DECIMO CERCHIO (WITH "I SINCOPATICI")

Italian voice artist Claudio Milano's most current release is collaborative album with trio "I Sincopatici", an imaginary live soundtrack to classic silent movie "L'Inferno" of 1911. Milano's music was always very theatrical, here it is very cinematic. Starting from Italian Neorealismo movies, country developed strong tradition of soundtrack music well known around the world. Combination of deep classical roots, strong music education, rich orchestration and soulful and tuneful themes build a strong reputation for this genre.

Being an obvious leftfield work, "Decimo Cerchio" successfully combines dramatic melodic-ism and deep rich theatrical sound of old Italian soundtrack school with operatic vocals, minimalist electronics, loops, broken songs' structures and rhythms, amorphous sound and radical vocalize in Diamanda Galas key. Rock music of 70s influence is obvious in a moments as well.

The album is fulfilled with lyrics, all in Italian, and even if there are English translations added, it is obviously great to understand Italian for stronger impression. Still, as in classic Italian operas, one can perfectly accept whole action without understanding of lyrics. Full of emotions, very dramatic and dynamic, musical action attracts enough attention itself.

For newcomers to Milano's music it's important to note that, as on almost very his work, Claudio is an experimenting artist, so be ready to hear lot of unusual and even in-expecting things here.

I SINCOPATICI are a trio from Italy who are dedicated to the rediscovery of silent film masterpieces with live musical accompaniment. They are led by keyboardist Francesca Badalini who composes the music she feels is suitable for each film. This trio have been collaborating with Cineteca Italiana since 1999, and they have done about ten of these live performances, which are audio and visual events. So ten silent films so far and these are all pretty much films from the 1910s and 20s. So of course asking Claudio Milano to be part of this just seemed so obvious, as he is an actor and vocalist extraordinaire, already doing stuff similar to this.

I SINCOPATICI also includes bass player Andrea Grumelli who adds electronics and soundscapes, as well as drummer Luca Casiraghi. Francesca also adds synths besides piano for the most part. I really like that there are pictures in the liner notes of this event with Claudio standing close to the big screen that the film is being shown on. There is a QR code so I can actually watch this video which is very cool. We get over 66 minutes of music spread over 26 tracks that are often blending into one another.

The film itself is called "L'Inferno" from 1911, and it consisted of five reels of film, with fifty four scenes totalling around 73 minutes. The music here combines classical and rock with plenty of electronics and experimental soundscapes. Of course Claudio takes this soundtrack to further heights with his theatrical vocals. He puts on a show. This truly is theatre for the mind. Think ART ZOYD and the many silent films they have done soundtracks for and you get a pretty good idea of the sound here. In fact these Italians have taken up where ART ZOYD left off, and we are in very good hands folks.

When I spun this for the first time I was taken to another place, I was so fascinated with it that I spun it again, right away. Music for the Underworld I guess you could say. Headphones are a must. There is a lot of powerful music on here. This is like the period of ART ZOYD where they started to let electronics dominate their sound. I was actually moved when the cd ends and the crowd starts to clap and clap and clap with passion. They just experienced something that they probably will never experience again.

As one of Italy's most daring mother buckers of musical trends, CLAUDIO MILANO has consistently released bizarre freakish musical experiences that blur the distinction between the disparate worlds of progressive rock, modern classical, minimalism, electronic music, chamber rock, jazz as well as various other nooks and crannies of the musical universe. Exploring any of the works by MILANO either solo or with his avant-garde side projects inevitably takes you down many rabbit holes of exploration as each oeuvre is meticulously designed with myriad references that demand exploration.

The year 2024 finds MILANO unleashing a combo pack of his experimental freakery with releases emerging from both Nichelodeon as well as a solo album in collaboration with fellow Italian experimentalists I Sincopatici. This trio that consists of Francesca Badalini (piano, synth, zither), Andrea Grumelli (fretless bass, electronics, soundscapes) and Luca Casiraghi (drums, percussion) has dedicated itself to the totally unique art form of composing from scores to classic silent films of the early 20th century mostly recorded live in front of admiring crowds.

