Drive! by Giovanni Guidi
Solid connections, caustic sounds and meticulous post-production
on the road to Drive!
Auand (CD) and Rous (Vinyl) release the debut album of Drive! with Giovanni Guidi, Joe Rehmer, Federico Scettri, and Niccolò Tramontana’s signature on sounds
Electric and sharp, Drive! (out under Auand on CD and Rous on Vinyl) proudly reveals dirty, rough, and almost dismembered sounds. Most of all, this recording witnesses the lively exchange started several years ago among three musicians: Giovanni Guidi (Fender Rhodes, keyboards), Joe Rehmer (double bass, electric bass) and Federico Scettri (drums), joined by Niccolò Tramontana’s touch on sounds.
«This band’s main feature is a complete role equality – Guidi, now actively involved in a new adventure with Auand/Rous after his successful ECM albums, says –. No instrument prevails. If I listen to the music we’ve recorded, I can clearly hear the product of everyone’s inclinations.» «This project was born a couple years ago – Federico Scettri adds – We had met each other in several other bands, and this has allowed us to find a good chemistry. We have played very much and very often, which is quite unusual nowadays. Our approach has immediately been spontaneous – we barely talked, but we were always pleased by the final result. Plus, Tramontana’s work is very interesting.»
The inner engine of Drive!, Niccolò Tramontana has been assisting the whole process since the beginning, playing various roles, and helping to give the recording its final shape: «He was with us both in the studio and in post-production – Scettri tells – He managed to edit and mix very different sections, thus creating a steady balance between acoustic and electric, as well as synth sounds and electronics.»
Far from being just the picture of a trio, Drive! is something more complex and unusual, with a rich pre and post-production, as shown by ‘Serpentine Method’, a track that invites the listener to step in a labyrinth of percussion, keyboard lines, synth sounds and voices reflected in a mirror.
Tracklist
| 1. | High Voltage | 1:22 |
| 2. | Pyramid | 3:25 |
| 3. | Upright Spiral | 2:54 |
| 4. | Don't Be A Square | 3:23 |
| 5. | The Fire Swamp | 6:32 |
| 6. | Scorpions | 3:15 |
| 7. | Serpentine Method | 2:55 |
| 8. | Moonraker | 3:45 |
| 9. | Nocturne | 3:05 |
| 10. | Blue Dream | 3:45 |
| 11. | Wheelhouse | 3:04 |
Credits
Giovanni Guidi fender rhodes, keyboards
Joe Rehmer double bass, electric bass
Federico Scettri drums
All music by Guidi, Rehmer, Scettri (published by Jazz Engine Ed. Mus.) except #11 by G.Guidi (published by Jazz Engine Ed. Mus.)
Produced by Drive!
Executive Producer: Marco Valente
Recorded at Marchiselli, Foligno (PG) – Italy
Engineer: Niccolò Tramontana
Cover Photo: Michele Palazzo
License
All rights reserved.
Auand Records is an Italian independent label dedicated to genre-defying music, providing a home for artists who push the boundaries of improvised music.
Founded in 2001 by Marco Valente, it has quickly become a seal of warranty for the next big artists who shape the sound of the future, often introducing their music to an international audience.