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viewing 1 To 10 of 10 items
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INTER 014LP
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Intervallo present a reissue of Antonino Riccardo Luciani's Agonia della Civilta, originally released in 1972. The great fame of Antonino Riccardo Luciani, a musician and composer from Palermo, is due above all to his work for television and to one in particular, namely the music for the Almanacco del giorno dopo (Almanac of the Coming Day), a famous program that has been broadcast on the first channel of RAI -- Italian Television for over twenty years. Chanson Balladée, the title, is for many people an indelible memory of a television now disappeared and radically changed, for which Luciani has often composed wonderful themes and soundtracks of great value as Tecnica di un colpo di stato (Technique of a coup d'état). Agonia della Civiltà (Agony of Civilization), on the other hand, is part of his more experimental and abstract works, such as Inchiesta sul mondo (Inquiry Into the World) or Desol, and reveals the less accommodating side of the Sicilian composer, at work with tense atmospheres, hammering percussions, musique concrète, magnificent orchestrations. and bitter reflections on society. Originally released in 1972, the album is paradoxically more relevant in these complicated times. Titles such as "Esodo di Popolazioni" (Exodus of Populations), "Catastrofe Sociale" (Social Disaster), "Disfacimento Ecologico" (Ecological Decay), "Metropoli in Agonia" (Metropolis in Agony), or "Dramma dell'Evoluzione" (Drama of Evolution) foretold our future almost fifty years in advance. Edition of 300.
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INTER 013LP
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Intervallo presents a reissue of Leonardo Marletta's Percussioni ed Effetti, originally released in 1983. As often happens in the case of library music albums, even in Leonardo Marletta's one and only record in his career, the titles serve above all as sound indications, as if they were listening guides. In Percussioni ed Effetti (Percussion and Effects) you find a vast array of atmospheres, well explained and illustrated by titles such as "Violenza" (Violence), "Guerriglia" (Guerrilla Warfare), "Allucinazioni" (Hallucinations), "Compulsion", "Battimenti" (Beats), "Sospensioni" (Suspensions), or "Apocalisse" (Apocalypse). All these nouns perfectly fit the mood of the record, which is entirely built on a painstaking work of acoustic and electronic percussions, deep reverbs, drums, cymbals, and hints of piano and organ scattered here and there. Contrary to what one might think, the final result is anything but scant or primitive and shows a spasmodic rhythmic and instrumental research, similar to those you find in some avant-garde jazz works. As Valerio Mattioli remarks in his book Superonda, quoting Marletta's Percussioni ed Effetti, "the moment when library music becomes more interesting is when it abandons any descriptive intent and decides to talk about nothing but itself: a sort of metamusic or 'music in music', an imaginary soundtrack for nothing." Edition of 300.
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INTER 012LP
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Intervallo present a reissue of Narassa's Guerra E Angoscia, originally released in 1973. Like Gerardo Iacoucci -- already celebrated twice by Intervallo with Simbolismo Psichedelico (2015) and Industria N. 1 (INTER 011LP, 2018) -- Narassa, real name Sandro Brugnolini, is back in Intervallo's catalog with another gem: his second release on the legendary Rome-based label Rotary, which came out after the amazing Tensione Dinamica (INTER 005LP, 2016). Guerra E Angoscia was born as the fifth installment of seven and, like the previous album (which was recorded with the collaboration of label boss Amedeo Tommasi, the mind behind every release on Rotary), moves away from the experimental and mechanical drift of the first chapter, to dive headfirst in a dark and heavy mood -- as the title suggests ("War And Distress"). Guerra E Angoscia is truly faithful to the topic of its title -- with tracks like "Rommel", "Minaccia Di Guerra", "Campo Di Sterminio", "Commandos", "Battaglia Tragica", "Beat Bellico", "Eruzione", and "Linea Calda" -- there's little room for misunderstanding. It does a brilliant job offering library music to evoke tragedies, dark times, and the madness of human kind. This is done with wonderful beats, sharp and powerful percussions, grievous rhythms, and dramatic string sections. No more dynamism, to quote Narassa's other release on Rotary: "here the tension is just the effect of explosions and wrecked nerves." Edition of 300.
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INTER 011LP
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Intervallo present a reissue of Gerardo Iacoucci's Industria N. 1, originally released in 1972. At the beginning of the '70s, in Italy, the revolutionary surge of 1968 was beginning to turn into something grimmer (and definitely not linked to left-wing ideology) but the concept of "factory" still had a key role in the economic and social life of the country. It was not just an alienating workplace, where you would often spent your whole life, but also -- and overall -- the place where demands were made and political struggles took place. Therefore, a feasible imaginary soundtrack for the factory was the daily noise of machines, tools, hammers: an idea that, years later, would be embraced by dozens of industrial bands all over the world. But, in 1972, that reality was documented by Gerardo Iacoucci: "We went into factories and workshops and recorded the noise of the machines, then we put on it special musical effects and did an accurate mix," he tells in the liner notes. Industria N. 1, divided in "Fabbrica" on the A side and "Impianti Meccanici" on the B side, is an amazing work mixing field recordings and experimental music, proving how you can combine political commitment, art, avant-garde, and pioneering noise music in a brave record. Edition of 300.