The silent film "L'Inferno" premiered in Naples in 1911 and was the first full-length Italian feature film which actually found an audience internationally earning more than $2 million in the USA alone. This silent film was based on the first canticle of Dante Alighieri's "Divine Comedy" and narrated the tale of Dante who was seeking a path to salvation only to find the road blocks of avarice, pride and lust thwarting his efforts. As the tale goes Beatrice descends from the higher realms and solicits Virgil to guide Dante through the Nine Circles of Hell. The film lasted a lengthy 73 minutes which was amazingly long for those days and commanded a hefty price for admission.

So add the concept of this silent film with the vocal antics of CLAUDIO MILANO and the eerie ethereal soundtrack musical freakery of I Sncopatici and you get this bizarre modern day score interpretation titled DECIMO CERCHIO (Italian for "Tenth Circle") which offers a wild modern musical ride through the darkened underground world of early Italian film. Featuring 26 tracks, DECIMO CERCHIO is a lengthy affair itself running over 67 minutes and offering a whopping one hour plus bonus track titled "In The Depth of Piacenza" for those who download the album online.

Theatrical and based in the world of modern classical music, this album features a never-ending display of avant-garde piano, electronic soundscapes, unorthodox percussive accompaniments and of course MILANO's unusually unpredictable vocal gymnastics wending and winding their way through (in the Italian language). While not a new concept, even for the film "L'Inferno" itself which can be found online with an artist named Mike Kiker delivering his own soundtrack interpretation, this album is vastly more explorative, exponentially more avant-garde and delves into bizarre complexities that may be too much for many to grasp onto.

While Kiker's organ-based version is more like a less dynamic Goblin score, MILANO and I Sincopatici embrace the darkest recesses of the psyche and plunder the sound effects to evoke the most horrific journey into the underworld. Weaving between somewhat accessible piano melodies to truly unhinged excursions into an alternate musical universe, DECIMO CERCHIO is a bizarre labyrinthine lamentation of Dante's poetry set to musical form in only a way that true cutting edge musical avant-gardists could achieve. Italy's answer to Mike Patton, MILANO is fearless in his approach to tackle some of the strangest vocal excursions in the modern area of experimental fusion music.

This goth-tinged adventure is a haunting one for sure but guaranteed to take you somewhere you never expected and coupled with the video imagery offers the perfect escape into a world imagined over a century ago in the world of the occult and esoteric. A triumphant uncluttered musical journey that offers the perfect accompaniment to the film's legacy as it not only presents a glimpse of early Italian cinematic history but a taste of the wild and bizarre world where the modern Italian underground music world has taken. Excellent!

The band I Sincopatici have made a name for themselves with their Cineconcertos, performances meant to unify film and live music. They focus on the rediscovery and reframing of silent films - leaving me wondering if they might take a crack at parts of Abel Gance's Napoleon some day. This album is a recording of a 2021 performance for L'Inferno, Italy's first full length feature, one that like many great silent films has gone through partial restorations (including one two years after this performance), and a harrowing depiction of the horrors of Hell. Joined by the titanic vocalist Claudio Milano, I Sincopatici have delivered a haunting and sublime accompaniment to the film.

The instrumentation is driven largely by the pianos and synths of Francesca Badalini, who is the primary composer of the group's music which is then built upon by the rest of the band. Over the course of the hour long performance the band veers between her somber piano and more rocking, unnerving stretches like "I Barattieri" where the power of bassist Andrea Grumelli and drummer/percussionist Luca Casiraghi come forth. These moods are only heightened by both Badalini's turns on her synths and the ever unpredictable Milano's fearsome vocals. Milano takes the epic poetry of Dante Alighieri and runs it through his wild, vanguardist stylings. He is at once narrator and vengeful spirit, slipping across the stage and twisting his poetry into the cries of the damned. As previously seen in snapshots on Milano's ManifestAzioni collection, I Sincopatici only grows mightier when he is on hand to deepen their leftfield connections to the films they work with.

