Gabry Ponte
Gabry Ponte

It is difficult to express in words the strong, wrenching emotions that only absolute perfection can reach (here in the musical realm). I'm talking about the emotions I feel when listening to this CD: "GABRY PONTE", the first solo album by the namesake DJ from Turin.

Thanks to his experience in the dance music sector, Gabry Ponte has literally captured the hearts of all lovers of this musical style (particularly the electronic genre, but not only). In fact, the unmistakable characteristics of each track on this CD reveal a diligent search for balance in musical components, a continuous harmony of sound, a constant dance music element, an unwavering affirmation of the perfection of electronic sounds - present here continuously.
With sweetness. And, at times, with "hard" traits, but necessary ones. These parameters, along with countless others, make up the body of the CD, its objective being. Then there is the subjective being, ultimately the most important. For each of us, listening to a track, a chord, a note revokes specific images, certain colors, precise situations - different from those of all other individuals - linked to one's personal experience. This CD has taught me to fly with my imagination, much more than I usually do. It was simple: I just had to put on headphones, close the windows, lie on the bed, relax by closing my eyes, press the button and... let myself go.

I begin the journey... a long mental journey that takes me to new places, introduces me to unknown realities... makes me fly. Before continuing to express my opinion about the new album of Italy's most famous DJ, I will give you some biographical information about this character. So, Gabriele Ponte was born in Turin on April 20, 1973. At 17, he started working as a DJ in the discos of his city, achieving his first successes. After a few years, he became, first DJ resident, then artistic director and finally owner of one of the most well-known clubs of the Adriatic Riviera, the AQUA in Lignano Sabbiadoro. In 1993, already established as a DJ, he began his recording experience landing in the studios of the newly founded Blisscorporation in Turin. Here he immediately began collaborating on the "DaBlitz" project of which he became the official arranger and remixer and with the BlissTeam, but it was in 1998 that his career reached a turning point. In fact, it was in 1998 - after working on numerous other projects and remixes of moderate success - that he joined Maurizio Lobina and Jeffrey Jey to form Eiffel 65. Gabry's entire career is influenced by his collaboration with Eiffel 65, but we will see that Gabry Ponte also shows himself as a talented artist in the production of singles and albums he independently creates. The first single of Eiffel 65, "Blue (da ba dee)," catapulted them to the top of the charts worldwide for several weeks, selling over fifteen million single CDs within a few months. In 1999, the follow-up "Move Your Body" replicated the success of Blue, and in 2000 the band began a tour with 500 concerts over a year that would take them from Europe to America, where their first album "EUROPOP" earned triple platinum for over three million copies sold. They received prestigious awards, including a Grammy Award nomination in the "Best Dance Artist" category and an award at the World Music Awards in Monte Carlo as the best Italian group in the world. In 2002 the trio confirmed their success also in Italy, moving away from the dance scene to participate in the Sanremo Festival with the song "Quelli che non hanno età", an undisputed summer hit that opened the doors to the new album "EIFFEL 65". Meanwhile, Gabry reconnected with clubs, releasing his first solo album "GABRY PONTE" (the album I will discuss subsequently). His first singles "Time To Rock" and "Geordie" reached the top of the charts and within a year would make him one of Italy's most popular DJs. Gabry began working at Radio Deejay. In 2003, his "Danza Delle Streghe" was once again number one in all Italian club charts. In the same year, Gabry collaborated on the "Haiduchii" project, producing the remix that would bring the O-Zone song "Dragostea Din Tei" to the number one spot on sales charts across Europe. In early 2004, "DOTTOR JEKYLL & MISTER DJ", Gabry's second album, was released, from which "Figli Di Pitagora", sung by Little Tony, a famous international rockstar of the 60s, would be extracted as a single. October 2004. Yeman was born, a new dance-pop project created by Gabry in collaboration with T. Castigliani, P. Esposito, and L. Ventafridda. Their "Sin Pararse" is predicted to be the new hit for summer 2005! This new single is a pleasant song, sung by an 8-year-old Spanish boy in Papa Winnie's reggae style. The unmistakable sound of Gabry Ponte completes the work. Here is a piece of this song's lyrics:

"You simply have to sing a song, any happy song, and your troubles turn into a smile. There is no need to live living in this way in a bad mood, day by day. Happiness is something you can get easily, things are the way you just want them to be", etc. etc.

I'm sorry for those who aren't very familiar with English and Spanish, because after the English lyrics, the song continues in Spanish (sung part by the child). I would say it could be a good opportunity to practice studying these two languages. The song is nice; all in all, all of Gabry Ponte's songs are nice and also very wise, but also those of Eiffel 65. Let's go back to Gabry. He (considered a son of Depeche Mode) and Giorgio Prezioso (another Italian DJ - from Rome - also internationally renowned) host at Radio Deejay the dance music program "Alla discoteca", on air every Saturday night. It's precisely from this program that Gabry takes inspiration for creating his new compilation "DJ SET", released in April 2005.

A dance compilation, naturally, containing 24 tracks by different authors. Some of them are songs already broadcast (but in full form) on his radio program, while others are absolute novelties. It should be remembered that the compilation includes the same "Sin Pararse", as the cherry on top, to crown the success of such a great dance artist of truly colossal proportions, more than one imagines. But it is not the "DJ SET" compilation that I have to express my opinion on, nor even his very interesting "DOTTOR JEKYLL & MISTER DJ" (who knows, maybe one day... I will get the chance to do so). Instead, I must express my opinion (apologies for doing it only now) on the first solo album of our Gabry Ponte, aptly titled "GABRY PONTE". The album by the namesake DJ from Turin was released on October 31, 2002. It contains the first three singles ("Got To Get", "Time To Rock", and "Geordie") and ten new songs. As I have already mentioned, the CD in question is very complex to understand, very intricate, diverse, and incredibly... perfect in the musical, sound characteristics that define it.

