Topo - Pigiama Psicoattivo
SKU
05-OFFOCD006
Pretty excellent through and through modern Italian band who do the "Tortoise thing" of combining jazz, rock and progressive with heavy electronica and dragging it all into the 21st century. If you dig the Jaga Jazzists and Tortoise and etc, you'll almost certainly really enjoy this. I found this to be a great listen! Features guest shots by Amy Denio, Mike Cooper and others.
"Italy's El Topo presents their debut full-length for the Off label. The group was founded in 2006, performing a mixture of rock, jazz and electronica with Krautrock, minimalist and psychedelic elements. Adriano Lanzi and Omar Sodano have been working collaboratively since 2000, releasing some tracks on compilation albums as well as a full album (La Vita Perfetta, 2004) on the German Klangbad label. After some live gigs as a duo, they felt the need to expand into a larger band format. After a series of one-off collaborations, they found like-minded conspirators in Francesco Mendolia, a drummer with the ability to perform in a wide range of styles from jazz/funk to electronic music (Chester Harlan, Alessandro Gwiss, Mino Freda) and Andrea Biondi, vibist and percussionist active in jazz and contemporary music (Gianluigi Trovesi, Ennio Morricone & Roma Sinfonietta, Ars Ludi). The group is often joined on stage by Neumax, a team of visual artists (Simone Palma, Mirko Bruner, Alessandro Quintino) operating in mixed media (theater, video, photography, net-art, VJ-set) in a real-time interaction of images and sounds. Pigiama Psicoattivo also features guest musicians Amy Denio, Mike Cooper, Riccardo Lay and Anadi Mishra. This is Italian space-jazz with a touch of Morricone, post-rock, Chicago indie lounge and weirdo, skronky German Kraut all pieced together in a dramatic pattern. Band members: Adriano Lanzi (guitar, electronics), Omar Sodano (bass, electronics), Andrea Biondi (vibes, percussion), Francesco Mendolia (drums)."