RETAPE, the review curated by Ernesto Assante and dedicated to the new proposals of the Italian music scene, returns.
RETAPE is an observation point, a sort of lighthouse that tries to illuminate the shores of Italian music to help sailors 'see' today's scene and discover its new and future protagonists.
RETAPE tells Rome, first of all, its new generations, who are changing, with creativity, ingenuity, passion, the fortunes of music in our city, bringing it back to center stage. And they are changing Italian music, whose new generations RETAPE takes into account anyway. Because Rome has once again become a magnet, a place where things 'happen,' where music is no longer confined to recording studios but lives in the neighborhoods, in the basements, in the streets. With many difficulties, especially in recent years because of Covid, but with equal indomitable passion.
RETAPE 2023, now in its eighth year, has featured dozens and dozens of artists over the years, both brand new and better known, many discoveries and many proposals, trying to stimulate the public's curiosity and give a chance to many interesting young artists. And so it will be again this year, with twenty-two artists in ten evenings, from January 14 to May 27, a long survey in what is the music of our days, the truest, freest, original, independent music. With many artists who deserve support, attention, applause.
RETAPE, the review curated by Ernesto Assante and dedicated to the new proposals of the Italian music scene, returns. RETAPE is an observation point, a sort of lighthouse that tries to illuminate the shores of Italian music to help sailors “see” today’s scene and discover its new and future protagonists.
WATERFALLS
Witty but intense, at times emotionally compromised, light as a feather but always quirky. Nostalgic, romantic and electronic. From rome subversive pop duo cascade.
CATHERINE
Starting from the small Val di Sole, passing through X Factor, two years after her first self-titled album, which exceeded 3.5 million listens on Spotify, Caterina returns with her second studio work, entitled “In queste stanze piene” arranged by Clemente Ferrari, former producer for Max Gazzè and Fiorella Mannoia. There are many collaborations on the record: among them the writing of Gio Evan in the ballad “Greenland” and Anansi in “Casa mia.”
RETAPE, the review curated by Ernesto Assante and dedicated to the new proposals of the Italian music scene, returns. RETAPE is an observation point, a sort of lighthouse that tries to illuminate the shores of Italian music to help sailors “see” today’s scene and discover its new and future protagonists.
CHIARA VIDONIS
Chiara Vidonis has years of concerts all over Italy under her belt, a number of awards and recognitions, including winning the Bianca D’Aponte Award in 2011 in the Best Interpretation category and the Pigro Award – tribute to Ivan Graziani in 2014 with the unreleased song “Comprehend Hate,” as well as participating in the album “Tregua 1997-2017″ – Stelle buone,” a re-release of Cristina Donà’s first album, “Tregua,” in celebration of 20 years since its release. “Hunger” is his second album and features production by Karim Qqru (The Zen Circus).
DOMOVOI
Domovoi was formed in 2014 by Daniele Failla (lap steel and vocals) and his brother Matteo (drums and vocals). Their scratchy sound is characterized by powerful riffs that foreground the groove. They move between predominantly rock sounds and while allowing a solid blues base to seep through, primarily accomplice to the lap steel, they often move toward experimentation. Their music is the result of everything they have listened to over the years, from Nirvana to Genesis, via The Beatles, Frank Zappa, Verdena, Afterhours, Jack White and Queens of the Stone Age. Their songs, all sung in Italian, speak of despair of joy and more generally of human feeling.
RETAPE, the review curated by Ernesto Assante and dedicated to the new proposals of the Italian music scene, returns. RETAPE is an observation point, a sort of lighthouse that tries to illuminate the shores of Italian music to help sailors “see” today’s scene and discover its new and future protagonists.
DAG
DAG is an emerging Roman artist born in 1998. He considers writing, in all its forms, a fundamental part of his existence. Through it he found a way to externalize pain and turn it into music. January 2022 saw the release of his first song, “Maniche,” which was followed by “Gira,” “Maggio,” and “Alto mare,” once again confirming the artist’s distinct sensitivity in writing. After being selected among the 43 participants in the Sanremo Giovani 2022 live auditions, DAG offers his single entitled “Away with Me,” which opens the door to a new production season for the young singer-songwriter.
