ALESSANDRO ALESSANDRONI レコード& CD

Review: After the success of the first Alessandroni Proibito box set, which sold out in pre-sale before it even hit the stores, Four Flies is proudly back with Volume 2 of the compilation. This new release too features five exclusive 7" singles, housing a total of ten seriously rare tunes. All previously unreleased in physical format, the tracks have been carefully selected from the soundtracks of five obscure Italian films from the late 70s - sexy flicks that flirted with the line between erotic and explicit, and which are now largely forgotten, having been out of circulation for decades. As was the case with the previous volume of the compilation, Alessandroni's music rises above the films' flimsy plots, improvised actors, and amateurish production, exuding his distinctive touch thanks to the (typically Italian) artisanal approach he took to his musical craft. The composer let his creativity run free, playing with his instruments at home as if he were in his own little amusement park; trying to have fun and produce something entertaining and captivating with just the few means at his disposal.

Review: As part of the RELOVED series from Four Flies - co-curated with fellow indie label Little Beat More - comes one of a handful new reinterpreted versions of Alessandro Alessandroni's 'Tema di Susie', the star soundtrack cut from the 1976 Italian noir film Sangue Di Sbirro. With the film regaling a gangland drama centring on revenge, passion, and the madness of love, Alessandroni's original minute-and-a-half-long cut is an eerily serene counterpoint to its themes and here appears alongside a new remix from French producer Mounika, who fleshes out the original cinematic-soul number's circa-140bpm headnod and serene flauting with beefier drums and wilder piano flourishes; this is a juxtaposition you can hear as clearly as day here, on this A-and-B'd delight.

Review: Alessandro Alessandroni is a library music legend who set the blueprint for the genre early on and then managed to get even more famous because of providing the iconic whistle on famous spaghetti western 'A Fistful of Dollars'. The influential composer and musician had a big say in the world of soundtracks during the 60s and 70sFour Flies have often released his work or covers of it. The tunes on this 7" are taken from an obscure 1975 Italian film by Elio Bartolini. They walk the thin line between disco and funk and jazz-funk with big horn and rhythm sections. Both might have been lost forever if it weren't for the fact that this label put them on the now modern classic and hard to find compilations Esterno Notte and Esterno Giorno.

Review: Alessandro Alessandroni is a vital figure in the world of Italian soundtrack music, having worked with Ennio Morricone on some of the most iconic Spaghetti Western films to hail from the 60s and 70s. Continually supporting the smaller-budget independent cinema scene, Alessandroni committed his considerable gifts to countless films. Many of his most famous soundtracks have been reissued since the wider world woke up to his vast legacy, but to date no one has properly dug into his work for Italian erotic films. This expertly presented, five-disc 7" box set puts paid to that with 14 exquisite, idiosyncratic productions which show how much Alessandroni was able to achieve with a minimal financial input.

Review: Holy Basil turn their attention back to the rich seam of Italian library music with this choice reissue of Alessandro Alessandroni's Storie Di Guerra, originally released in 1972 on Octopus Records. It's a magical collection of themes and incidentals which range from psychedelic piano sequences to oddly angled cellos and squalling guitars, offering some of the edgiest material Alessandroni ever committed to tape. It's meant to evoke the sense of war, so you get the picture about the atmosphere the library music giant was aiming for when he recorded this one.

Review: Alessandro Alessandroni was an Italian composer and bandleader well known for his distinctive whistling style and a lifetime's worth of achievements. In 1972 he recorded Open Air Parade with Giovanni Tommaso, a wonderful curio of psychedelic obscurity with a library music flavour. It's bright and joyous, but also shot through with a heady transcendence and a kind of regalia - quite the unique combination rendered in exquisite clarity on this reissue from Sonor Music. If you enjoy the luxurious big band adventures of Italian greats like Ennio Morricone and Piero Umiliani, then Open Air Parade is sure to be of great interest.

Review: Alessandro Alessandroni (often said to be the most famous whistle in the history of film thanks to appearing on famous spaghetti western 'A Fistful of Dollars') is a legendary composer and musician who very much had a big say in the characteristic sound of Italian soundtracks during the 60s and 70s. This lovely 7" from Four Flies showcases that with two well chosen cuts that have been taken from a dusty tape found in the great man's vault. 'Shine On' is superbly stylish funk with some seductive vocals and rolling drums all peppered with golden chords and dynamic horns. 'Prohibition' is a little more mellow but still features magic Rhodes and characterful horns.

