Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Phase6 Superstereo (Alternative Italian b-movie soundtrack)


V/A - Phase6 Superstereo
Label - Plastic (Italy)
Released - 1998
Style - Jazz/Funk/Soul/Lounge/Soundtrack/Library
Notes: "Introducing the alternative Italian B-Movie soundtrack"

(from AMG)
This unique lounge compilation collects a series of tracks from the vaults of Vedette Records, an Italian label presided over by producer and lounge composer Armando Sciascia. The music they produced was released on compilations intended for music library use, but the music presented here is strong enough that it could have garnered a commercial release. These tracks mix rock, soul, and jazz together in a stylish manner that blends an easy listening sense of pop hooks with an experimental instrumental and sonic approach. Although Phase 6 Super Stereo is a lounge compilation, some of the tracks rock in a surprisingly heavy manner: Blue Phantom's "Diodo" is a blistering slab of psychedelic rock that layers slashing fuzz-guitar riffs over a thunderous drum beat and Green Future's punchy cover of "I'm a Man" mixes gritty saxophone and hard-hitting, disco-styled rhythms to entrancing effect. Other tracks pursue a softer but no less interesting style of lounge music: Peter Hamilton's "Desert Heat" highlights a jazzy saxophone lead against a percolating, organ-led backdrop and Cat Collins' "Le Grisbi" features the harmonica and electric guitar trading licks over a pop-jazz beat fleshed out with some otherworldly electric keyboards. Even the occasional standard that pops up manages to sound fresh thanks to the innovative approaches of the musicians: Puccio Roelen's take on "Caravan" has an exotic feel thanks to its mixture of electronically filtered keyboards and Latin-styled percussion and Bruno Battisti D'Amario's version of "Mas Que Nada" boasts an imaginative choral harmony arrangement.

Tracklisting:
1 Peter Hamilton - Desert Heat (2:31)
2 Blue Phantom - Diodo (3:53)
3 Puccio Roelens - Caravan (3:28)
4 Nilton Castro - Segura O Sambura (2:54)
5 Peter Hamilton - Obsessively (2:40)
6 Armando Sciascia - Assonanza In Mi (3:05)
7 Dom Boga - Mattino Di Fuoco (2:41)
8 Bruno Battisti D'Amario - Mas Que Nada (2:33)
9 Billy & Friends - Hua Rock (2:17)
10 Cat Collins - Le Grisbi (2:50)
11 Bruno Battisti D'Amario - Su Delicia (2:48)
12 Armando Sciascia - Disperazione (2:14)
13 Green Future - I'm A Man (3:36)
14 Billy & Friends - I Found My Love In Portofino (2:55)
15 Bruno Battisti D'Amario - Desbocado (3:01)
16 Puccio Roelens - Senza Archi (2:19)

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7 comments:

Anonymous said...

thanks I've Been Looking For this album quite a while

AMP said...

Great! we're so glad you found it.

Anonymous said...

I may be late to the party, but you have no idea how immensely pleased I am to find this album. Keep up the great work - love the site.

Apani said...

Thank you for this treat, I have been looking forever for it. Keep up the good music!

Lavina said...

Ah, some people who might know! ? Does anyone know where to find out what films these came from? I know this was posted 100 years ago

P M X said...

notes from ebay>
This unique lounge compilation collects a series of tracks from the vaults of Vedette Records, an Italian label presided over by producer and lounge composer Armando Sciascia. The music they produced was released on compilations intended for music library use, but the music presented here is strong enough that it could have garnered a commercial release. These tracks mix rock, soul, and jazz together in a stylish manner that blends an easy listening sense of pop hooks with an experimental instrumental and sonic approach. Although Phase 6 Super Stereo is a lounge compilation, some of the tracks rock in a surprisingly heavy manner: Blue Phantom's "Diodo" is a blistering slab of psychedelic rock that layers slashing fuzz-guitar riffs over a thunderous drum beat and Green Future's punchy cover of "I'm a Man" mixes gritty saxophone and hard-hitting, disco-styled rhythms to entrancing effect. Other tracks pursue a softer but no less interesting style of lounge music: Peter Hamilton's "Desert Heat" highlights a jazzy saxophone lead against a percolating, organ-led backdrop and Cat Collins' "Le Grisbi" features the harmonica and electric guitar trading licks over a pop-jazz beat fleshed out with some otherworldly electric keyboards. Even the occasional standard that pops up manages to sound fresh thanks to the innovative approaches of the musicians: Puccio Roelen's take on "Caravan" has an exotic feel thanks to its mixture of electronically filtered keyboards and Latin-styled percussion and Bruno Battisti D'Amario's version of "Mas Que Nada" boasts an imaginative choral harmony arrangement. The tracks sound unusually sharp, even by modern standards, thanks to the complex stereo mixing techniques practiced by Sciascia and his musicians: audiophiles will be happy to know these mixing processes are described in detail on the disc's back cover. On the down side, the liner notes are a bit skimpy (there are no songwriter credits or mentions of what films or television shows used these tracks). Also, the compilers could have added a few extra selection to brief up the surprisingly short running time. Despite these minor quibbles, Phase 6 Super Stereo remains an intoxicating blend of lounge sounds that will please novices and demanding connoisseurs alike. ~ Donald A. Guarisco

Geoffrey Nel Thomas said...

Thanks for the post, this is great music!