BLINDUR
Blindur is the project of Massimo De Vita, songwriter and producer. Blindur’s sound is heavily influenced by alternative rock, folk, and songwriting. In eight years of activity he has collected more than 400 concerts between Italy, Europe and the USA, taking part in major international festivals such as: Iceland Airwaves Festival in Reykjavik, SXSW Festival in Austin, People Festival Berlin, Body&Soul Festival in Westmeath and Italiart Festival in Dijon. For “EXIT,” his latest album, he worked together with Paolo Alberta (Ligabue and Negrita), Birgir Birgisson (Sigur Rós and Bjork), Carla Grimaldi, Luca Stefanelli and Jonathan Maurano.
RETAPE, the review curated by Ernesto Assante and dedicated to the new proposals of the Italian music scene, returns. RETAPE is an observation point, a sort of lighthouse that tries to illuminate the shores of Italian music to help sailors “see” today’s scene and discover its new and future protagonists.
ROSITA BRUCOLI
Rosita Brucoli, born in 1999, is an artist of Apulian descent currently in Milan, Italy, writing, singing and playing her own songs. He became passionate about music from an early age, singing in his village choir, listening in his mother’s car to records by Celentano, Mina, Subsonica, Caparezza. He began playing in provincial 1970s cover rock clubs while secretly continuing to write songs. His first record, “Walk and Run,” debuted in Spotify’s Indie School and EQUAL Italy.
Clavdio
Born to an Italian father and Cape Verdean mother, Clavdio got into the music business at a young age, and after being in a punk band during his teenage years, he formed the post-rock/progressive metal band Blue Order Project with Paolo Dionisi in December 2005. In 2018 he joined Bomba Dischi releasing in November of that year the single “Cuore,” which surprisingly entered the rotation of major Italian broadcasters. Subsequently, the singles “Memories” and “Nacchere” were released in early 2019, anticipating the album “Togliatti Boulevard.” A fourth video for the song “Your Legs” was released in June to mark the launch of the summer dates, which was followed in the fall by the unreleased “Disneyland Paris.” He participated in 2022 with the cover of “Violino Tzigano” in the limited-edition artwork vinyl “Canzonette,” produced by Bomba Dischi in collaboration with project sponsor Gucci and displayed within the exhibition “Pier Paolo Pasolini. Everything is Holy. The Poetic Body.” “Cold War” is his new studio album.
RETAPE, the review curated by Ernesto Assante and dedicated to the new proposals of the Italian music scene, returns. RETAPE is an observation point, a sort of lighthouse that tries to illuminate the shores of Italian music to help sailors “see” today’s scene and discover its new and future protagonists.
ENVOY
Envoy is an Italian-French alternative rock band based in Rome. The project is rooted in alternative rock from across the Channel, with a nod to the independent scene of the late 1990s. The sound presents an experimental note, with reflective songs characterized by the frequent use of electronic sounds, ambient influences, minimal, and everything related to the world of trip hop. Envoy is currently working on their debut album.
BRACES
For 20 years on the Roman and international scene with multiple collaborations with musical groups (including most recently in chronological order The Valeries with whom he released two albums, “Even If I Say” and “Rebel,” Bracci has toured the world guitar on shoulder and harmonica playing between Japan, Singapore, London via Istanbul, Madrid and Rome weaving grunge and indie rock sounds, in the early days, and then blurring into soft rock with the release of his new EP, “Tres,” in July 2022.
RETAPE, the review curated by Ernesto Assante and dedicated to the new proposals of the Italian music scene, returns. RETAPE is an observation point, a sort of lighthouse that tries to illuminate the shores of Italian music to help sailors “see” today’s scene and discover its new and future protagonists.
ZODIAC DISC.