Together with the 2023 performance collected digitally with this record from Piacenza, the Cineconcertos that I Sincopatici and Claudio Milano have delivered are astounding reinterpretations of a classic film that unfold into sonic vortices befitting the many circles of Hell. I heartily look forward to future Cineconcertos.

A multi-sensorial experience!

Believe it or not, everytime I review a Claudio Milano-related release I kind of put myself a disguise and embrace a theatrical mood. His music is so visual, but this time it really had to be, because "Decimo Cerchio" is the original soundtrack for the 1911 silent film "L'Inferno" which was impulsed by three talented musicians who work under the name of I Sincopatici. These guys are Francesca Badalini on piano an synths, Andrea Grumelli on bass and electronics, and Luca Casiraghi on drums & percussion, the first two participated in the latest Nichelodeon album, by the way.

Well, I Sincopatici is a project who loves joining music with films, so they create music for silent films and perform it while the film is being screened, generating a wonderful artistic and multi-sensorial experience, which, for this time was complemented by Milano's voice and theatrical skills, because this release was recorded live from a 2021 performance. Fortunately for us, we can watch these performances on Milano's Youtube channel, a great opportunity to actually see what a experience like this looks like.

This album features 26 songs -mostly short- that make a total time of 67 minutes. The music created here is in the experimental, avant-garde side of things, though there are some moments that they take us to other realms such as the classical or opera one, or others much deep like zeuhl. Of course the whole experience would be fullfilled if we attended to a live performance, however, it is possible to enjoy it by only listening to the music, so we can create our own pictures, passages and scenes. Enigmatic first two minutes, some spacey atmospheres and Claudio's voice; then piano starts building beautiful sounds, while bass and percussion join in a delicate way. Emotional vocals take over for some moments, but then piano let us know thay musically its the main guide, so since the very first tracks we can notice Badalini's capacity to create different moods and musical passages that take the listener / spectator to a fictional world.

I love the contrasts and the changes, for instance, the sorrow provided in track 3 suddenly fades out and a delicate passage begins in track 4. There are some chords that sound like a lullaby for some seconds, but when they disappear, a dark atmosphere begins. And I could go on and make a lot of examples of the changes, but it's important to say these changes make sense, they all have cohesion and a purpose, so the experience naturally flows. I like a lot track 5, its delicious fretless bass sound, MIlano's voice exploding, and those keyboards and percussion that put a gothic-like atmosphere on it.

On track 9 they put a heavier first and then faster rhythm, creating a bit of chaos and letting us know the rock element is also present in their music. Dark atmospheres, some RIO and zeuhl here and there, wonderful. There are several tracks where we can listen to quite different sounds and genres, going from delicate instrumental passages to explosive moments where theatrical and poetic vocals appear. But one of my favorite episodes comes from track 14 to 17, where the guys create more winks to zeuhl, in moments that give me energy but at the same time, sounds tense and scary. Chaotic and explosive passages are also implemented here, all the instruments play crucial part of its success.

The percussion also help creating folk-like rhythms, like it happens in track 20, which has a world music feeling on it. And again, the changes, because track 21 is creepy, disturbing, confusing; and then the zeuhl returns in a kind of coda or reprise in track 22, which has a quite interesting inner change due to the delicate piano sound and those voices echoiing here and there.

And yeah, every journey has its start and its end, and it is great the end comes with applause from the audience.

This is a great work by I Sincopatici e Milano, I would love to see them onstage, however, I am aware their music might not be the easiest to dig, nor to recommend to a regular listener.

Congrats to these wonderful musicians / artists who do what they love, and I am sure, love what they do.

Decimo Cerchio is a collaboration between Claudio Milano as vocalist and performer and the band "I Sincopatici". The album is the result of a very interesting project that has its roots in the pictures of Dante's Inferno published by Gustave Dore' in the year 1861. 50 years after, three Italian film makers, Francesco Bertolini, Giuseppe De Liguoro e Adolfo Padovan released "L'Inferno", a movie clearly inspired to the Dore' paintings.

153 years after Dore's work, I Sincopatici and Claudio Milano have put music on this movie, that of course was mute, and performed it during the projection of the movie in various theathers. Here on this site I have posted a youtube movie of the full performance. Viewing it will be surely better than reading my words, so invite the readers to spend about one hour on it.

