D'AI PRIMITIVI ALL'ELETTRONICA

Blissed out, sacred, luminous semi acoustic / electronic "trip" from Italy "underground". Released in 1980 it can almost figure as a classic, revealing mysterious extended "drones", classical arrengements and a great variety of "exotic", non west instruments. "Eco Raga" is a sonic acoustic meditation for buzzing sitar and chanting flutes lines. The atmosphere is very floating and pleasant. "Piano synt" is surfing on "new agey" territories but succes to create a gloriously spacious and environmental ambience with "kosmisch" synth waves, beautiful modern classical / jazzy piano sequences ( in a sense it reminds me Tim Blake's peaceful, lysergic analog synth excursions). The final theme "Suoni Naturali" starts as a weird immersion into a "jungle" of unusual, "shamanic" sounds, it carries on an ethereal, "voodoo" like incantation with ethnic, ritual percussions altered by electronic treatments and nocturnal flute lines. A very strong effort with a lof of innovative experimentations, I can only regret the new agey influences on some titles.

In 1980 Walter Maioli and Riccardo Sinigaglia come up with a bit of a thesis, having an earnest set of goals: complex interpretation of concrete-like and programmatic music, a fusion between expression and spirit, imposing the sound together with the meditation, and using a natural and rich index of music layers. And this work is pretty well done. It's, more than anything, something interesting, given that even the notions of "experiment" and "concrete music" themselves rarely reach natural and artistic forms, within the field of rock, electronic programmed music or even "world music". D'ai primitivi all'elettronica is, perhaps, only far from being innovating, considering that the material doesn't change or dramatize the essence of the styles it's using, neither consumes a remarkable originality; on top of this, Futuro Antico stays an obscure study, released precariously.

This project should attract some attention in relation with the band Aktuala (in which Maioli previously played), a band that's more classic and more renown. Futuro Antico, of course, doesn't sing the same music, still Aktuala is, somehow, an ensemble that also study composed music, resuming only to put it inside folk and rock, concept or sonic/color psychedelic.

The title of "D'ai primitivi all'elettronica" is very sugestive, though music doesn't draw into "primitive" characters, neither exceeds its style of technically processed sound. More suggestively is instead the ethnic breadth, since, besides Maioli and Sinigaglia - the first having great studies in acoustics, natural sound and cultural music, the second being the most experienced in complex, post-modern or ambient-reflexive electronic - Gabin Debire, Indian vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, shines, plus the African percussion catches a fine taste through two guest musicians. The archetypal styles of Futuro Antico are equally sugestive, without, however, having a stable character. Aromatic and psycho-transitive, this band's music is not raga, nor part of Oriental expressions. The same thing goes with the electronic inclination, despite the effective and eclectic use of drones, synthesizers and experimental programmers. D'ai primitivi all'elettronica doesn't subscribe to the great electronic course, suffering largely because it assimilates in little way the common styles of that period. This music doesn't even confound with the pleasures of ambiance, though there is new-wave. It's a different music, superior to the electronic technique. A third style would finally be that of "world music", expressed very good through the multitude of traditional instruments, as well as through the fact that it sounds artistic and spiritual.

This album's material resumes to five pieces, some complex, others imperfect. In essence though, Future Antico compose a long essay of sound and music, having a kaleidoscope of styles - untreacherous in their art - that vary and undulate from the already mentioned nucleus of electronic/art raga/world sound to small extremes of psychedelic or harmony music - the last being the most limited. The technique usually melts in "senses" and "feelings", a touch that's, as usually, charming but also difficult to like. In the end, it is excellent that this music addresses to the spirit, that it has a concentrated value that's far from stressful, that it approaches the aesthetic out of taste (and not vanity), that the electronic over-dues the "artificial" in favor of "expressiveness" - and so on.

I'll give a positive note to this album, despite that it isn't perfect, nor an emblematic measure within the genre it experiments and interprets - it's worth something! Deep, special, unusual music, accomplished by the taste of music that speaks with the heart and with the Beautiful.

A pleasant album by Futuro Antico!

It is always a pleasurte to listen to this album, i use to do it in several situations, if i'm tired or had a difficult day or i am not in the mood to listen to the first thing i see, but so far i have always felt great when i listen to this album, it is full of an inner peace that make you feel calm and relaxed.

I discovered this gem thanks to a good friend from Guatemala (once member of PA, pepefloyd) whose musical tastes are alike to mines, and who always surprises me with some recommendations.

If you have read my reviews, you may know then that i try to give you some details about the band or artist before writing the review of the album itself, this time that will not happen since to be honest i don't know anything about Futuro Antico, i just know what i read in their bio here and the previous reviews, so it's not accurate to write something that can be seen in other people's reviews, what i can tell you is that this was a band created by Italian people with an orientation to the electronic, ambiental and folkish eastern music.

This album was released in 1980 and is entitled D' ai Primitivi all' elettronica and features 5 songs and a total time of almost 40 minutes of pure bliss.

It opens with Eco Raga by the name you can judge the kind of music played here, well first of all let me tell you that this is an instrumental album, and yes, this song shows a beautiful and peaceful feeling made by a folkish background while a sitar and some flutes are playing here and there, the mood created gives you instantly a sense of relaxation, why not meditation if you use to do that.

Piano Synt is the first long song, the opener was a short one just like an introduction to the album's main goal, which in my opinion is to take you directly to the music's mood, the different atmospheres will invite you to continue to this trip of relaxation and harmony for your ears, i can assure you that you will feel better when you have already finished the album, this song has a lot of instruments involved, while sometimes it seems only to be playing some piano, synths and percussion, if you listen carefully you will notice a mix of several peculiar sounds, made of course by some unusual instruments that give the album the ambiental and electronic style.

