Cristalli Liquidi
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バイオグラフィ
- Cristalli Liquidi is a mysterious neo-italo-wave band produced by Bottin since 2012. They released short string of 12” singles and then an album on Bordello A Parigi consisting of both originals and remakes of obscure Italian pop songs given new life.The first single VOLEVI UNA HIT (“You wanted a hit”) started as an attempt to make an Italo adaptation of a Lcd Soundsystem song but it ended up developing into something different. Lyrically it’s about the master/servant relationship between artist and producer, the motives and consequences of fabricating a hit and being unable to escape it. Or perhaps the hit is something else, a construction of a romantic relationship that cannot hold together. We’ll never know the truth but, quite ironically, Volevi Una Hit has become a small underground hit of its own, even cover versions of it have been made and the original 12” and 7” are now sought after and very hard to get. Q.I.L.D.E. (the unbearable lightness of being) inspired by Milan Kundera’s most famous novel, it’s s an synth-pop remake of a Venditti’s song from 1986. It describes a once intelligent man who neglects his friends and passions as he becomes besotted with a strange woman. This version was co-produced by Sicilian electro-disco ensemble Polosid. CANZONE REGISTRATA (recorded song) was written in 1983 by Italian poet Pasquale Panella. This work explores a fantasized relationship between a young woman and her favorite singer, a singer who speaks to her through a vinyl record as if he was there in person. INCUBO ASSOLUTO (absolute nightmare) was originally recorded by Italian rock band Stadio in 1986. The piece tells the tale of a creative, yet narcissistic, man and a self-appointed tormented artist who is not to be trusted or taken seriously. RESTARE ANDARE (to stay, to go) is a tale of amour fou, but the pumping bass, sizzling chords and space arpeggios will help you get over it. TUBINGA (Tübingen) was originally recorded by legendary Lucio Battisti and was part of his last album (Hegel, 1994). The Cristalli Liquidi version is a collaboration by electro pioneer Alexander Robotnick and Bottin himself. The lyrics (again by Panella) are very intricate and it’s hard to make sense of this song (even if you were born and raised in Italy.) Luckily it’s much easier to dance to it and it’s ultimately a club track featuring Robotnick’s signature TB-303 & Wasp synths that lend a sinister acid house feel. SCIAME (Swarm) is another collaboration between Bottin (lyrics, vocals) and Alexander Robotnick (music). The “swarm” is an inebriated, dancing crowd in a nightclub. Another dark italo club tool. MITI ELLENICI (Hellenic myths) takes us for a vacation to a sunny Greek island where two lovers entwine, but something isn’t quite right. It’s an electronic mid tempo ballad, with a deranged bassline to give that sense of imminent danger. ASSOLVI LEI (absolve her) the closing song is again a collaboration between Robotnick and Bottin, a slow ballad with no drums but arpeggiators and eerie omnichord strumming. Cristalli Liquidi is an album some five years in the making, five years at first glance. In reality, this LP is a narrative that spans almostthirty-five years. From the poets and songwriters who inspired Bottin to the friendships and collaborations that made this project possible, this is an album forged through memories old and new; a heartfelt account of relationships between people (and synthesizers too!) [text by Robbie Geoghegan]