FLIES 53 - Berto Pisano | LA NOVIZIA
LP/CD

Oops, Four Flies did it again! Like other rare Italian gems, Berto Pisano's La Novizia was long thought lost before the FF team rescued, restored and remastered it from the original tapes. And wow, it's just one of the best things, if not the best thing, about the 1975 film it was written for – an erotic comedy with melodramatic overtones directed by Pisano's long-time collaborator Giuliano Biagetti (they previously worked together on Interrabang and La Svergognata) and starring a young and mesmerizing Gloria Guida.

The film's low budget meant that Pisano had to make a virtue out of necessity. Rather than using a big orchestra and strings (as is well known, he was a brilliant conductor and string arranger), he relied on a smaller ensemble – almost a chamber ensemble, but with a jazz-like rhythm section – to create sensual late-night soundscapes that exude a downtempo ambience. In a nutshell: smooth, warm, velvety music. The epitome of the lounge sound.

At times, whispered, sexy vocals by (the then ubiquitous) Edda Dell'Orso float dreamily over brushed drums, bass, guitars and electric pianos. At others, we find Italian library heavyweights like Alessandro Alessandroni (whose unmistakable whistle can be heard in "Canto Notturno") and even psychedelic rock influences, as in the acid distorted guitars, furious drums and crazy synths of "Free Dimension". At yet other times, we're taken into more easy-listening territory – "Fiore Rosso", for instance, offers a wonderfully cinematic example of Mediterranean, rather than Brazilian, bossa nova (did they ever thought of using a spinet in Brazil??).

The secret to the charm of La Novizia is that it encapsulates the Italian erotic sound of the 70s in all of its nuances, from the morbid, to the prudish, to the naïve. Because yes, this is a record of nuance and musicianship. And while the themes are in themselves simple, the fantastic quality of the writing, arrangement and production is a testament to Berto Pisano's superb talent, style and professionalism.

Finally back to life after decades of obscurity, La Novizia is a thing of beauty – which, as a pretty bright fellow once said, is a joy forever. Don't miss out on joy.

Comes on vinyl, CD and Digi with original artwork by Eric Adrian Lee and exclusive liner notes by the Pisano family. All tracks are previously unreleased in any format

Berto Pisano | LA NOVIZIA

FLIES 45-39 Gianni Ferrio - RHYTHM & SEX/ STEP BY STEP
7''

Welcome to another sonic treat from the Four Flies 45s series. This 7" combines for the first time ever the two grooviest and sexiest tracks from Gianni Ferrio's score to Steno's detective comedy LA POLIZIOTTA (The Policewoman), only one of which ("Step by Step") was included in the original (and now very rare and sought-after) 7" released in 1974.

Starting the party is the blaxploitation-influenced funk-blues "Rhythm & Sex" on side A, a tune chock-full of killer drum breaks and driven by an impeccable brass ensemble (a recurring feature of Ferrio's style, due to his exquisite brass arranging skills). On side B, the supercool "Step by Step" takes funky jazz into sultry territory, with the saucy vocalizing of the Cantori Moderni di Alessandroni giving more than a nod to the film's comedy-with-crime atmosphere.

Both tracks demonstrate Ferrio's great mastery as a jazz-funk composer and arranger – a mastery that, back in the day, earned him the moniker of "the Italian Quincy Jones". Listening and DJing pleasure guaranteed!

Gianni Ferrio | LA POLIZIOTTA 7''

While still unknown to many today, Enzo Minuti (1927-2000), aka Ezy Minus, left his unique mark on the kaleidoscopic world of Italian library music. One of the most versatile, skilled and authentic figures in the Bolognese music scene of the mid- to late 20th century, Minuti was a multi-instrumentalist, composer, music producer and recording studio manager, as well as a painter, etcher and graphic artist. He devoted his life to music (especially jazz, a genre that has enjoyed a long tradition in the city of Bologna), so much so that even his visual art was inspired by music.

