1. Francesco Messina – Prati Bagnati Del Monte Analogo
Pure music poetry from an album composed by Francesco Messina, Raul Lovisoni and produced by Franco Battiato. It Came out on Italian label Cramps Records in 1979. Every time i listen to this track I can travel in my Italian memories in a beautiful nostalgic way, is simply a Masterpiece.
2. Fabrizio de André – Amico fragile
This is one of the most beautiful songs of the Italian songwriter Fabrizio De André. This is my childhood listening my father’s records and when i started to be obsessed by Music.
3. Antony and the Johnsons – You Are My Sister
When I listened this song the first time I cried and I still cry every time I hear this. Antony is a timeless genius of our music generation.
4. Massive Attack – Karmacoma (Napoli Trip)
I heard it hundred times and played a lot in my early years as a resident of Atomic Bar in Milan. My personal top 2 versions of this track are the Mad Professor Bumper Ball Dub and this one, sublime collaboration with the neapolitan band Almamegretta and produced by Ben Young.
5. Murcof – Ulysses (Fax Remix)
Murcof, one of the maestros of Mexican avant garde, in 2003 release this EP in the English The Leaf Label. The Odyssey is my favorite classic book so the title of the track reminds me a lot Ulysses adventures. Here Fax Remix that gives to the original version an interesting minimal techno twist without losing the ambient intention.
6. Susumu Yokota – Kinoko
I have to be honest, I’ve discovered quite recently this Susuma Yokota album from 1994 called Acid Mt.Fuji. Since that moment I’ve been listening to it no stop. The perfection of sounds and the progression of elements and the balanced juxtaposition of layers that mix New Wave, Post Punk, Techno and Minimal makes this one of the greatest albums for me.
7. Simon and Garfunkel – Bridge Over Troubled Water
Well i think this doesn’t need introductions, hahaha. This is the music I grow up from my Mother side. Obviously I choose this because is a mix of a great song and the meaning it has too me. But, not to underestimate, with this track I also discover how strong and evocative can be an exasperate reverb on a snare drum.
8. Ennio Morricone – Giu la testa
I always have been attracted by soundtracks. I find interesting how powerful can be the music even after seeing the movie. How strong can be in your way to perceive emotions without images. My favorite composers are Angelo Badalamenti, Vangelis and Ennio Morricone. Giu La Testa is the first movie I saw set in Mexico during the Revolution period. This as a young half Mexican child growing up in Italy caused me a sense of pride and happiness.
9. Duke Ellington & Charles Mingus & Max Roach – Caravan
I’m a huge fan of Duke. First time I heard this version (for me the best version of Caravan ever) I was walking with Giulia in Ortigia, the old part of Siracusa in Sicily. I passed near a very casual and informal restaurant on the street and the big woman cooking behind the counter was listening this in an old cassette player. Of course We stopped to eat there.
10. David Lang – I Lie
Of course there are many more albums, and songs and tracks i would love to put here and that totally deserve to be in this list because of the importance they had to me.. Bauhaus, Pink Floyd, Television, Lou Reed, Brain Eno, Kraftwerk, Aphex Twin etc. But to close this list I wanted to go to the essence of music. And this track reminds me how simple and celestial can be music done just with our own instrument, the voice. This David Lang composition brings to contemporary music what I remember from some of the sacred compositions of Bach. The version sang by Torino Vocalesamble in the credits of ‘La Grande Bellezza’ gave to me a new a kind of decadence meaning to the celestial atmospheres of the composition.
Various Artists – Trafico Music VA Vol. 1 (Trafico Music)
Trafico Music’s next release is a 12-track showcase of all the fantastic artists associated with the label. It features a wealth of unusual, hard to define music that exists in the shadowy regions between various different genres.
Headed up by bosses Concret, it is a label known for synth heavy and left of centre disco and techno grooves laced with the overtones of their local environment. But also for their famous rooftop parties, where a hefty sound system is put through its paces by wild DJs, friends and family members who showcase Mexico’s diverse musical culture. Concret themselves are the Italian- Mexican duo composed of Diego Angelico Escobar and Q-Pha and between them they are a skilled keyboard player and sound designer who always innovate with each release. Their music has featured on their own label, as well as for the likes of Toy Tonics, Nein, Roam, Her Majestys Ship and Wonder Stories and they have received support from the likes of Andrew Weatherall, Optimo, Red Axes and Psychemagik amongst others.
It all kicks off with Mexico’s Viks Lander and his ‘Pandora’, a spritely tune with freeform synths echoing into a mysterious night sky and pads bringing dreamy vibes. Hailing from Distrito Federal in Mexico, Marat brings more exotic atmospheres to ‘Visions’, a meandering machine disco track with wavy grooves and retro, Casio-sounding chords. The bosses then get remixed by Isaac Soto and the result is a gorgeous and late night affair, slow in tempo and rich in romantic musicality. Cantor – ‘The Chain’ (Tyu Unchained Remix) is more percussive, with xylophone sounds, mellifluous chords and keys and more upbeat, metal plated disco drums getting you into the zone.
After Tkuz’s frazzled synths and mischievous grooves, Concret then link with Pepe Acebal for ‘Fermata Gayol,’ a deep and pumping track with tight techno drums and live sounding percussion that adds plenty of light and texture. NYC based composer and sound artist Tim O’Keefe is a multi-talented artist who is used to rubbing shoulders with entertainment industry stars, he is in a band with actor James Franco and here collaborates with the legendary Andy Rourke, former bass player for The Smiths! Their track, ‘Radio Signals’, is a springy bit of inventive electronica with mystic synths that can’t be ignored. Next, drummer Tkuz makes another appearance with an off kilter remix of InClan’s ‘Tuntun’ which is lit up with glowing synths and celestial melodies.
The fast rising Cantor keeps things stripped back with his rumbling techno roller, liebe*detail associate Rubinskee offers a raw and primitive track with glowing chords and euphoric vocals and InClan’s ‘On Off’ brings twisted machine sounds with ghoulish voices. Last of all is Cubenx’s Tailwind Remix of Concret & Soni Ceron’s ‘Borders’, which is laden with retro synths, rugged bass ripples and edgy chords that will get any floor moving.
This is a diverse package of music that explores plenty of interesting new ground between genres
Various Artists – Trafico Music VA Vol. 1 (Trafico Music) Release: 31st July 2018 Cat. No. TFM101