Let's analyze the album, or rather its content, more closely. First of all, the tracks that constitute it are 13 (of which, as I have already anticipated, three are singles and 10 are new songs). They are, in order: 1) The Man In The Moon 2) Geordie 3) Got To Get 4) Sharm Café 5) Time To Rock 6) Always On My Mind 7) Waterfall 8) De Musica Tonante 9) My Butterfly 10) Le Voyage 11) Memories 12) Midnight 13) Terra Libera
All of Gabry Ponte's compositions deserve further exploration; each has its own story, a well-determined origin to be sought in the particular situations that drove the DJ to their patient, meticulous, and detailed creation. Each track should be studied for months, should be fully understood (though no one would make it, except the author himself of the tracks), but in doing so, we would miss the pleasure and truly unique emotions experienced every time we listen to the tracks from this album. In fact, each single composition should be listened to as few times as possible, that is, three to four times maximum, or rather, for the time sufficient to memorize even partially a more or less extensive fragment of a track. The ideal listening should take place with eyes closed, completely in the dark. By doing so, our imagination is placed in the best conditions to wander in the infinite mental universe that makes us travel everywhere, visiting places we were never aware of but that our fantasy has - unbeknownst to us - already visited countless times. When we find ourselves facing any situation, even the most trivial, Gabry Ponte's songs will be the only thing that comes to mind. They will be penetrating, continuous, captivating, persistent, relentless and, at the same time, sweet, deep, necessary.

For reasons of... patience from the readers (apologies again), I will limit myself to illustrating in more detail the first three singles present in the album "GABRY PONTE". The first single is found, in ascending order in the music track list, at position no. 2; it is "Geordie". "Geordie" is the cover of a piece by Fabrizio De André contained in the album "Nuvole Barocche" from 1969. The roots of the track, however, sink into history, as it is a ballad belonging to the Gaelic folk tradition and performed, among others, by Joan Baez just a few years before the adaptation in Italic prose (for metric reasons, the deer from 16 became 6) carried out by the late Genoese musician. The choice to engage in the remake of a '70s symphonic rock classic rewarded the DJ from Turin, as it proved to be successful. The verses are recited alternately by a warm and incisive male voice and a light and ethereal female vocal, also engaged in the celestial accompanying choirs. The sounds are typical of the Italian-dance-style, creating a very well-calibrated arrangement in their entirety, creating an atmosphere somewhat medieval somewhat fairy-tale-like that serves as an ideal backdrop to the entire composition. Ascending, we find "Got To Get", Gabry's second single, here placed as track no. 3. It is an irreproducible success. The track is constantly accompanied by an insistent break a cappella + clapping with rhythm that becomes ternary at the entrance to mid-tarantella. In "Got To Get", singer Stefania Piovesan reprises both the rap of Leila K in the namesake track (by Rob'n'Raz) and the vocalist of 2Static in "Feel that beat". The solo DJ single "Got To Get" was released in October 2001, after the over-a-year-long world tour along with Eiffel 65. The single reached the top spot on the dance singles sales charts (Musica & Dischi) and the top positions of all the dance charts of Italian radios: #1 in Deejay Parade (Radio Deejay), Los 40 (Radio Italia Network), Discoparade (Discoradio), Heavy Rotation (Tam Tam Network), Top 50 (Musica & Dischi). It is at this point that Universal Music takes an interest in the artist and signs a record deal for the Italian territory. Just two months later, the DJ from Turin releases the new single (the third) "Time To Rock", here inserted as track no. 5. "Time To Rock" surpasses the success of the previous single remaining for several weeks at number one on all dance charts (airplay and sales), becoming the most requested dance hit in clubs. The track "Time To Rock" opens with an 80s electro beat on which comes the aggressive cadence of Stefania Piovesan (the same who already sang in "Geordie") to decline the easy rhymes of the song, first in "telephone" voice, then full-throated. Meanwhile, the rhythm is declined on the classic box (137 bpm) & bass on upbeat, ideal to host some well-placed Brooklyn Bounce inserts. Currently, Gabry Ponte broadcasts his mixed sequences on the nighttime music program "Discoball", the first space dedicated to dancing, on air every Saturday night (or Sunday morning) from midnight to four at Radio Deejay with all the DJs of the same radio. Gabry Ponte will personally mix from 02:00 to 03:00. Additionally, Gabry Ponte is on air every week from Monday to Friday, from 16:00 to 18:00 on "Play DJ", on the frequencies of Radio Deejay. There would be much more to say about the "GABRY PONTE" album. As I wrote at the beginning of my opinion, there are things that... are better said by music, because often words are not needed... if you have Gabry Ponte's album nearby.

A DJ, an artist, a producer, a natural talent who here fully highlights his great musical, intellectual, artistic abilities. Beyond his compositions, Gabry Ponte is a man who knows how to stay within the field of (despite his songs seem divine creations), because he is a well-mannered guy, who knows how to communicate with people, who likes fun (healthy fun), who often gets shy as, by now, only a few know how to do. No dance music producer has managed to give me so much.
Gabry did it. Just him.