The magician of ice cream is a listening not to be missed. From the debut “Cursed that night” (EP, 2023) to the brand new “Who is Nicola Fecmieri?”, Taste, writing and executive skills, already remarkable, have grew up. Collaborations with artists such as Venerus, Melanie Chédeville and the Antonacci parties further enrich a disc which is the result of many souls, sounds and visions. Live the band shows a powerful and cared for scenic presence. Without losing the freshness of the summer night that honors their self -deprecating social reason. Here's what they told us.
The composite identity of the ice cream magician
The Nolo district, North of Loreto, is an area of Milan full of heterogeneous cultural heteroos. Your name also comes from the ice cream shop in via Padova which has made you a reference point. How much does such a particular context affect your music?
We are not exactly children of Nolo, but rather of the different experiences that cross along via Padova, a street that crosses various neighborhoods such as Cimiano and Crescenzago. This area is culturally composite, full of exchanges and crossings, which are reflected in our music. Most of us live there and has attended multicultural environments that favor sharing and contamination. Our music is born spontaneously from the interaction and mutual influences and this also reverberates on our way of being on stage, in the sense that it allows us to adapt to very different contexts and publics, whether they are linked to jazz or rock.
In fact, your sound is characterized by a remarkable impact and sound charisma. You have developed particular strategies to recreate the studio the'interplay And the energy you have built in the years of live experience?
Yes, surely. Over time we have developed a precise method thanks also to work with our producer Marquis. We work very differently in the studio than the live. In the studio we write the arrangements so that they are functional to the registration. Live from the beginning we always play in seven, with our fixed formation that has now become a real extended band: Martina Campi to the transverse flute and trombone, Alessio from Checco to sax and Elia Pozzi to percussion. Although the two dimensions influence, they have different creative methods.
The secret plot of Nicola Fecpieri
Who is Nicola Fecpieri?
An imaginary character, the protagonist of a film that does not exist. There is not only one answer on who it really is: we leave room for the imagination, so everyone can make his film by listening to the songs.
How did the collaboration with Venerus come about?
Meeting us live during various concerts. We noticed affinities both in our approach with music and on the front of performance live. Deciding to collaborate has come spontaneously, Venerus is truly an extraordinary musician. He reached us in the studio and we started building together “counter -time”.
And instead how did it go with melanie for the?
We discovered melanie listening to her album for comet with Tony Allen, “Cri d'Amour”. We were fascinated by her vocal style and we started writing things, thinking about her, the sensuality of her stamp. We wrote them and, for our great joy, accepted immediately. When he sent us the track we were enthusiastic about it. The result was exactly as we imagined it.
Was it the one with the antonacci festivals also a remote collaboration?
Half and half. We met with them live during the concerts. After meeting us, the idea of collaborating on a specific song was born, working at a distance because they live in Paris.
Number one, without labels
Do you affect the number one label, historically linked to the Italian songwriting of the 70s. Do you have influences or connections with that musical period?
Yes, many of us love Italian songwriting and progressive rock of the 70s. Groups such as Perigee, Area, or musicians such as Ivan Graziani and Lucio Battisti, to stay in the number one, have influenced our sounds. The Italian cinematographic music of the 60s and 70s is also an important reference for us and then the great Piero Umbiliani, also fundamental.
In some of Battisti's number one records there is also a lot of Brazil.
Do you feel a little tropicalist?
Brazil of the 70s we like very much, especially artists such as OS Novos Baianos, Azymuth, or Marcos Valle. Among the albums that inspire us there is certainly “Amazonas” by João Donato. The catalog of Far Out Recordings, which reprints Brazilian music of the 70s and contemporary, is among the important references that we listen to and share frequently.
And with the hip-hop, which from a generational point of view is closer to you and that fishing with full hands in the musical universes and mentioned, both from a rhythmic point of view and as regards the sampling?
We have a great respect for hip-hop, even if it is not our kind of reference. But what you say is true with respect to the rhythmic appearance. However, we are indirectly influenced by the Africcentric characteristics of the genre, which has brought many innovative elements in contemporary music.
In short, does everything lead to the Frobeat?
Our musical project was born from the Frobeat of Fela Kuti and Ebo Taylor and then obviously from the funk, also the contaminated one and 80s of the Japanese cases, which we love a lot.
Live is another movie
Live you are very communicative and scenic, despite what you do is of great executive complexity. How did you work on this aspect?We constantly try to evolve both from a technical and aesthetic point of view. It is not enough for us to play well: we want the public to feel the energy, passion and vitality we put in our music. For this, when we are on stage, we seek a balance between precision and spontaneity. We work a lot to acquire a full mastery of the pieces, so as to be able to move naturally and freedom during the live. This allows us to have fun and, above all, to involve those who listen to us. Each of us has different influences, both musical and scenic, and bringing them all together in a cohesive show is very stimulating.
What will the tour be like?
We will bring the new live album with an engaging show, full of surprises, turning throughout Italy. We can't wait to play, but we also love life on tour, travel in the van, spent sharing music. Each with his own listening, his fixed of the moment, who always end up becoming the soundtrack of the tour. It is also there that our imagination is created.
(April 3, 2025)
Antonio Santini for SANREMO.FM