Review: This is a crucial reissue of another much sought after record by the revered Alessandro Alessandroni. Originally released in a few hundred copies on the cult Sermi imprint in February 1968, it features famous vocals from his wife that cane best described as scat over Italian Library music beats. Jazz styles, bouncy breaks groovy pop, lounge moods, big bossa tunes and much more all feature along the most absorbing of musical trips. This is a true landmark of the genre and one of many classics from this wizard.

Review: Sonor Music here present the complete and previously unreleased soundtrack of 1976's Italian erotic comedy cult La Professoressa Di Scienze Naturali, which was directed by Michele Massimo Tarantini. With Italian sexy symbol Lilli Carati and filming done in the beautiful Ischia island, it's an incredible film with a score to match. Filled with cinematic sounds, library music and flirtations with funk, jazz and soul, it's in part funky, occasionally break-y, and always hugely erotic. This majestic downtempo soundtrack will bring spice to any listing session and features artwork designed by John Henriksson.

Review: The real diggers out there will know this Italian library music soundtrack is a super hard to find album and another one often considered a Holy Grail by those in the know. Better known as the FARFALLA album (which means The Butterfly and is a nod to the fantastic artwork) it is a widescreen jazz opus taking in easy listening, gazing out of a window fare as well as more complex and challenging Psychedelia, with scat vocals and lounge grooves also featuring. It first came in 1971 on SR Records but has been almost impossible to find since. Do not miss.

Review: Sometimes we all need to escape from the realities and mundanities of everyday life. Here's your perfect opportunity. On this beautiful, playful and sincere collection of 'niceness' , the legendary Alessandro Alessandroni allows us to take a step back in time by painting stunningly detailed pictures with broad, jazz-inflected brush strokes.
Putting elements of Bossa Nova, freeform, classical and Big Band to innovative use, the result is a hugely enjoyable and - in today's world - incredibly unique insight into the type of output this Italian musical titan left behind when he finally bowed out in 2017, at the grand age of 92. This is just a flavour of the more than 40 movie soundtracks and scores of library recordings that now make up his legacy, making for a delightful way to get familiar with one of the 20th Century's greats.

Review: Back in 2017, Four Flies Records unearthed and released a previously unheard "Afro-cosmic funk" EP from Italian soundtrack and library music legend Alessandro Alessandroni. Three years on, they've decided to give the 1978 recording the remix treatment. Bolissa and guests Calibra 35 kick things off with a densely percussive, out-of-this-world take on "Afro-Voodoo", before Pad re-imagines "Afro Darkness" as a chugging chunk of beatdown-disco laden with colossal chords, arpeggio bass and intergalactic electronics. Over on side B the "Jolly Mare Lifting" version of "Afro Discoteca" is a veritable leftfield disco stomper notable for its low-slung bass and spacey Moog lines, while Luca's "Quirky Version" of "Afro Darkness" is the kind of hallucinogenic, Marimba-tinged number that you can imagine Daniele Baldelli playing at the Cosmic Club circa 1981.

Review: Unlike much of Ennio Morricone collaborator Alessandro Alessandroni's work, 1974 set "Prisma Sonoro" was not the soundtrack to a well-known film or TV show, but rather a collection of instrumental pieces composed for a music library. It's long been regarded as one of the finest examples of Italian library music around, so it's great seeing it get the reissue treatment. Much of it is pleasingly cheery, sunny and laidback, with Alessandroni doffing a cap to folk, samba and MPB as much as easy listening, classical and soundtrack style jazz. It's typical of his versatility, of course, with the intricacy of the arrangements and subtle musical details making it a set that you can return to time and time again.

Review: The most famous whistler in cinema (so arguably the most famous whistler in the world), Alessandro Alessandroni has contributed to cinema, TV and music with as much influence as his old friend and collaborator Ennio Morricone. He was also making some incredibly innovative electronic compositions on the side, it would seem... These four variations were found in an old archive in his African home and have never, before now, been heard before. From the densely-layered spaghetti-flavoured "Afro Voodoo" to the soft sultry swoons of "Afro Sentiment" by way of the sheer dancefloor pump of "Afro Discoteca", this is a truly remarkable find for Four Flies. Made all the more poignant due to his recent passing, too. You know what to do.

Review: First reissue of this LP by Italian pioneer and Ennio Morricone cohort, Alessandro Alessandroni. Originaly released on Munich based experimental label Coloursound. Alessandroni at his best: very refined Italian cinematic sound, tense 12 strings guitar themes, synth sequences, beautiful sound of chamber classical music mixed with psych choir. You can feel Alessandroni's magical touch for melodies and arrangements on each song and at the same time, some Francois de Roubaix reminiscence on themes like "Dramatic". No doubt each track of this underrated masterpiece could have been a classic soundtrack theme.

