Aeroplane

Aeroplane is a Brussels-based disco and electronic project associated with Vito de Luca and Stephen Fasano, active from 2007. The act is linked to disco, electronic and pop, and is also described in relation to nu-disco, house and balearic sounds. It begins as an Italian-Belgian duo and later becomes a one-man studio project centred on de Luca, with Fasano continuing separately as a DJ.

Style and early recognition

The project builds a reputation through expansive disco reworks and original material that combines dance music with melodic and pop songwriting. Its remixes include versions of Grace Jones’s William’s Blood, Friendly Fires’ Paris and Sébastien Tellier’s Kilometer. Alongside these, Aeroplane develops a distinct sound through tracks such as Caramellas, which is described as one of its piano-led, melancholic pieces and a key example of its nu-disco and Balearica style.

Album work

Aeroplane’s debut album, We Can’t Fly, is a major release in the project’s catalogue. It is recorded in Toulouse, Paris, London and Los Angeles and co-produced by Bertrand Burgalat. The record reflects de Luca’s interest in stately disco, early 1980s electronica and a broader range of influences, including ABBA, film soundtracks, Pink Floyd, the Rolling Stones and Italian crooners heard in his Brussels upbringing. The album also shows a shift towards song-based material and away from long DJ-oriented structures.

Membership and working method

Vito de Luca and Stephen Fasano form the original pairing behind Aeroplane. Later, de Luca carries the project forward alone after the two part ways amicably. He describes himself as the studio-focused member and Fasano as the more DJ-oriented one, and says that the project becomes centred on his own writing, performance and production. An expanded live line-up is used for stage performances.

Performance and broadcast

Aeroplane marks a notable appearance with its 500th Radio 1 Essential Mix, played at Circus in Liverpool. The set includes We Can’t Fly, which is presented as a key anthem in the project’s live and recorded output. The music is also positioned around a tempo and feel that de Luca associates with his strongest work, favouring groove, feeling and musical detail over faster dancefloor conventions.