After extensive touring in Europe and Turkey as a jazz musician, in the late 60s Minuti opened one of the first (if not the first) recording studios in Bologna, Studio 67. This is where, throughout the 70s and 80s, he composed and recorded his own library music under the monikers Ezy Minus, Maripal and Cronomas. The fact that he was based in Bologna is in itself worthy of notice for, at the time, Italian library music was produced almost exclusively in Rome and Milan (most of his output in this genre was indeed released by Kronal, a sub-label of Fabio ‘Fabor’ Borgazzi’s Rome-based Minstrel, and by Music Scene, a joint imprint of Minstrel and Milan’s Jump Edizioni Musicali). 

This collection brings together music composed by Minuti between the ‘70s and the early ‘80s. Within this timeframe, his first library compositions can be described as cheerful pop-jazz pieces veering towards either easy listening – with vocal harmonies, jazzy vocalizations, and rhythmic elements from bossa nova, samba and swing – or a more psychedelic style, with the use of chromatism and an experimental rock feel here and there. Later on he also experimented with genres such as reggae and increasingly used electronic instruments (synths, drum machines, loop stations, etc.). However, his playful, light-hearted approach to composition remained unchanged, or was even enhanced, in his later output (which, like his earlier work, features simple musical structures, terse arrangements, and delicate and linear melodies). On a technical note, it is worth mentioning that, not unlike better-known maestros like Piero Umiliani and Giuliano Sorgini, Minuti often used the technique of overdubbing and played most instruments on his tracks (flute, saxophone, organ, piano, percussion), sometimes even singing some of the vocals. 

What is perhaps most striking about Minuti’s library music is its great imaginative power, the ease and naturalness with which it evokes images and scenarios in the listener’s mind. This ‘visual quality’ has much to do with his activity as a figurative and abstract artist. Having inherited a passion for art from his grandfather and his father (a professional and an amateur painter, respectively), he taught himself to draw, paint, etch, and exhibited his works in Italy and abroad. Most importantly, he also drew the covers of many of his albums. Almost surrealist in style, these covers are a sort of dreamscapes featuring symbolic objects, shapes and figures. They go hand in hand with his evocative, dream-like music, which offers us an immediate, synthetic representation of an emotion, a situation, or a landscape, and fires up our imagination with visions at once so simple and clear that they remain impressed in our memory.    

Music and art were inextricably connected in Minuti’s life. Whatever he saw, heard or laid his hands upon, he had to turn it into song or art.  The title of this collection is a reference to that, and also a way to pay homage to the many-sided personality of an unsung maestro.

Ezy Minus | Music On Canvas

Italian groove at its finest.

In the early '70s, after relocating from his native Genoa to Rome, young saxophonist Gianni Oddi was beginning to establish himself as a super-cool arranger thanks to a series of cover albums recorded for RCA Italy. They contained funk, soul and easy-listening versions of contemporary pop hits, but Oddi often managed to include one or two original compositions of his own – like the ones contained in this new instalment of Four Flies's 12-inch vinyl series for DJs.

The luscious funk of Dreamin', on side A, shows Oddi as an Italian master of groove. Warm, sexy and nocturnal, the song combines breaky drums with tantalizing vocals (provided by Baba Yaga's Isabella Sodani), adding a romantic, dreamy vibe in the special with strings and piano (the latter played by Oddi himself) that are at once reminiscent of soulful black music and influenced by the melodic tradition of Italy.

Geronimo, on side B, is almost a tribute to Manu Dibango – a favourite of Oddi's at the time. Here, Oddi's signature groove, at once refined and infectious, is driven by Mario Scotti's pulsating bass, Silvano Chimenti's wah-wah guitar, Oddi's own persuasive sax and, in particular, sound engineer (and former drummer) Enzo Martella's 'moose call' sound (made by sliding a thumb across the top of a conga). In a nutshell: Africa reimagined in Via Tiburtina (the street in Rome where RCA Italy's recording studios where located).

