Alfio Antico, the undisputed master of the tammorra and frame drum, has radically transformed the use of these instruments, enriching them with unprecedented timbres and a unique phrasing that amplifies their expressive power. Alongside him, Giulio Fonseca, alias Go Dugong, a producer born in Puglia and based in Milan, is known for his ability to reinterpret folk music through an aesthetic that blends electronics and psychedelia, presenting it from a new sonic perspective. The album takes shape from the studio encounter between the two artists, a musical dialogue built on improvisation and the desire to explore the rhythmic potential of their visions. Leading the technical process was Tommaso Colliva (Calibro 35), who skillfully enhanced the primordial resonance of the drum while balancing the interplay of electronic layers in the final mix and mastering.
During the production, Giulio Fonseca found inspiration in an independent fanzine created by Ciro Fanelli and Nicola Fucili. The title, “La Macchia” (The Stain), encapsulates a powerful image, evoked by Fanelli’s words: “There is the stain that is guilt, dishonor, and shame. Then there is the stain that soils a new dress. We are not interested in either. Here, we talk about the stain that is life, entanglement, earth, scent, death, and rebirth.” This reflection is perfectly mirrored in the album’s music. Alfio Antico’s drum becomes the voice of the earth, of primordial rhythm, of memory. Go Dugong’s electronic overdubs, far from being mere contamination, act as material layering: they neither cover nor distort but rather enhance and reveal new depths. It is a “sonic stain” that does not erase but imprints, amplifying the ancestral and ritualistic essence of the music.
The result is not just a remix of tradition but a work where the archaic heartbeat of the drum merges with contemporary experimentation in a synthesis as powerful as it is visceral. “La Macchia” is the meeting point between past and future, an album that does not merely reinterpret folk music but expands and rewrites it, preserving its soul while pushing it toward uncharted territories.