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INTER 009LP
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Intervallo present a reissue of H. Tical's, aka Armando Sciascia, Impact: Synthesized Sound And Music, originally released in 1971. From the very first second, Impact: Synthesized Sound And Music is a difficult, icy release, embracing many cornerstones of what would become known as industrial music. These 16 sonic experiments are totally devoted to VCS3 synthesizers, which are the main architects of whirling escapes, white noise, and sonic landscapes in the mood of early Warp releases. Impact: Synthesized Sound And Music was originally released via Armando Sciascia's Vedette label in 1971, under the alias H. Tical. It's a really peculiar library music album, filled with incredibly contemporary sounds and atmospheres. Unlike Distortions by Blue Phantom (1971), whose super groovy and almost hard-prog tracks are all credited to H. Tical, this is a totally different sonic planet - and it's difficult to figure out what kind of images could be paired with such an extreme experiment, which is a one-of-a-kind effort in Sciascia's more traditional career as a composer. Moreover, the musical delirium is enhanced by the usual beauty of the titles, such as "Colluvium", "Metastasis", "Trigonos", "Intercosmic", "Rubidio", or "Laser", mixing Latin and English. This is a wonderful, alienating album made of "static" music, totally estranged from the idea of movement. A true desert island album, or better said, an abandoned planet album. Edition of 400.
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INTER 010LP
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Intervallo present a reissue of La Natura E L'Uomo, originally released in 1973. Intervallo's third reissue in the incredible series of nature-themed libraries originally released in the first half of the '70s by Cardium, Chic, Nereide, Musical, Rhombus, Spring, and Weekend labels. Real hardcore collector items which gave birth to a small cult during the last four decades. La Natura E L'Uomo, (Italian for "nature and mankind"), first came out in 1973; despite being part of the same series as Biologia Marina (1973) and Ittiologia (1973) (part of Intervallo's reissue series), it is actually a different affair, in which the avant-garde urge partly leaves room for sweeter, acoustic atmospheres. But there are also amazing examples of ambient experimentations such as "Protozoi" or "Venus", both featured in two versions. The main characters of this release are pretty much the same ones we met in the other volumes: Alessandro Alessandroni, Franco Tamponi, and Amedeo Tommasi. La Natura E L'Uomo also introduces two new names: Marco Di Marco, author of the tracks with a more definite easy listening mood, is a pianist and a jazz composer from Bologna, while the alias Kema hides Alessandroni's wife, the amazingly talented Giulia De Muittis, who was an equally formidable force. She and her husband are responsible for the most enticing tracks of the album: "Bassa Marea", "Pescatori", and "Venus". Edition of 400.
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INTER 007LP
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Intervallo present a reissue of Peymont's Cibernetica, originally released in 1971. Back in 1971, when this real gem of electronic experimentation was released, the term "cybernetic" was used to refer to the future. Or, at least, to an obscure science in the hands of a few experts, conducting experiments in rooms filled with huge electronic calculators. Automated controls, auto-regulation, information theory, those were abstract, uncommon and rarely used concepts which would change the world in a few years, and, in our case, deeply influenced an album which, almost half a century later, remains a mystery. The Greek origin of the word used as a title ("kybernetes", which indicates the pilot of a ship) is not very helpful and it's still a mystery as to who is hiding under the Peymont alias. For many years it was commonly believed that Peymont was Piero Umiliani in disguise, but some of the most respected theories explain that the nickname was used to hide the identity of Luigi Malatesta - composer of film scores, music libraries and, oddly enough, the hymn of the Italian political party Democrazia Cristiana - or the world famous Egisto Macchi (a more fascinating and plausible thesis). The 13 tracks featured on Cibernetica bring to the mind the most abstract and experimental compositions of Macchi. This music is constantly a means to research and explore: the listener can almost see the author and the musicians - whoever they are - locked in a research lab ("Laboratorio Di Ricerche") while assembling thermoionic valves ("Valvole Termoioniche") and artificial kidneys ("Reni Artificiali"), using an oscilloscope ("Oscilloscopio") or an electronic calculator ("Calcolatore Elettronico"), discussing about analysis and distillation ("Analisi E Distillazione"), electronic impulses ("Impulsi Elettronici") and automatism ("Automatismo"). Edition of 400.
