Archivio Futuro is a functional paradox, a project in which the duality between the acoustic and the electronic is experimented, the search for unexpected sound combinations, organic and programmed music. We meet the collective composed of Lorenzo BITW, Danilo Menna and Vittorio Gervasi, on his second EP, “Modern Rituale”, produced by Tempesta Dischi. The resultant? A wandering journey that leads to a gray area, where the boundaries between jam sessions and electronic production become ineffable.
You are now consolidated and on your second EP, how did your union come about?We were born from a chance meeting between two members of the collective in 2021, in the middle of the pandemic, when it was very complicated and difficult to have perspectives on what would happen in a few months or years. Driven by the desire to experiment and seek new forms of expression, we started meeting and recording the first ones demo which then led to the debut album entitled “Archivio Futuro”. From then on we continued to produce, play live, experiment and add other musicians, expanding the collective. In addition to the musical aspect, we have in fact collaborated with graphic designers, photographers, costume designers, a process that is constantly evolving.
Let's start by listening to the album. Layalina introduces “Mi trasformo”, a dreamlike song, which addresses very current social issues, almost a manifesto. Where does the spoken word come from? And why did you choose the theme of physical and mental transformation within society?
The text was written by a member of our band and then performed in the studio by Alessandra Diodati, a very talented Roman jazz singer. The idea behind it was more of a list than a real manifesto, even if the very idea of the song transformed as we created it. The mantra, the repetition of the phrase “I transform”, led the way, to then address social and personal issues, but with the intention of communicating something and ensuring that it remained in the listener's head. Basically, this is what we said to ourselves from the beginning, that is, with our music we want to send messages: if in the first album it was “Take care of dreams”, a phrase borrowed from Nietzsche, here it is “I transform myself”.
At the same time, the same songs are transformed. For example, in “Jungle” we hear the piece begin in an experimental jazz world, then transform into electronic and more up-tempo ambient. The song is then alternated again with further introspective research such as “Cave”. The EP seems conceived as a progressive journey, both sonic and dreamlike: was it conceived like this? Or did you rehearse in the studio and this is what came out of it?
We have very different backgrounds but they stimulate each other, the same goes for our listening. This allows us to mix the cards a bit. in fact there isn't a genre that fits us perfectly and we don't even look for it. We make electronic music, but with many influences. However, we tried to write with a sound in mind that united the songs, a “fil rouge”, and we think we succeeded. “Modern Ritual” is in fact a compact work, 24 minutes long, but very full of nuances. The intent was to ensure that each song had its own identity, and once everything was completed, we thought a lot about what order we wanted to give it when listening, in order to restore this somewhat sonorous travel effect and dreamlike you speak of, and which we are very pleased you have noticed. So it was born during the writing phase, but then we enhanced it in the final stages of making the EP.
How do you usually work? How do you create your pieces?
Usually one of us brings one demo produced with Ableton, and from there we start to create a song. We found our team, which allowed us to work together on practically all the songs. We don't have defined roles, everyone takes care of everything: playing, producing, arranging. The core of each song is then developed, with each of us adding, modifying, playing something that wasn't originally there. We follow the flow a bit, but always respecting the original soul of what one brings. In this sense, teamwork allows you to enhance, because perhaps it would never have occurred to one to add or remove something, while the ideas of others then lead to an originally unexpected turn taking place. The beauty is in putting yourself out there without jealousy. In particular, in this EP, we wanted to experiment with the voice, whereas before our songs were completely instrumental. Which especially in the case of “Cave”, with the contribution of Mauro Remiddi on vocals, gave a real turning point.
In the album you have included “poetronics”, or the fusion between poetry and technology in sound form, you have integrated speech and pushed the experimental part like in an out-of-control jam session. Where did the idea come from?
We felt we wanted to add vocals to this EP. We didn't want to use samples, but rather look for artistic personalities similar to us. Alessandra Diodati, who is the voice in both “Mi trasfo” and “Rituale moderni”, followed us in this madness. The semblance of jam sessions out of control, however, occurred with post-production work and mixing. When we recorded the vocals, the songs were in fact slightly different. We are pleased that you noticed a live approach in this, something that we also look for when we produce, and we hope that the public has the opportunity to see us live, because in our humble opinion it deserves and is almost a performance more than a concert.
Last question: A record that you listen to in this period and that you would recommend?
“Cenizas” by Nicolas Jaar or “Endlessness” by Nala Sinephro.
Antonio Santini for SANREMO.FM