Both tracks are perfect examples of Oddi's sound and... Style (yes, his 1974 album for RCA Italy's SP series). The same sound (and style!) characterizes masterpieces like Le Montagne della Luce (co-written with Romolo Grano), La Sbandata (the funky theme from Domenico Modugno's soundtrack, which Oddi arranged and produced) and Mondo di Notte Oggi (co-written with Gianni Dell'Orso). All of these have been released by Four Flies, which continues to celebrate this fantastic groove maker.

Gianni Oddi - Dreamin' / Geronimo

Franco Esse is the moniker of Francesco Semproni, who in the late 60s began working as a music and recording assistant in major recording studios in Rome, Italy. He started out at Dirmaphone (then located in Via Pola) under sound engineer Gianni Fornari, before following him to the Emmequattro studios in Viale Mazzini, which at the time were the headquarters of Edipan, the record label founded by composer and conductor Bruno Nicolai after parting ways with friend and fellow composer Ennio Morricone.

Semproni tried to become a singer-songwriter in the early 80s, when he recorded a number of demos with the session musicians who gravitated around the studios. None of these demos was ever released though, for reasons that are still unclear today – his thorny and stubborn personality may have been a factor, since it apparently made him reluctant to compromise with the major record labels of the time.

The unsuccessful efforts to launch his solo artist career led to a personal crisis, and Franco Esse eventually quit music to go to work as a sales assistant in a toyshop in Rome's Prati neighbourhood.

Today he seems to have vanished without a trace, but after extensive research, we managed to dig some of his demos out of an abandoned archive and miraculously bring back to life two semi-instrumental tracks he recorded in 1983.

Both of them reveal Franco Esse as a refined musician with a reserved personality, an almost minimalist approach to lyric-writing, and a strongly cinematic synth-pop style that is in line with the musical trends of the time and gives a nod to the soundtracks of Fabio Liberatori, falling somewhere in between slow-wave and new-romantic.

These two ballads would have been the perfect soundtrack to cold winter nights in the early 80s, with snowflakes floating down on ski slopes, people clad in puffy down jackets, and music pouring into headphones from walkmans kept in back jean pockets.

FRANCO ESSE | Pelle Di Luna / Peluche

It’s been already 10 years since the first DJ’s Choice parties in basements and squatted social centers in Rome. Many things have changed, but the approach remains the same: using music as a form of expression and a means to affirm one’s identity. RM stands for “Rebel Music” (i.e., music by DJ’s Choice founder The Rebel), but is also short for “Rome”, a city represented in track one by the ‘Jedi Master’ of Roman hip hop: Danno, from the pioneering underground crew Colle Der Fomento. Also performing on The Rebel’s instrumental are New York hip hop duo The Good People in track two, ''Body Rockin''', remixed by another Italian hip hop legend, Ice One. Rome and New York are two worlds, two styles, but two sides of the same coin. Our Rebel Music brings them together as if they were two stops on the same subway line.

B2 - The Rebel feat. The Good People - Body Rockin' (Ice One Hip Hop Room Remix)

B1 - The Rebel feat. The Good People - Body Rockin'

LATO A - Jessica Duncan (prod. PAd) - Do You Wanna Get Close

FLIES 52 - Piero Umiliani (alias M. Zalla) | PAESAGGI

excerpts:
A3 - Risaie
A1 - Prime nebbie
A5 - Ciliegi in fiore
B1 - Pianure d'Asia
B2 - Tanto lontano
B3 - Borgo montano
B4 - Laguna tropicale
A2 - Nel parco

Finally putting an end to a long wait for library music lovers, Four Flies Records is proud to present the first reissue of Piero Umiliani’s PAESAGGI – a record that, despite remaining for many years pretty obscure compared to other titles in the maestro’s discography, is now regarded by collectors and experts as the gold standard in Italian library music.
 
Originally released in two versions with different sleeves, the first on Liuto Records in 1971 and the second on Ciak Record in 1980, the album features tracks composed by the maestro himself (under his alias Zalla) and performed by the legendary super-group of Italian session players I Marc 4, this time with Angelo Baroncini instead of Carlo Pes on guitars (which probably explains the name being spelled with a ‘k’ instead of a ‘c’ on the album cover).
 