I assume that everybody knows about Dante and the Inferno which is the first of the three parts that compose the "Comaedia" or "Divine Comedy". The subject is very dramatic and in some parts very dark (can anything be darker than the Christian Hell?). Useless to say, the music fits very well with the images, but it works well even on its own. Claudio Milano is able to add a sort of "visual" mood to his singing thanks also to his huge vocal extension which allows the use of very high and very bass notes.

Add to this the excellent musical compositions of I Sincopatici, in particular the piano of Francesca Badalini who makes it sound melodic or dramatic depending on the situation, An example is "Amor Che A Nullo Amato Amar Perdona", which refers to one of the most famous episodes of the Inferno: the two lovers, Paolo and Francesca. On this track the piano sets a specific mood for the different parts of the episode, while Claudio shows their sufference with the vocalisms at the end of the track.

Another track that I can't not mention is "Il Conte Ugolino". Here in Italy we study Dante's comedy in the schools, as it's the first big poem using a language that can be called "Italian", instead of the Latin that was the literary language in the 13th Century. Knowing the story of the various episodes surely helps in appreciating the way they have been translated into music.

At this point, let me say that vieweing the performance with the movie, and listening to the CD are very different experiences: in the first case it's a complete performance and also the movie has its value, invluding some "special effects" that were ahead of its times in 1911, while the pure listening gives the possibility of creating your own mental images. It's quite like the difference between viewing a movie and reading a book.

I suggest both. In the video, Claudio Milano shows also his ability as live performer.

In the end, through "Il Cammino Sotterraneo" (the subterranean path), after you have passed Lucifer, you'll finally see the stars again, on the movie or in your mind.

If you don't know much of Dante's Inferno it's better starting with the video. If you have alredy your mental images of it, the CD first is better.

Up to you.

This album needs some background information, but given the depth of the performance, this is quite fitting. What we have here is a soundtrack to the first ever full-length Italian film, 'L'Inferno', which was released in 1911 and is based on the first canticle of Dante Alighieri's 'Divine Comedy'. The music contained here was recorded live in November 2021 by I Sincopatici, who comprise Francesca Badalini (piano, synth, zither), Andrea Grumelli (fretless bass, electronics, soundscapes), and Luca Casiraghi (drums and percussion) They aim to discover silent film masterpieces and then provide live musical accompaniment to accompany them ? anyone who has seen this approach will know just how powering that can be (I was incredibly fortunate to see Goblin perform at a showing of 'I Suspiria' some years ago). On this project they have also brought in the talents of Claudio Milano and the result is something which is compelling, intriguing, powerful, passionate, gothic and operatic all at once.

To my ears Milano is a true vocal talent, much more than "just" a singer, bringing many styles to bear which are RIO, experimental, eclectic, avant and so much more. Here he provides vocal gymnastics, showing a breadth of range which is remarkable as he moves from growls to falsetto, providing the perfect counter to the experimental styles going on beneath him. It is incredibly dramatic, so much so that when listening on headphones one can picture the scenes taking place (I have yet to see the movie itself, but there is a QR code within the CD booklet which allows one to download the official video for this). That it has been made available on vinyl is incredibly fitting as this is an album of real depth and breadth, and one cannot imagine this being available just in a digital space as this has presence and power. This is music which refuses to conform, is designed to be listened to in its entirety and not something to be dropped in and out of. It feels special in a way which is difficult to describe, and even though this is something which will appeal only to a select few I am not surprised to find it nested within ProgArchives' Top 50 albums for 2024.

With the lyrics in Italian, I can only take Claudio's vocals as another instrument, which in this context is exactly the right thing to do as he is using his voice in a way which allows us to understand he is a true master of his craft, seemingly at home with every style and emotion he is asked to portray. It is his vocals which lifts this to the next level, as while the music can, and does, exist without him, it is his approach which takes this album into a very special area indeed. This is not an easy album to listen to, and there will be many progheads who will play part of this and cast it aside, but for those of us who "get this", we understand we are in the presence of something very special indeed.