A band from the Roman coastline, Disco Zodiac officially came together in 2012 and began to have their own following thanks to their first original songs. In summer 2014 they participated in the Postepay Rock in Roma Factory contest winning the first prize. In 2015, after the release of the EP “Linda and Her Flaws” they open for Alt-J. In the summer of 2018 they release the track Della Città, which opens the door to their new vintage sound. At the end of the same year, they start collaborating with Marta Venturini to produce new singles, such as “Vino che resterà” topping Spotify’s Indie School playlist for several weeks. At the end of 2019 “Platinum” is released, and in 2020 the band releases two more songs, “Superheroes” and “Excuse Me.”On January 27, “RETRO POP” is finally released, the band’s first official album that combines different atmospheres and stories using pop as the only common thread.
BOREAL
Borealis is Alessandro Morini, a singer-songwriter with distinct opposing but never contradictory characteristics. In a perpetual mish-mash, a punk past and the breeze of an imagery that carries with it the very name coexists in him; it is pastel colors shot through; it is his own last three letters that enclose and cover the human personification of Alexander. In 2019 he began collaborating with Marta Venturini, former artistic producer of Calcutta, Paola Turci, Emma Marrone, Galeffi and many others. In May of the same year, the debut single “May Ninety-Six” was released, followed by several singles all capable of climbing the most prominent editorial playlists. “A Safe Place” is his new album released in December 2022.
RETAPE, the review curated by Ernesto Assante and dedicated to the new proposals of the Italian music scene, returns. RETAPE is an observation point, a sort of lighthouse that tries to illuminate the shores of Italian music to help sailors “see” today’s scene and discover its new and future protagonists.
BRAMA
Brama is a collective of eight artists whose expression combines music, theater, performance, video art, dance, literature and social media. Brama is a musical collective in the relational sense of the word. Music is not made of a simple sum of notes. In Brama, individualities are but chimeras or apparitions. Rather than a sum of individualities, Brama is a dizzying multiplication of self/other, which the members of the collective from time to time finely decline. Hence the need for a fable-like incipit: once upon a time. Once and always, as in myths. Each Brama event is at the same time a play, a rock concert, and a contemporary art performance.
RETAPE, the review curated by Ernesto Assante and dedicated to the new proposals of the Italian music scene, returns. RETAPE is an observation point, a sort of lighthouse that tries to illuminate the shores of Italian music to help sailors “see” today’s scene and discover its new and future protagonists.
JUA
Multifaceted and versatile, Giua is a musician, composer, songwriter and painter. Over the years she has signed several theatrical collaborations as a composer of the music and performer on stage, working in the productions of many National Theaters and with prominent personalities of the theater and beyond: among the latest collaborations is with Neri Marcorè, with whom she shared the scene of the show “What I don’t have.” With five albums under her belt, Giua has a long musical career that has led her to win several awards (Lucrezia Prize, Castrocaro, Musicultura), to be a finalist at the Sanremo Festival in the Youth category in 2008, as well as to work with numerous musicians, such as Armando Corsi, Beppe Quirici, Riccardo Tesi and Fausto Mesolella.
AXIS
Asse formed in Rome in 1990, the original members being Ivan Carpigo, Francesco De Nigris and Stefano Donato. The band’s sound was inevitably a child of and strongly influenced by the grunge-rock music of the period, with some quite personal turns and frequent deviations, all combined with lyrics written in Italian. The band disbanded in March 1997 just after their last concert at Radio London. In 2011, after a full 15 years, the group reunited with Fabio Massimo Signoretti on drums. Other pieces with a varied but always retro-tasteful Axis flavor were added to the old repertoire. The songs, all original, are collectively arranged by all members of the group and feature engaging energy and live performances that leave a lasting impression.
SIMONE MATTEUZZI
Simone is a singer-songwriter and musician born in 2001 from the foggy province of Milan. He writes and performs his songs snoozing here and there among chords, scents, syllables and impressions; perhaps with great acuity and sensitivity, or perhaps with an agitated, teeming irony. Since childhood he has been in love with black music suggestion that he will complete in his high school years with the discovery and study of jazz, classical, songwriting and experimental genres. He does, during these years, a rich rip-off of Lucio Dalla, Pink Floyd and Beatles via Miles Davis and Baustelle (singular juxtaposition, eh?). In 2022 he began working as an artist and producer with Zebra Sound, a music production and publishing company in Milan, with which he produced his debut project.