The Italian word PAESAGGI means “landscapes”, and that is exactly what the music in the album has been designed to evoke – a journey of moods and emotions, through exotic and pastoral scenery, with loungey sounds that caress your ears like the song of an enchanted nightingale. Mysterious yet captivating soundscapes transport you to a faraway and peaceful place, possibly somewhere in rural Asia. While listening to the record, you’ll feel as if you are sitting under a pavilion, right in the middle of a tea plantation, enjoying a freshly brewed green tea and watching the calm sunset.
 
In addition, Paesaggi is paradigmatic of Italian library music and its genre-defying nature. By using a multitude of instruments, such as flute, vibraphone, harpsichord, sitar, gong and others, it brings together a variety of arrangements, styles, and genres spanning from bossa nova to jazz, easy listening to psychedelic, Latin, exotica, and many more.
 
Under Umiliani’s brilliant direction, the pianos and keyboard instruments of Antonello Vannucchi, the guitars of Angelo Baroncini, the bass of Maurizio Majorana, and the drums of Roberto Podio dance together and – enriched by other instruments played by top session musicians like Bruno Battisti D'Amario (sitar), Franco De Gemini (harmonica), or Franco Chiari (vibraphone) – create the sound that makes Paesaggi so unique.
 
With the honour of reissuing this masterpiece so many decades since its release comes a responsibility to do full justice to one of the greatest Italian composers of the 20th century and his now celebrated legacy. Four Flies have done their best to put out a record that replicates as closely as possible the value of the original as a cultural artefact, providing Italian library connoisseurs and novices alike with an exquisite sonic, and tactile, experience.
 
Paesaggi will be available in 3 different formats:
Limited Edition Vinyl LP – 1971 album cover, thick tip-on sleeve, 700 copies only
Vinyl LP –  1980 album cover;
First ever CD version – 1980 album cover

Piero Umiliani | PAESAGGI

FLIES 45-40 Giuliano Sorgini
MAD TOWN / ULTIMA CACCIA
7''

out on Feb, 25th

Four Flies is delighted to present a super juicy treat for all 7-inch vinyl devotees: the first of its 45s series singles to feature tracks from Giuliano Sorgini’s masterpiece Zoo Folle. To ensure maximum DJing pleasure, we’ve picked two of the grooviest tracks from the original recording session, never before released in this format.

The psychedelic funk number “Mad Town”, on Side A, drags you in with its infectious drum breaks and the rapid yet hypnotic flute of Nino Rapicavoli. “Ultima Caccia”, on Side B, is sheer afro-tribal bliss, with drums by Sorgini himself and massive funky percussion by legendary session player Enzo Restuccia.

If you want an ace up your DJing sleeve, look no further.

Giuliano Sorgini | Ultima Caccia

Giuliano Sorgini | Mad Town

FLIES 45-37 Armando Trovajoli - SESSOMATTO / KINKY PEANUTS
7''

Woo-hoo! Two of the best Italian rare grooves ever are finally back on 7'' for the first time since their original French release on the format! Both are from that most iconic film soundtrack of the Italian 70s (the LP is now a holy grail for collectors), Armando Trovajoli’s score to Dino Risi’s anthology sex comedy SESSOMATTO (1973) starring Laura Antonelli and Giancarlo Giannini. 

In the title track the influence of Manu Dibango’s afro-funk hit “Soul Makossa” is filtered through, and enriched by, an exquisitely Italian approach, with a sweet ’n’ groovy funk base (the terrific mid-song drum break has been a DJ favorite for decades) over which Edda Dell’Orso seductively laughs and repeats the words ‘sesso’ and ‘matto’ again and again. The wild and fun electronic samba “Kinky Peanuts” on side B is a wonderful example of ‘strange incredible music’, with infectiously quirky Moog themes and runs.    

Pretty irresistible.

