All posts in Artist Review

44 Of The Best Italian Musicians You’ve Never Heard Of

by deadroxy on July 19, 2011 in Artist Review, Music with No comments

At frestyl we know that it can be incredibly hard break out as a musician in your own country, let alone cross national borders. It’s part of our mission to help artists bring their music abroad and to help fans discover awesome local music as they travel the world. Because so many people have been asking us what the Italian music scene is like, we put together a sampler of 44 of our favorite Italian musicians to help “foreigners” get an idea of how amazing this country sounds. Here is the track list of frestyl’s homebrew sampler 44 Musicisti Italiani:

1. The Record’s : We All Need To Be Alone
2. My Awesome Mixtape : Me And The Washing Machine
3. Boom Da Bash : ‘Till Di End
4. Mannarino : Serenata Lacrimosa
5. LE-LI : In The Backyard
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Italian Reggae: Better Than You Thought, Seriously

by frestyl on August 7, 2010 in Artist Review, Music with No comments

Reggae has never been my favorite music genre, I have to admit it, despite the fact that, as millions of other people, I could probably sing along to most Bob Marley songs when they come on the radio. However, a couple of years ago I was captured by an Italian reggae band called Boom Da Bash, especially their catchy song “‘Til Di End“, one of those you can hardly get out of your head. Their whole album, UnO, was a very pleasant listen, and in the rainy, cold London summer it just sounded like a loud call from a far away exotic beach. It made you believe that if you opened the window you could actually see the sea and feel its breeze.

Boom Da Bash also made me realize that there is quite a strong reggae tradition in Italy, especially in Puglia. Something that was reinforced for me this year at MI AMI, where we saw Mama Marjas playing live, as we mentioned previously on this blog. I’ve already complimented this young singer – she’s very good and powerful live. Alone with a DJ to support her (Don Ciccio), she managed to entertain the whole MI AMI crowd on a hot June afternoon in Milan, and make us all jump and sing “Ganja” for a good few minutes. We were all ecstatic, and I believe that only for few people this was actually caused by the ganja itself…

It took me, however, a good couple of months to get the first album from Mama Marjas, B-lady. And it was a good idea as it set the stage for some seaside holiday. This album, like the Boom Da Bash one, also projects you far away to an exotic beach and makes you want to just lie there and sip a gigantic cocktail. Mama Marjas has a voice that makes Amy Winehouse really look like a pale girl from the North, and her mix of Italian dialect and English seems to almost create a new language which sounds perfect for reggae. Or at least I think so, and I want to remind you that I’m no expert when it comes to reggae. In any case, you should definitely get B-lady if you want to feel like you are on holiday, or, of course, if you are preparing to go.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFVpwWfcn3o&hl=en_US&fs=1]

::karmanet

Italians Do It Live: The Bands, Part III

by frestyl on June 17, 2010 in Artist Review, Concert Suggestion, Music with No comments

Introducing: LE-LI

“My Life On A Pear Tree” is the debut album from the Italian duo LE-LI. It’s an intimate and autobiographical record deeply inspired by 70s pop/folk with rich arrangements and unusual sounds; it is both playful and melancholic at the same time. The record creates a child-like atmosphere using toy instruments while simultaneously incorporating 70s-inspired string and horn arrangements. The record presents short songs with catchy refrains, and minimal lyrics sung by the whispery voice of Leli.

Leli was born in 1981 in Vicenza and after a few years spent playing rock & roll around Italy and Europe, she started writing sweet and mellow songs. She stud- ied double bass and sitar for her degree in music. Leli first met John, her partner in crime, at university in Bologna in 2001. John was born in Bologna in 1980, and before giving life to the band LE-LI, he and Leli worked together to form The Hunzikers. For LE-LI’s first NYC concerts, they will play a minimalistic set with Leli on vocals and guitar and John on drums and banjo.

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Mp3s from “My Life On A Pear Tree”:
Cenere Sul Tavolo
In The Backyard

Italians Do It Live: The Bands, Part II

by frestyl on June 17, 2010 in Artist Review, Concert Suggestion, Frestyl News, Misc News, Music with No comments

Introducing: Serpenti

Serpenti was born in 2006 with the intent to merge electro/dance music with rock elements and pop vocal melodies. Their sound comes from a unique blend of bass guitar and groove-box and is characterized by bouncy grooves and powerful bass riffs. All the songs that form Serpenti’s first record, “Sottoterra” (“Underground”), are enriched by the sensual and charismatic voice of Clou, adding a catchy and fresh pop impact. The aim of the project is to offer music able to appeal to both a rock and a club audience. Consequently, Serpenti’s live show finds a perfect fit in both clubs and rock venues. From their debut album, Serpenti has released 3 singles and music videos that can be heard and seen on the most popular Italian radio and music TV stations. Currently the band is in the studio, writing and recording new songs for their second album.

In 2008 Serpenti won the Nokia Trends Lab contest with the song “Sinuoso Vor- tice.” During 2009, the band toured all of Italy performing at more than 80 gigs, and opened for international artists like Gossip, Natalie Imbruglia, Cornershop, The Horrors, Ladytron, Calvin Harris, Asian Dub Foundation, Client and many more. During the same year, Serpenti won the “Indie Music Like Prize”, the Ital- ian singles chart of independent music, with the song “Baciami”.

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Mp3s from “Sottoterra” (“Underground”):
Baciami
Touching Me

Italians Do It Live: The Bands, Part I

by frestyl on June 17, 2010 in Artist Review, Concert Suggestion, Frestyl News, Misc News, Music with No comments

Introducing: POSI

Author, songwriter, producer and sought-after DJ, POSI is direct, sharp, cynical and frank enough to be censored even by Facebook. Outsider, anti-star and detached from all the musical clichés, she can be considered a “black swan” in the Italian music scene. POSI is always faithful to words in rhyme, and draw- ing from her extensive musical background she employs electronic, innovative, and almost psychedelic sounds. Part of the Italian rap scene since 1998, she has collaborated with Rahzel and Italian main-stream musicians like Articolo 31 and Donatella Rettore.

Together with photographer and videomaker J.b. Brown, POSI established the indie record label “Electronoplectro,” a collective of artists, musicians and de- signers. In 2009, POSI released her third album, “I Like Posi!”. Her unmistakable and overwhelming sounds are characterized by the emotional journey of her frank and non-hypocritical lyrics. The singles “Voglio Farmi La DJ” (“I Wanna do the DJ”) and “Lamette” (“Razor Blades”) are accompanied by hypnotic music videos that are regularly aired on the most-viewed Italian TV channels. In her new single, “Non Ti Affezionare Mai a Me” (“Don’t Ever Get Attached to Me”) POSI asserts the need for sincere relationships between people. Known for her turntablist ability, POSI is also the Italian face of the DJ equipment produced by “Denon DJ .”

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Mp3s from “I Like Posi!”:
Clichè
Fatti Prendere