Review: Much like the rest of the labels who have re-released Alessandro Alessandroni's material over the last three or four years, Four Flies Records have understood what this Italian maestro represented to the wider electronic movement. Sadly, the man passed away almost one year ago, but he has left a dynasty for years to come, and this is made all the more true given that this latest release, Lost & Found, has never even seen the light of day, until now. Branded as a soundtrack, this is a perfect representation of what the man did, and that was to produce music with a vision and a theme in mind, regardless of whether it truly existed or not. In fact, these gorgeous slices of exotica would certainly make for a delightful OST, with everything from ambient to disco, jazz and funk featuring across its 17 masterful tracks. This is inimitable gear - and warmly recommended.

Review: The Devil's Nightmare was an Italian-Belgian production from 1971 directed by Patrice Romme, that starred Jean Servais alongside a sensual Erika Blanc, also the disturbing presence of the Daniel Emilfork in the role of Satan. The film's components are typical of the Euro horror genre of the time: a Gothic castle, eroticism, and bloody murders - all in a spectral and dense photograph. It is the music of Maestro Alessandro Alessandroni, who needs no introduction, who indelibly marks the listener, starting with the hypnotic, psychedelic opening theme to which the harpsichord and his faithful Fender Stratocaster add the acid and fuzz, overlapping the silly wordless vocals of his companion Giulia De Mutiis. Dave Zagorski filmed a remake in 2012 under the Mad Z Productions banner (the US remake of the film).

Review: Much of Alessandro Alessandroni's material is just being rediscovered now, thanks to all these reissues out of the Spettro New label. It's a deserved act, because the Italian multi-instrumentalist is a true pioneer of experimental music who, for one reason or another, never really permeated into the minds of leftfield enthusiasts in the same way as other like-minded musicians of the time. Il Tempo Dello Spirito is from 1971 and, alongside the plethora of his other albums, is a marvel; the album is a spiritual journey from start to end, and one that is capable of causing a tear to shed from the eyes of even the most string-hearted. Made up of apocrypha hymns, it is themes stirring, open-minded interpretation of church music that we've ever heard. A truly fascinating experience.

Review: Italy's Alessandro Alessandroni is a legend in all sense of the word. The man is a versatile musician - a dextrous guitarist, cellist, accordionist among other things - and has been making experimental acoustic music since the 1960's! He's back for a special and rare appearance with this beautiful reissue of 70's material by the wonderful Dead-Cert label run by Andy Votel and Demdike Stare. Fifteen tracks of moody, organic industrial power tracks which sound as fresh as ever and will go down a storm in just about any club setting. Tracks like "Highway" and "Compressione" literally feel as if they were made nowadays, and Alessandroni is up there with the likes of Delia Derbyshire in terms of vision and total futurism. There's also plenty of gorgeous, acoustic moments such as "Camionabile" which verge on the Balearic. A lovely reissue and an absolute must have.

Review: During the 1970s, composer and multi-instrumentalist Alessandro Alessandroni and Giovanni Tommaso were two of the most prolific contributors to SR Records, an Italian library music label whose releases are now sought after by collectors worldwide. Their 1972 joint album "Open Air Parade" has long been one of the imprint's most hard-to-find sets, with copies regularly changing hands online for four figure sums. As this reissue proves, it remains an entertaining and hugely enjoyable set that giddily flits between psychedelic rock, quirky soundtrack style compositions, cheeky jazz-funk and the kind of whistle-laden kitsch cuts that you could imagine providing backing music to a saucy Italian sex comedy.

Review: If you are a lover of many different forms of jazz then this record will surely appeal to you. It runs the gamut from super classy and stylish lodge sounds to epic jazz-funk that will get you up on your feet. The groovy vibes throughout are utterly undeniable and the whole record has a real air of cool. For all those reasons this is a real gold standard from the Italian Library genre thanks tot he superb collaborative powers of Italian music giants Alessandro Alessandroni and Rino De Filippi. This is a first ever reissue of the record and one to cop asap.

Review: Flour Flies embarks on a new series of releases entitled Italian Library Songbook where contemporary artists put their spin on great soundtracks of theist. First to add their own new reinterpretations are Neapolitan producer pAd and London singer-songwriter Jessica Duncan. They tackle Alessandro Alessandroni's 'Philadelphia' and turn out something brilliantly soulful: 'Do You Wanna Get Close' is a lush and club ready sound that is backed with the glorious original on the flip side. This is a promising start to what is sure to be a much loved series.