ALBERGO INTERGALATTICO SPAZIALE

Electronic prog "supergroup" formed by Mino Di Martino, Albergo Intergalattico Spaziale released in 1978 what I consider to be part of the finest albums produced in Italy. Curious, enigmatic, fractured and gorgeous, this albums features dense electronic soundscapes, including inspired analog synth excursions, classical music tendencies and off course massive "cerebral" avant gardist fantasies. "Live Pistoia" features loving spacey electronics, emotionally expressive and technically complex. The composition is punctuated by discreet, ethereal female voices. "Phasing" is a graceful, lyrical composition for voices and "dreamlike" synth chords. "Senza Titolo" features contemplative choirs, adjusted by electronic effects. A haunting, semi-acoustic song. "Tastiera solo" provides analog synth textures for a rather "fantomatic" symphonic "trip". It gives gorgeously "creepy" tones, notably taken from classical music pieces. "Improvvisazione" is a tasteful lyrical synth composition including bizarre vocalisations. "Tracce" is a sort of strange and "hypnotic" electronic exercice for repetitive patterns and crystalline pulses. The bonus track called "Hymalaya" is a totally painful melodic pop song that brings nothing to the rest. Deeply recommended for fans of "baroque" Italian prog and kosmische electronics.

This debut, self-titled album is the only release from Albergo Intergalattico Spaziale, which is upsetting, because this is some seriously great enigmatic progressive electronic. This album is unique in that vocals are featured on most of the tracks, and they're done wonderfully. Of course, the Italian language is well suited for musical use, and that shines on this album. On some tracks, the vocals carry the real melody while avant-garde electronic experiments fill the background. Besides the vocals, these tracks all vary quite a bit; you've got avant-garde-electro sound barrages ("Live Pistoia"), mellow ambience with experimental accents ("Phasing", "Senza Titolo", "Tastiera Solo", "Sabbie Vergini"), dramatically lush soundscapes ("Improvvisazione", "4 tracce"), "Bariazioni su 'angeli di solitudine" is a bizarre vocal solo, and "Hymalaya" is a pre-new-age pop track that would be well suited for slow- dancing. Out of all of the prog electronic artists and albums I've listened to, this album is definitely one of the most complete. If you can get a chance to, this an album to check out.

I have no internal qualms about calling this album an enigmatic masterpiece of the genre. Fans of electronic music and avant-garde music should take great notice of this album. It's sad that this is their only release.

After the demise of I Giganti in 1972, their guitarist Giacomo Mino Di Martino made a surprising switch to exploring the keyboards, dedicating himself to Avant-Garde Music.Along with his wife Edda ''Terra'' Di Benedetto he participated around the mid-70's in the Avant Rock supergroup Telaio Magnetico next to Juri Camisasca, Franco Battiato and Lino "Capra" Vaccina.Reputedly in 1976 Martino and Di Benedetto formed the Experimental/Prog duo Albergo Intergalattico Spaziale, named after a club they owned in Rome, recording a work, which did not see the light until 1978, when it was privately released in a limited number of copies.

This has to be one of the most experimental, sinister and genuine Electronic Prog albums of the 70's with Martino performing on various keyboards and his wife being responsible for the haunting vocals of the album, much in Spoken Word style with plenty of wordless voices and some lyrics close to the Hebrew or Arabic languages.The album alternates between dark-sounding organ improvisations, muddy chants and ambiental soundscapes, borrowing influences also from Psychedelic and Classical Music, and eventually delivering a total mess of keyboard-driven textures, that is both enigmatic and charming.The combination of mourning vocals and eerie synth- and organ sounds is absolutely efficient, while Martino's work breaks often into more romantic, spacey grounds, offering Electronic themes with finesse and a unique atmosphere.While the album wins a personal style of its own at the end, some BATTIATO and KLAUS SCHULZE influences are apparent through the process.Even more surprising is the fact that after the listening of such a dark-sounding and extremely bizarre album, the feeling is quite positive, giving birth to dreamy and ethereral emotions comparable to many of this effort's soundscapes.

Martino and Di Benedetto continued to be strongly connected to the territories of Electronic and Avant-Garde music over the years, while an archival release of early demos by the duo, entitled ''Angeli di solitudine'', was released by Giallo Records in 2009.

Extremely obscure but deeply inventive and fascinating Electronic Prog.Highly recommended to enthusiasts of the style and strongly recommended to anyone with open ears and bright horizons...3.5 stars.

An obscure and unique piece of early prog electronic from Italy. Pretty much at the end of the early years of electronica in general, Mino di Martino began work on an album comprised of various electronic sounds and synth bars. In fact, some of the material early on this album might best be called synthprog. Seemingly taking off from a purified take on White Noise's "The Visitation", he crafted a dour record of beautiful yet bleak electronics ruminating on nuclear weapons. His wife provides some wonderful, eerie vocals throughout. In spite of at times sounding partially dull, the music proves a fantastic listen. The partially synthprog opener "Live Pistoia", and the strange, haunting "Improvvisazione", driven by unintelligible yet gripping vocals from Benedetto, are the two greatest tracks. As a whole, barely a dull moment, and the good allows listeners to forgive the rare bad. Really a neat lost piece of prog electronic and Italian music, this comes recommended, another 4.5 worthy of being rounded up rather than down.

Giacomo `Mino' Di Martino was the guitarist in Italian pop group I Giganti, who were responsible for a minor RPI standout with their 1971 release `Terra in Bocca', but the fella switched gears entirely for his solo release in the later Seventies under the alias of Albergo Intergalattico Spaziale (Intergalactic Space Hotel). The self-titled LP from 1978 was far removed from the rock opera of `Terra...', being instead a schizophrenic mix of eerie keyboard drones, vocal experiments and avant-garde aural collages, with hints of classical, symphonic and krautrock also worked in.

Swirls of organ and buzzing feedback circle around Terra Di Benedetto's breathy and treated voice that drawls stream-of-consciousness proclamations (lightly calling to mind Gilli Smyth's space- whispers in Gong) throughout opener `Live Pistoia', and staccato keyboard stabs between wild cymbal crashes remind of the early Pink Floyd live concert improvisations to offer a nightmarish chaos. `Phasing's hazy drones over eastern mantra-like beckonings wouldn't have sounded out of place on several Popol Vuh discs, `Senza Titolo' is sighing ambience, and the murky Mellotron- fuelled symphonic grandness of `Tastiera solo' Mellotron is doomed and sorrowful.

Slivers of orchestration back up spirited male and female voices as they swoon through a baffling retelling of Beethoven's `Ode to Joy' in the flip-side's `Improvvisazione'. `4 Tracce' moves from soothing new-age electronic caresses to hypnotic prog-electronic synth spirals, the cavernous `Variazioni su "Angeli di solitudine"' reverberates with unrestrained multi-tracked ethereal female voices (although its somewhat dull and overlong at over seven minutes), and closer `Sabbie Vergini' is a final plaintive psalm atop lowly quivering electronics.

This is the kind of release that will hardly hold widespread appeal. Instead, the LP will most interest listeners who appreciate Franco Battiato's early Seventies electronic experiments, and it compliments other daring Italian works like Luciano Cilio's `Dell'universo Assente', Roberto Cacciapaglia's `Sei Note in Logica' or even Pierrot Lunaire keyboardist Arturo Stalteri's `...E il Pavone Parlo' Alla Luna'.

If you're a collector of adventurous Italian rock music from the vintage Seventies period and want to add obscure oddities and musical curios from that country to your collection, then `Albergo Intergalattico Spaziale' is wildly inventive and endlessly fascinating.

Four stars.