There’s no better tribute to pop’s rootlessness than Italo disco, an ebullient style that ruled European clubs in the ‘80s and still inspires fierce devotion. Its patron saint is Giorgio Moroder, the Italian producer who streamlined disco down to a sinewy electronic pulse; its hallmarks were colorful synthesizers, chipper melodies, and a cheeky sense of fun. Despite the name and the prominence of Italian acts like Gino Soccio, Tantra, and Kano, Italo moved easily across borders. It thrived in Germany with Modern Talking and Mike Mareen; Quebec groups like Trans-X brought it to North America; and it influenced UK synth-pop, inspiring acts like Pet Shop Boys, Erasure, and The Human League’s Phil Oakey. Like Northern soul, another archival style, Italo was less a genre than a feeling and a moment in time. From today’s vantage point, it’s a look back at a golden era of global dance music at its most innocent.