Review: Lorenzo Morresi e Le Isole - Pop Flop (Space Echo Records)

Following the acclaimed 'Cosmica Italiana', Lorenzo Morresi returns with the new project Lorenzo Morresi e Le Isole; musician/producer Luciano Cantone being 'Le Isole'.

The two of them found their love of golden age of Italian library music with blending contemporary styles and sounds. 

There's a couple of other collaborations on 'Pop Flop', the title track features 22a label boss Tenderlonious on flute and it sets the tone as it sits in between disco, jazz funk and library, all the electronic sound were made with the rare Italian vintage synth called Davoli 

And there's the fourth element to this album as in part, it has been produced at ‘Museo Del Synth Marchigiano & Italiano’ which is home to an incredible collection of rare Italian vintage synthesizers located in Le Marche region (where Lorenzo was born).

These synth are so old, rock mamoths like Led Zep, ELP and The Doors used these models and more recently(!), Jean-Michel Jarre.  

All the 10 tracks are like a diggers find / love letter to the Piero Umiliani's of this world with beats/breaks and twangy guitars of 60/70s OST with 80s synth pop and all things library.

There's some killer tunes like the funky 'Odeon' (also featuring Tenderlonious), 'Rio De Janeiro Filter' and 'Beta Erotica' are very Penthouse magazine/BBC2 TV theme from the early 70s and wasn't 'Allegro Funerario' a car by Austin?

It's all beautifully produced and if you like a vintage synth, this is even better as you know these are real analog knobs that are being twiddled and not some computer software; J-M Jarre nerds check out 'Track ID'! 

 

Artist: Lorenzo Morresi e Le Isole 

Title: Pop Flop

Release date: 24th March, 2023

Label : Space Echo Records

Catalog Number  LP / CD / Digital / Bandcamp

Produced by Lorenzo Morresi
all tracks written by Lorenzo Morresi and Luciano Cantone

Lorenzo Morresi: Guitars, Bass, Crumar Composer, Davoli Synth, Elgam ES-200, Farfisa Polychrome, Roland Juno-60, Synket by Paolo Ketoff.
Luciano Cantone: Drums and Percussion
Archelao Macrillò: Drums on “Odeon”, “Allegro Funerario” and “Track ID”
Edward Cawthorne aka Tenderlonious: Flutes
Giovanni Guerretti: Electric Piano
Fabio Mina: Hulusi Flute on “Savana Urbana”
Alberto Napolioni: Electric Piano on “Savana Urbana”
Francesco Savoretti: Percussions on “Savana Urbana”
Agostino Maria Ticino: Synthesizers Supervisor at Museo Del Synth Marchigiano