The rhythms and sounds from every latitude of the world find a home in Rome reborn in an original sonic magma encapsulating the sensuality of funk, the exoticism of Middle Eastern sounds, the timbral blends of South America, the roughness of rock, and the immediacy of pop.
Following a prestigious stage debut at this year’s Italian Festival di Sanremo, and after releasing the first singles Ama La Tierra and Safi Safi, the debut album Magma, of the BabelNova Orchestra is out. The album is produced by Pino Pecorelli and co-produced by Emanuele Bultrini and Duilio Galioto for Maladisco and Ipe Ipe.
A new ensemble (composed of former musicians from the historical “Orchestra di Piazza Vittorio”), 12 musicians from all over the world, the BabelNova Orchestra is a witness and heir to one of the most fascinating and pioneering world music stories in Italy from the last 20 years. Today it is creating a new era. The musicians who arrived in Italy more than 20 years ago are now fully integrated into the Italian cultural fabric, reinterpreting and reimagining this diverse cultural magma where music has changed, but more importantly, the relationship between the sounds of their countries of origin and the current Italian scene has evolved. Additionally, with the inclusion of some younger, second-generation musicians, the musical expression has been renewed with new influences.
With Magma, right from the title, the BabelNova Orchestra aims to celebrate in ten tracks the multiplicity of sounds from around the world, the differences, and reciprocal influences with their own reinterpretation in light of these changes. Cumbia, mariachi explosions, Sufi reminiscences, jazz horns, rocking guitars, dub rhythms, and pop create an exhilarating whirlwind generated by the meeting of the southern Scirocco and northern Melteme winds, the hurricane, and the zephyr. This music aspires to be global, contemporary, and counter-cultural against today’s attempts to return to old cultural schemes that have led to new alarming forms of nationalism.
The use of different languages (Arabic, Spanish, and invented language) and the themes emerging in the album reflect its cosmopolitan soul. The lyrics speak of respect for the Earth, distant loves for men and women from the countries left behind, unrequited feelings, a desire for peace and freedom, but also irony towards the powers that be.
The album opens with Ama La Tierra, a choral writing where sub-Saharan instruments and sounds meet Afrobeat, the musical codes of 70s disco music, and the Spanish language unite. A song that fills the dancefloor while reflecting on our times. It’s an invitation to awaken consciences to imagine a more sustainable future. The second track, Safi Safi, sung in Arabic, tells of unrequited love in a whirlwind of North African percussive rhythms and Middle Eastern instruments mixed with the electronic sounds of a Roland 808 drum machine and the instrumentation of Western dance music. Turuturu, on the other hand, is a declaration of love through a journey into the world of 70s Afro-American songwriters, in an Arabic key, from Bill Withers to Al Green. The rhythms become more playful in Negra Candela, a fun take on traditional South American popular music, a genre that is in the DNA of many BabelNova members.
A rearrangement of a track by the Italo-Tunisian group A.T.A (Acoustic Tarab Alchemy) is Habbitek Men Soghri, a journey through Caribbean sounds, from reggae to dub to ska, but also looking at certain instrumental forms of Italian cinema from the 60s and 70s. The album continues with Tubarè, the track that best represents the sonic world of Magma, with funky rhythmic interweaving, relentless riffs, invented languages, alternating melodies, suggestions of Arabic vocality, and echoes of Brazilian music. A choral invitation to leave the pain behind and look forward while preserving the memory of love given and received. Additionally, Obi Bi is a cross between melodies echoing sub-Saharan desert music and American rock in an Arabic key; a circular and hypnotic dance, marked by constant rhythm and an electronic backdrop. Africa Romana is a tribute to the genres and styles of African music that nods to the sound of the band Weather Report. This takes us further borders with Linda Cholita, where the Sahara meets the Andes: a Huayno, a popular Andean genre typical of Peruvian populations that accompanies a declaration of love in a moment of celebration and joy. The album closes with Tunisian surf music with Un cantante Sufi. This sound is as if Chuck Berry had been born in Tunis and rock sound was made with darbuka, drums, and oud. This track ironically mocks the powers that be, a police state that limits freedom and people's rights.