 1969) is an Australian actor. He first rose to prominence in Australia for his break-out role in '' The Year My Voice Broke'' (1987). He gained international attention for his starring role in the crime d ...

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

Artists

Current

*Alejandro Molinari *Annie-Claude Deschênes * Bark Bark Disco *Causeway *Curses *

Jorja Chalmers Jorja Chalmers is an Australian saxophonist and keyboardist who has toured globally with bands and performers such as Bryan Ferry, Take That and the Ting Tings. When Ferry's band, Roxy Music, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Fe ...

*Club Intl *

Desire Desires are states of mind that are expressed by terms like "wanting", "wishing", "longing" or "craving". A great variety of features is commonly associated with desires. They are seen as propositional attitudes towards conceivable states of affa ...

*Dlina Volny *Double Mixte *Farah *Juno Francis *

*JOON *Mirage *Mothermary *Orion

Alumni

*Andrew Douglas Rothbard *

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

* Chromatics *Fred Ventura * Glüme *

*Heaven *In Mirrors *Invisible Conga People * Krakow Loves Adana *

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

*Pink Gloves *Ramxes *Tess Roby *

*Twisted Wires

References

External links

* * {{Authority control American independent record labels