Another contender for Album of the Month is the Phonorama CD that was given away free to subscribers of The Wire magazine (issue #296 Oct 08).
Phonorama is a live electronics ensemble featuring some of Italy's most advanced improvising musicians, including members of Sinistri, 3/4HadBeenEliminated, Invernomuto and OLYVETTY.
Produced by the Bologna based Xing organisation (find them online at xing.it), the Phonorama CD contains an exclusive mixdown by Valerio Tricoli and Riccardo Benassi of material recorded by the ensemble live at Raum, Bologna 9/11/07 (2nd edition), 16/12/06 (1st edition) from two collective performances, conceived by Riccardo Benassi for Xing.
The two recordings have been mixed down to become one long untitled piece lasting under half an hour. The piece reminds me of works by MIMEO, Robert Lippock and in places it breaks out into Christian Fennesz territory.
Phonorama are continuing the MEV (Musica Elettronica Viva) live acoustic/electronic improvisational ideal that raged through Italy in the 1960s. Unlike the aggression their musical ancestors encountered (MEV performances could on occasion end up turning into riots due to their use of ‘found sounds’ and primitive analogue synthesizers), Phonorama’s untitled piece opens up into small landscapes of glitch and warm filtered harmonics – welcoming you in. This is probably the best CD Wire magazine have given away, I’m looking forward to hearing more.
Phonorama is:
Riccardo Benassi, Roberto Bertacchini, Alessandro Bocci, Dafne Boggeri, Vittoria Burattini, Massimo Carozzi, Francesco Cavaliere, Fantasmagramma, Manuele Giannini, Invernomuto, Marco Lampis, Luciano Maggiore, Ootchio, Stefano Pilia, Claudio Rocchetti, Valerio Tricoli and Domenique Vaccaro.