Side A | Armando Trovajoli - SESSOMATTO

Southern Traffic

Tropical Dream

Opening

Afro Vocal

Situazione

Dreamin'

Peluche

Pelle Di Luna

To commemorate the 10th anniversary of Augusto Martelli’s passing, Four Flies presents Genovese Bossa, a compilation of 6 tracks that bring together the Italian pop song with the South American sounds and rhythms typically found in the Genoese maestro’s discography.

In the latter half of the 1970s, when Martelli launched his label Aguamanda Records, he composed, performed and recorded several Latin-infused pieces, playfully capitalizing on the similarities between Portuguese and the Genoese dialect.

Genovese Bossa aims to rediscover and spotlight some of the composer's most whimsical, unconventional, and humorous tracks, beginning with the cheeky “Butta La Pasta, Señora”, the only song on the EP sung in Italian. The brilliant parallel between Genoese and Portuguese is immediately apparent in “Scia Cattaen, Scia Me I Fa I Taggiaen”, followed by the funkier “O Mae Ma” and the vibrant “Bom De De Bom Bom”, a fun and carefree samba. The collection also includes the previously unreleased song “Scigoa” from 1977, originally written and arranged for Genoese pop group Ricchi e Poveri, now available for the first time with Martelli’s vocals.

This compilation is a tribute to the extraordinary creativity of Augusto Martelli, a heartfelt homage to a musical genius who continues to delight and surprise us, even ten years after his passing.

Na Voxe Dixeiva

Scigoa

Bom De De Bom Bo

O Mae Ma

Scia Cattaen, Scia Me I Fa I Taggiaen

Butta La Pasta, Señora

OUT on 5th December 2016

Now again on your turntable one of the rarest and most beautiful soundtracks composed by Riz Ortolani for the crime movie directed in 1971 by Damiano Damiani, with Franco Nero, Martin Balsam and Marilù Tolo.
Extraordinary bass lines, guitar effects and amazing drum breaks for an astonishing mix of different sounds: from tense or dramatic moments to deep and explosive jazz-funk and beat grooves. 
A must-have for any SERIOUS ITALIAN SOUND DIGGER!

Riz Ortolani | CONFESSIONE DI UN COMMISSARIO DI POLIZIA AL PROCURATORE DELLA REPUBBLICA

FLIES 45-07
Piero Piccioni - DOPO DI CHE... UCCIDE IL MASCHIO E LO DIVORA / LA VOLPE DALLA CODA DI VELLUTO (Right or Wrong / Once and Again)
first time on 7’’
OUT ON 7th December

For the first time in a single 7’’ the gorgeous soul ballads that Piero Piccioni composed for the title credits of two Italian-Spanish thrillers, both magnificently sung by Shawn Robinson’s divine voice. Two pop-downtempo gems shining with the power of their melodies and the quality of their proto-hip hop arrangements that immediately carry us into the dreamlike, mellow atmosphere of the early 1970’s European thriller cinema. This music is characterised by timeless, unbounded elegance, poised between romanticism and worldliness, and the style that only some productions of Piero Piccioni used to feature.
Special Ultra-limited Edition with three different covers, each in their colour variant, with the breath-taking image of iconic star Marisa Mell standing out: 133 purple-cover copies with label + 133 blue-cover copies with label + 133 violet-cover copies with label.

Piero Piccioni - RIGHT OR WRONG

FLIES 41 – Alessandro Alessandroni SPONTANEOUS

Maybe the best Alessandroni’s album ever. A true holy-grail for any collector and worldwide music lover, which we can consider nowadays as the most sought-after record of the whole legendary RCA SP 10000 series, and as the rarest album from the king of Italian libraries. 
Jazz, mellow-funk, downtempo breaks, and incredible rock blends, make this record a refined portrait of the 70’s American way of life, viewed through the fully Italian lens of Alessandroni’s sensitivity.
The magic around Spontaneous is that this album is not only beautiful and astonishing, but is certainly on of those amazing records to which time gives new life and freshness, making it sounds unbelievably contemporary.
After five years of exhausting research, and three years later the finding of the original master tapes of the album, finally Four Flies can give a light to this obscure and fascinating mystery, rescuing it from the darkness. It’s not just another piece of Alessandroni’s legacy that is finally put back in the right place. This should be considered as the definitive act to re-estabilsh Alessandroni's leadership into the library music scene, and beyond.
Available again from July 19, coming in 180gr black vinyl, housed in a hard tip-on sleeve cover. 
Limited Edition 500 copies, don’t sleep!

