*300 copies limited edition*  In 2014, the HalloBigallo Festival in Bologna dedicated an evening to Piero Umiliani, inviting both Junkfood and Enrico Gabrielli to perform reinterpretations from the maestro's repertoire. The paths of Gabrielli and the various members of Junkfood (Simone Cavina, Simone Calderoni, Michelangelo Vanni, Paolo Raineri) had crossed several times in the past through collaborations with Calibro 35, Incident on South Street, and UPM, but the two entities had never found themselves under the same roof. The opportunity was too tempting. They decided to present three pieces together as a quintet.

Though Gabrielli was forced to forfeit the concert at the last moment, the idea kept buzzing in the heads of the five. They reunited at the Vacuum Studio of Bruno Germano (IOSONOUNCANE) in Bologna and recorded the material in a single session, capturing three pieces in direct takes on analog tape, adding a touch of philology to the entire operation. The result exceeded expectations. Thus was born Italian Masters, a series of monographs dedicated to the figures of some of the greatest Italian soundtrack composers.

This vinyl edition on Cinedelic Records brings together all three volumes, dedicated respectively to Piero Umiliani, Armando Trovajoli, and Ennio Morricone. The splendid music of these masters is twisted and filtered by the sensibility of the five, while retaining their unmistakable identity as always happens when dealing with great music.

Gabrielli (multi-instrumentalist on saxophone, flute, bass clarinet, keyboards) is one of Italy's most sought-after orchestral and ensemble arrangers. Founder of Calibro 35 (described by Rolling Stone as the most fascinating, retro-maniac and genuine thing that happened to Italy in recent years), he has collaborated with PJ Harvey, Mike Patton, John Parish, Muse, Vinicio Capossela, and many others. Calibro 35's music has been sampled by Dr. Dre on Compton and Jay-Z on Picasso Baby.

Junkfood's members bring equally impressive credentials across Italy's alternative scene. Together, the quintet succeeds in the difficult task of standing tall against comparison with these legendary models while simultaneously developing their own poetic and independent sound. In the Umiliani chapter, they tackle the maestro's elegant compositions with both reverence and radical reinterpretation, capturing the essence of his cinematic sophistication while pushing into new territories.

The Trovajoli section sees the quintet reinterpret three episodes from the immense corpus of the maestro who passed away in 2013. They approach the material iconoclastically, updating the atmospheres and handling it in a radical and personal manner, but never betraying the subtle red line of his typical lyricism. The celebrated themes assume new vestments between experimental rock, electronics, avant landscapes, and noise accesses, bending to the expressive needs of the band in a bold but rigorous rereading. The presence of Edda Dell'Orso (internationally renowned soprano made famous by Morricone, Umiliani, Piccioni, Cipriani and others) lending her voice to C'eravamo tanto amati adds an essential link to the original tradition.

Finally, Junkfood and Gabrielli confront the music of Ennio Morricone, perhaps the most celebrated film music composer of all time. Here the challenge reaches its apex: how to reinterpret a composer whose work has defined the very DNA of Italian cinema music?

What strikes most throughout Italian Masters is the incredible consistency despite the different authorship of the compositions and the wide range of situations and solutions the musicians bring into play. The result is a sound that transcends both the originals and the individual projects of the performers. Recorded and mixed by Bruno Germano at Vacuum Studio in Bologna, and mastered by Carl Saff at Saff Mastering in Chicago, Italian Masters is a real gem for film music fanatics and newcomers alike, called to these shores by the sirens of Gabrielli and Junkfood.

Limited to 300 copies on clear red vinyl with black splatter.