Next one is Sinikoro Kuma which is probably the song that keeps in my mind easily, it does have a rythm made by the percussion, i dont really know if there are some cymbals or xilophone sound over there, at the second half of the song there is an spacey atmosphere with some mother nature sounds that fill the song in an excellent way.

Concrete Music / Oa Oa , man this is pure bliss and what a trip you can have here, it's impossible not to say that if you close your eyes, you will be captured by the music's intriguing sound, this is the epic track of the album with more than 15 minutes, and it opens with a sound that may figure some glass breaking or something, and the song is progressin gradually, little by little until you are totally inside of it. What we can listen here are a lot of things that may be described with several adjectives, the music is peaceful, spiritual, atmospheric, folkish, even new age, it's a song full of inner secrets that you will discover while it runs, through the minutes there will be nothing more surrounding you but this. Following the previous songs characterization, this track provides you an exquisite percussion sound and a no less exquisite flute delicate effort, while there is always a use of the synths creating the background and atmospherical effects, there are some moments that also reminds me to some traditional and ethnic mexican music.

The album ends with Suoni Naturali which in my opinion is the strangest track since it has a different flavour in the beginning, i will concour with a previous reviewer who said that this sounds like a ritual, i am not stealing his phrase but i simply think the same here. There are some enviromental sounds, an african percussion and the flute that always immerses you to the deepest atmospheres of the album.

An album that i enjoy a lot when i listen to it, it is not for everyone that's sure and it is not a masterpiece either, but believe me, this music provokes in me a beautiful sense of peace and tranquility, and i believe it's highly recommendable to any prog fan, so my final grade is 4 stars!

Enjoy it!

Vanishing all borders!

Recently having acquired a modest but fruitful bunch of Italian prog/electronic albums (among others), I finally found this "overlooked and obscure gem" of the subgenre, FUTURO ANTICO's , 1980 "D'ai primitivi all'elettronica" (from primitive to electronic).

Consciously focused on the blend of "electronic" sounds and "primitive" percussions, Futuro Antico also dares to bend other rules in order to achieve a more composition wise wild adventure.

But let me brief you a bit on the members of this 3 record band (2 official releases + an unreleased live recording). This, the one I am reviewing, is their first studio release. Founded in Italy, between Walter Maioli and Riccardo Sinigaglia, Futuro Antico at least in this album and the live one, had the privileged collaboration of master and native musicians from India and Africa. Thus the true nature of the musical experimentation between Africa meets slightly India plus European electronics results.

So as I mentioned, one of the real thrills of this project, aside from mixing instrumentation, is the way this music moves coherently from electronic, native and even classical structures as freely and naturally, as if perfectly woven into a single intention.

The project as such is perfectly structured, composition wise, but then again surprisingly experimental. Therefore rich in creative ideas that work out in balance, subduing the inherent cliches and temptations that usually happen in this kind of fusions.

Better than that, each of the 5 compositions dares to take different routes, some more "primitive" ( Central African music comes to my mind), others more subtly-modern, but respectfully displaying their own characteristics without stepping each other´s toes.

A sure hassle to find, even in Italy, but worth the time and money.

4.5 PA stars.

D'Ai Primitivi All'Elettronica was the second released by this strange Italian electronic ethno fusion act. This was by far their best known release as it actually received a reissue in 1990 on vinyl (I don't understand why it wasn't also reissued on CD at the time, but there you go). The 1990 version features computer generated artwork, likely off a Commodore Amiga (probably off the software program Deluxe Paint). The album was originally released only on a privately released cassette with totally different (much more primitive) artwork, similar to their debut. Black Sweat Records had reissued this album complete with original artwork, as they did with their debut. I've known D'ai Primitivi All'Elettronica for ages, but didn't realize they have at least two others, including one called Afghanistan that hasn't been reissued, and of course their self-entitled debut which Black Sweat kindly reissued.

On D'ai Primitivi All'Alettronica, Walter Maioli and Riccardo Sinigaglia were augmented with Gabin Debire from Burkina Faso, and a couple of tamboura players. Thanks to Gabin Debire's presence, there's frequently a strong African feel to some of the music, particularly the heavy use of marimba and kalimba. "Eco Raga", as the title suggest, has a strong Indian feel to it, complete with bansuri (Indian flute) and the droning sound of the tamboura. "Piano Synt" is, exactly as it describes, piano and synth, in fact the most Western sounding piece on the entire album. strictly improvised piano and synths, done in that wonderful '70s fashion (yet this is from 1980). "Sinkoro Kuma" is clearly the most African-sounding piece on this album complete with marimba. It's clear that Gabin Debire's presence is totally felt, but that trippiness is also totally felt. "Concrete Music - Oa.Oa" is the lengthiest piece on the album. More heavy African influences with marimba and kalimba (a thumb piano), plus exotic flute and of course synthesizer (an EMS Synthi A, so none of these new state of the art polyphonic synths here, no Prophet 5 or Oberheim OBx here). I swear I hear a bit of didgeridoo creep in as well.

This is the way I like world music to be. Nothing commercialized to "appeal to Western ears", but this would hardly appeal to the purists either. The name "Futuro Antico" is a concept in itself, "Ancient Future" (strange there's an American act called Ancient Future, but do not confuse them with this Italian act), so you get the best of both worlds: the ancient and the hi-tech. Really well worth listening to, and don't forget their debut.