Mombao are one of the most particular and courageous projects that arrived on the X Factor stage, not only in this year’s edition. The duo formed by Damon Arabsolgar and Anselmo Luisi, who in the past worked with Pashmak, Le Luci della Centrale Elettrica and Selton, brought a Belarusian folk song to the talent show, Toi Paand a unique performance, so as to convince the judges to confirm them up to the Home Visits.
The Mombao project is a unique mix between theater and experimental music. In addition to unreleased songs sung in different languages, the two adapt several popular songs in a contemporary key, which they perform live on a stage in the center of the room, surrounded by the audience and entirely covered in clay and body paint. They released an EP and two singles, worked on a documentary soundtrack (The unruly) and they already have four artistic residencies in various Italian cities. While waiting for tonight’s X Factor Home Visits, here are five songs that talk about their influences.
“Eternal” Holly Herndon
«The body and the car. Holly created something that had never been seen before, she began writing music with four hands with an artificial intelligence, feeding it popular songs and working together with a choir of real people. You are creating a digital humanism, strong in a solid academic background, you know that you can’t be afraid of new technologies, of the possible frontiers that can be explored and overcome. You are aware that artists must begin to take possession of these processes and make them their own, know how to recognize, shape and actively use them. Incorporate them».
“Songs of the Sea” Vincent Parisi
«The choir and the earth. Vincenzo is a great composer and pianist as well as a close friend with whom to have musical visions. He takes popular Sicilian songs and rearranges them for prepared piano solo; his record Sulfur it is a journey between the mines and the Mediterranean, to be listened to in silence to travel far, a masterpiece. You will hear about her soon, she has just won the composition prize of the Milan Conservatory and some of her pieces for orchestra will be performed in the Sala Verdi at the opening of the new season. There are no registrations yet Stray Lightningtherefore participating will be a must ».
“Open Eye Signal” Jon Hopkins
«Between astral and rave. immunity it’s a record we’ve come back to often, it has elegant electronics and a psychedelic use of the techno language. There is a perturbing road between astral travel soundscape music and the return to the dance of synchronized machines, of crazed oscillators; if you add to all this a moving taste of piano samples you have obtained a record that flows fluidly and slowly builds up to take your breath away».
“Didavoi Nana” Rustavi Ensemble
«Alien scales and sacred chants. In our research path we gradually and more and more became passionate about folk songs and traditions from different parts of the world. Meeting Georgian chants was magical. There is a manly sweetness, a subtle melancholy that makes these both fragile and powerful, movingly performed by Ensemble Rustavi. To make them even more fascinating is their nature that sounds familiar and at the same time exotic to us; you can hear the echoes of Orthodox Christian chants and ancient Gregorian chants, just as you can find pieces of Arab and Middle Eastern scales and wonderfully alien harmonies. A secret dream is to take a cue from the Georgian tradition to add this spice to our repertoire».
“The Offbeat” Wildbirds & Peacedrums
«The ultimate synthesis: voices and percussion. At the beginning of our musical research we asked ourselves a question: what are the most essential and engaging parts of a song? How can you speak directly to the belly using the most essential elements? The Wildbirds & Peacedrums have shown us a way. In the Swedish duo’s music there is very little, but nothing is missing: there is a pressing and recognizable groove, and then there is the melody of the voice, simple, direct, naked and powerful. We took The Offbeatwe overturned, crippled and re-born it, and now it is a fundamental part of our lineup».