excerpts:
A5 - Young America
B1 - Watergate
A3 - Pure Nature
B2 - Mitzi
A6 - Green Salad
A2 - Lucille
A1 - Sunny Coast

Alessandro Alessandroni | SPONTANEOUS

FLIES 36 ▶ Nora Orlandi A DOPPIA FACCIA 
- LP 180gr.
- Limited Edition 300 copies
Out on March 13, 2020

Four Flies Records is proud to exhume another classic soundtrack from the world of Italian giallo with Nora Orlandi’s incredible score to the 1969 Riccardo Freda film, “A Doppia Faccia” (a.k.a. “Liz & Helen”). Starring Klaus Kinksi, Margaret Lee, and Annabella Incontrera, this film is from a story by the king of the macabre, Lucio Fulci.
For the first time ever on vinyl, this mysterious and charming soundtrack, leads off with a sensuous main theme; a powerful track with great harpsichord chords progression and a melody that really stands out.
Maleficent sounds, gothic atmospheres, and alarming voices, all make this soundtrack captivating yet disturbing at the same time.
The tracklist also includes the uptempo "beat-at-cinecittà" classic "Soho", used to accompany the ever-present party scene in psychedelic swinging London. The soundtrack also contains a proto-version of the more famous "Dies Irae", from "Lo strano vizio della signora Wardh", which inspired Quentin Tarantino for "Kill Bill - Vol. 1".
Featuring exclusive liner notes by Nora OrlandI herself, and stunning artwork by Luke Insect.
Limited Edition of 300 copies only… don’t sleep!

Nora Orlandi - A DOPPIA FACCIA

FLIES 46 - Piero Umiliani | A QUIET PLACE TO KILL (PARANOIA)
10'' EP | Ltd. Ed. 400 copies

Four Flies is proud to present another sensational find buried for far too many years and very in demand by every Umiliani enthusiast worldwide. Recovered from original reels, and presented for the very first time on a refined 10’’ vinyl, here are 5 tracks from the highly sought-after recording session of “Paranoia”.
This was the second collaboration for director Umberto Lenzi and composer Piero Umiliani, and the second chapter of the sexy thriller Baker trilogy, a.k.a. abroad as “A Quiet Place to Kill”.
Once for all, we can officially forget the original film credit titles, to whom the musical score is credited to one Gregoria Garcia Segura (named just for co-production reasons), and confirm that all the tracks were composed and arranged by Piero Umiliani, who also conducted his orchestra.
A great score finally resurfaces: from action-jazz to psychedelic feel, with the special gem of the opening title song, the extraordinary “You”, sung by the delightful voice of Shirley Harmer, which is undoubtedly one of the most moving things Umiliani has ever written; an orchestral pop-jazz ballad whose every chord is filled with class and sensuality… and still gives us goosebumps.

Piero Umiliani | A QUIET PLACE TO KILL (PARANOIA)

02 - Piero Umiliani - Soundmaker Blues

01 - Piero Umiliani - Roma Amor

Four Flies is a Rome-based record label and music publisher specializing in Italian golden age soundtracks & brand new music with a cinematic feel. The label is committed to digging up underrated scores and sounds – often ones that were never circulated outside the Italian film, radio or TV industry – and to unearthing master tapes tucked away and long forgotten in attics or basements. Like archaeologists of Italian library music, the Four Flies team go to great lengths to rescue from oblivion previously unreleased or lesser-known pieces by great film composers, making them available to listeners everywhere.

Four Flies Records

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