The Accordion Sessions

Accordion made ambient-electroacustic album (2017)

18 JUNE 2017 ON TIME RELEASED SOUND

“I don’t know what have the accordion of so communicative that when we hear it makes the heart beat faster. […] Personally I would make a statue of this nostalgic bellows, bitterly human, that looks like a sad animal.”

Gabriel Garcia Marquez

“Textos Costeños”, Mayo de 1948

Giacomo has provided the beautifully dense and drone filled accordion ambiances, and Francesco has worked his magic manipulating and processing these sounds, with added field recordings, into a glorious and at times even industrially fueled, expansive wall of aural bliss and intensity.

Melodic, and yet fiercely relentless and driving at times…The Accordion Sessions is both a fitting soundtrack to these seemingly overpowering days we live in now, and an avant homage to this favorite instrument of more peacefully innocent and nostalgic times.

REVIEWS & THINKINGS

Also available on Time Released Sound Label in Digital, in a Deluxe Limited Edition of 55 copies and in a standard digipack edition of 100 copies.

https://timereleasedsound.bandcamp.com/album/the-accordion-sessions

Francesco Maria Narcisi & Giacomo Fidanza comes from “Le Marche”, the region of Italy where Paolo Soprani built his company of accordion manufactureres in Castelfidardo in 1863, the capital of accordion builders in the world.

In the groove of rediscover the origins, the local identities and its soundscapes, the aim of “The Accordion Sessions” it’s to rethinking this very expressive instrument, in the context of the current research lines in acusmatic and electroacustic music with manipolations, samplings, looping & cutting on a series of accordion improvisation recording sessions.

PRESS REVIEW

“Probabilmente, uno dei migliori dischi, almeno fino ad ora, ascoltati quest’anno.”

Gerry D’Amato – Frastuoni.it

“Un suono che letteralmente catapulta in un’altra dimensione con l’incedere magnifico di una tempesta virtuale nella quale si nasconde un’anima antica, naturale, capace di travolgere e colpire direttamente al cuore. Nove composizioni che sanno amplificare al massimo il senso del tatto musicale; il suono accoglie la sostanza e assume forme con le quali possiamo interfacciare il nostro pensiero. Qui tutto è futuro possibile e al contempo passato vissuto. L’esperienza ambient si colora di irresistibili richiami tardo romantici, il respiro accelera e la gioia del volo dilaga. Spirali di piacere.”

Mirco Salvadori – Sherwood.it

“An ominous industrial rager opens this record, the rhythmic pulsations bursting through a seam in space like Hans Zimmer’s cosmic worrywort soundtrack to ‘Interstellar’. Like a horror soundtrack with flickers of dreadful meditation and bouts of driving synth mania, […] the artists mystifying their sound sources into a misty and often thrilling session.”

Robin – Norman Records

“Help us lose our prejudices, opening our ears to the power of this instrument which is used in a very original way. […] you probably won’t even recognise the sound of the accordion but […] you can hear the very soul of this instrument. The time for re-evaluation of its possibilities has definitely come.”

Peter Van Cooten – Ambient Blog

“…Se dal punto di vista realizzativo “The Accordion Sessions” appare tutta una questione di saturazioni e frequenze modulate – che pure a tratti lasciano trasparire la spoglia essenza acustica della fisarmonica – ancor più significativo è il messaggio da esso veicolato; da un lato infatti esalta le infinite potenzialità della manipolazione sonora, donando allo strumento una nuova vita che pure ne preserva l’anima, dall’altro traccia l’itinerario di un paesaggismo al tempo stesso sonoro e culturale, dimostrando come il racconto auditivo del territorio passi, oltre che dalla ricognizione dei suoi caratteri naturali, da quella delle tradizioni musicali che lo popolano. Come Narcisi e Fidanza sono andati a scandagliarne le radici, così le hanno mantenute vive, filtrandole attraverso i mezzi tecnici e i linguaggi di una post-modernità che non sovrascrive, bensì ricerca un’evoluzione coerente, frutto di un’accurata operazione di antropologia sonora.“

Raffaello Russo – Music Won’t Save You

“Brash and beautiful Francesco Maria Narcisi & Giacomo mesh industrial, classical, and electronica together on the otherworldly presence of “The Accordion Sessions”. Covering a wide swath of sonic territory, the songs unfold in startling gorgeous ways. Melodies rest at the very heart of each piece the way they unfold gives them a warm inviting quality even at their most dissonant. Indeed, the duo have a true magic that they utilize to great effect over the course of the album. Songs play off each other, resulting in a virtual kaleidoscope of sound”

BeachSloth.com

“I due performer marchigiani imbastiscono un viaggio di alta poesia elettroacustica, dimostrando di saper affrontare un discorso di pura musica sperimentale senza dimenticare il carattere melodico e sognante di certa deep music. Tra le migliori cose sentite nell’anno appena chiuso. Voto: 8”

Kathodik Webzine

Recorded, produced, and mixed by Francesco Maria Narcisi from Dec. 2015 to Jun. 2016

Mastered by Wil Bolton

Francesco Maria Narcisi: Manipolations, Processing, Engineering, Field recordings

Giacomo Fidanza: Accordion

All tracks by Francesco Maria Narcisi & Giacomo Fidanza

Artwork/Design: Colin Herrick & Maria Chenut

Thanks to Gloria, Sergio, Colin Herrick, Maria Chenut, Wil Bolton

This video was made by Mattia Michetti, Giulia Maione, Fabiola Fidanza, students of Urbino Art Academy with suggestions of “The Accordion Sessions”