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INTER 008LP
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Intervallo present Massimo Catalano & Remigio Ducros's La Fatica, originally released in 1971. Massimo Catalano (who died in 2013) enjoyed a brief stint of fame after joining the cast of Renzo Arbore's cult TV show Quelli Della Notte, but he risked to be remembered only for those little, funny sketches he delivered on camera. A few people are aware of Catalano's great skills as a jazz trumpet player (he played with Louis Armstrong in his career), which he first nurtured with a band called Flippers (also featuring Franco Bracardi on piano and a very young Lucio Dalla on clarinet). For him, the step from jazz to library music was short and easy and he started working his friend Remigio Ducros, composer and piano player, husband of Daniela Casa and author of some rare and extremely refined library albums. The joint efforts of Catalano and Ducros produced two albums only: Idee 1 (1972), featuring Casa in a track, and the beautiful La Fatica, a weird, hard-to-file item, mixing avant-garde, prog moods, electro rhythms, jazz and musique concrète. It's almost impossible to guess what Catalano and Ducros were looking for, while making this album, but despite the troubles and difficulties during its recording process, listening to La Fatica is a breeze. It's a continuous surprise, actually, since every track features unexpected tricks and changes. And, exactly like in other Intervallo releases, the title evoke the noise of machinery, the fascination for science and technology and the beauty of factories: "Catena Di Montaggio Rapido" (Rapid Assembly Line), "Sesto Capannone" (Sixth Depot), "Officina Meccanica" (Mechanical Workshop), "Terapia Della Fatica" (Strain Therapy), "Saturazione" (Saturation), "Esperimento 320" (Experiment 320), "Esami Di Laboratorio" (Lab Tests), "Dopo La Tensione" (After The Tension). Edition of 400.
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INTER 006LP
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Intervallo present a reissue from Amedeo Tommasi's Rotary Records label, Farlocco's Tecnologia (1974). The niche occupied by libraries in the history of Italian music is full of amazing stories, such as Rotary Record's, which is actually one of the most interesting and peculiar. The label, created and led by renewed composer Amedeo Tommasi, released seven albums in just one year - between 1973 and 1974 - of material ranging from futuristic experimentations to classic and jazz (the latter being one of the biggest passions of Tommasi). He wasn't just the boss, he also played piano and electronic instruments in all the records he released. He also took care of all the brilliant artwork (the original ones can easily be found online) and of pressing duties. The first three volumes of the series were released in 300 copies each, the other four in a humble press of 100 each: numbers that show how rare these records are nowadays, and how scarce their circulation was at the time. Tecnologia by Farlocco (an alias of the great Stefano Torossi, meaning "fake" in italian) is the second of the two Intervallo reissues dedicated to Rotary's experimental vein, the first being Narassa's Tensione Dinamica (INTER 005LP). This album is one of the first instances of electronic libraries: a perfect example of how, sometimes, Italian libraries were a stunningly fertile ground for experimentation and foretaste of future sounds. It's not a blasphemy to say that the three versions of "Superpotenza", opening the album, are techno tracks before techno was even born. Or that the heavy mood of "Silicosi" (in two different versions), "Geosonda" and "Pressione" are prehistoric examples of industrial music. But there are, also, the experimentations of "Lavoro Veloce" (once again, in two very different versions) with its pure sonic sci-fi, and the electro-glitch of "Virus" and "Biodegenerazione". Probably the future was not what we meant it to be, but a part of it can be found in the grooves of this album.
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INTER 005LP
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Intervallo present a reissue from Amedeo Tommasi's Rotary Records label, Narassa's Tensione Dinamica (1974).The niche occupied by libraries in the history of Italian music is full of amazing stories, such as Rotary Record's, which is actually one of the most interesting and peculiar. The label, created and led by renewed composer Amedeo Tommasi, released seven albums in just one year - between 1973 and 1974 - of material ranging from futuristic experimentations to classic and jazz (the latter being one of the biggest passions of Tommasi). He wasn't just the boss, he also played piano and electronic instruments in all the records he released. He also took care of all the brilliant artwork (the original ones can easily be found online) and of pressing duties. The first three volumes of the series were released in 300 copies each, the other four in a humble press of 100 each: numbers that show how rare these records are nowadays, and how scarce their circulation was at the time. Tensione Dinamica by Narassa (an alias of Sandro Brugnolini), is the first of two Intervallo releases dedicated to Rotary's experimental vein, the other being Farlocco's Tecnologia (INTER 006LP). This lost gem by the duo Brugnolini/Tommasi is a work ahead of its time - pretty much as it happened to the almost-twin album Tecnologia. It's characterized by a lighter use of technology and a more traditional approach. Creative tension (be it static or dynamic, like the first two song titles of the album) is always headed toward experimentation, even if touches of jazz and of the great tradition of Italian libraries can be found in the album. "Vacuum" (in two versions), "Conflittuale" and "Filterband" introduce electro touches, but the biggest surprise comes with "Spleen", the opener of side two: a perfect track to be sampled for hip-hop... for example, Mobb Deep. But Tensione Dinamica is also enhanced by the precious liquid piano and the synth mumbles of "Subtone". And let's not forget the invention of Stereolab in "Aflogelia".
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