Oronzo De Filippi
Meccanizzazione

More than a review, an impartial recommendation.

There are certain albums that, due to their value, whether extrinsic or intrinsic, forcefully enter the Olympus of music: others, without pretense, that diligently line up in the gray and anonymous row of the golden mean, just to punch a washed-out ticket of mere belonging; and still others must endure long periods of obscurity and several centimeters of dust on their cases before being rescued from their forced slumber and finally achieving justice. Among the latter, there are those who lack the strength and the necessary characteristics to survive the diacronic ferocity that scratches and buries everything, and quite soon they disappear in silence without leaving a trace.

A quick search on Google will quickly reveal that my discovery of "Meccanizzazione" by Oronzo De Filippi was entirely fortuitous: after all, how could one be aware of a work devoid of recognition in the Boot, whose artist is almost unknown to the webmatic lexicon, hastily mentioned only by a couple of English-speaking bloggers, whose exact year of publication is not even known (it can be placed, in any case, in the Sixties), and distributed at the time by a small label already then cult, now disappeared? The information on the material in question is so vague and imprecise that it is impossible, at least from a historical perspective, to draft a portrait, even a sparse one, that is at least faithful. The only more or less certain source is the fact that we are facing a small soundtrack, evidently of very modest importance, adapted in its time for a documentary on the causes, effects, and consequences of the economic miracle in Italy between the 1950s and the first half of the 1960s - and, it is presumed, still raging at the time of the cinematic examination-.

The dating, the titles of the various themes (ranging from "Industrial Architecture", to "Refinery", to "Metallurgical Industry") and the soundtrack's destination would suggest one of those early embryonic experiments industrial-noise, inaugurated at the beginning of the century by futurist Luigi Russolo, totally noise-based, which would then influence over the decades, the thought and activity of a plethora of groups among the most disparate. Yet, there is great surprise in finding oneself before music that is indeed innovative, indeed revolutionary, but in a way diametrically opposed to what was initially conjectured. Relaxing atmospheres, short segments (the album totals 26 minutes) halfway between dodecaphonic jazz, bossa nova, and that primordial lounge aesthetic so popular later on. The ideology of the after-hour finds its fulfillment here at least thirty years in advance. Entirely instrumental, "Meccanizzazione" lives on a sober yet refined elegance: given the intractability of the musicians at work, the slight chamber-like twirls of "Industrial Architecture" (in which the needle reading the vinyl grooves can be vividly heard, as in the original) are still commendable, the dissonant pressing, as a piano background, in "Metallurgical Industry", the South American zephyrs in the intense "Refinery", the profound organ fills of "Industrial Chemistry".

The simplicity is, in any case, the strong point of the album: drums, jazz-inspired drums and marimba, almost inaudible in the final result (except for the bold and lively "Dynamics", offered here in two versions), join simple piano and synthesizer accompaniments, schematic and, at times, almost advertising. The effect is probably intentional, considering the strong propaganda drive enjoyed by our country's entire production chain in those years. "Thermomechanics", the writer's favorite, ticks for almost three minutes, revolving around a splendid keyboard breath, and is a perfect symbol of the entire work's nature. Many soft colors radiate neatly from the piece's textures, somewhat like the distinguished artwork.

Enjoy your listening.