Thursday 25 June 2015

NEGRA BRANCA in concert the 7th of Mai 2015 Macao Milano

Negra Branca
7/05/2015
 Macao Milano
Marlene Ribeiro:Bass, electronics
Chris Haslam: Voice,electronics
Paddy Shine: Saxophone,electronics




Thursday 4 June 2015

Interview with DAVIDE DOMENICHINI (AL DOUM & THE FARYDS)






Just to start what about your name ?

Our name is just a joke with words concerning my nickname and the one of Filippo we tried to reproduce  the name of some groups of the sixties using an Arab key. As I said it’s a joke and we had much fun doing it.

Which are the musical experiences of group’s members and when did you start to play together?

We were three when we started to play in 2010 soon after we begun to grow in number and now we are seven with a quite open line-up. Most of the members of the group , including myself come from a punk/hard core scene. I have to say that I learned a lot from that kind of musical experience.

What’s your personal meaning of making music?

Everyone in group has probably different ones. I feel it like a pleasure and a way to be in connection  with other people in a deeper mood, but also a reason to live linking experiences together.




Who are your musical and non-musical heroes?

Sun Ra, Fela Kuti, Hendrix and thousands more. Sincerely  I don’t know about the non-musical ones…..

You consider your music style  psychedelic and ethnic but someone also  evocated  krautrock and  free-jazz do you agree with it?

Yes in a way  I am close to all these musical genres, but considering our cosmic researches , as a group ,we feel very close to krautrock.

You were associated with groups like  Squadra Omega, La Piramide di Sangue or to some of the expressions of Jooklo, do you feel like being part of a re-birth of Italian oblique music? Are there any other groups you feel related to ?

We all know each other since long, we know very well Jooklo that I consider one of the best groups around. In Zaire in another group ,you didn’t mention, doing fantastic live music….





Do you consider yourself as heirs of ethnical groups of the 70ies/80ties like Aktuala, N.A.D.M.A., Futuro Antico or Zeit?

Considering the musical sphere I can’t say anything about it,  I have such a consideration for these groups that I always feel  like having the opportunity to learn a lot from their music. Recently I came in contact  with some members of these groups and I feel  very near to their musical approach and to their mental freedom.

Does the existence of  Black Sweat  label depend  on the production of  Al Doum records or does it have its independent life ?

I always self-produced the records of my groups , so also the first record of Al Doum & the Faryds was self-produced, from that point I found that pressing new records was fun and I started to produce records of other musicians following my personal tastes. I mainly re-printed records from the past like the first one of eden ahbez, that has always been one of my all time preferred records.

Do you think that the sound of Al Doum & the Faryds has changed from your first album of 2011?

Yes I think that it definitively changed and I think it will keep on changing in the future, I think I will continue to play only what I like………………..





How do you compose your music?

We mostly start from a jam or an idea and all the rest comes automatically, I have to say that at present our music has become more organized, in a way it has a jazz structure with a mainstream theme and its solos.

Which one of your works you find more satisfying?

Most people  prefer  “Positive Force” , but personally I often listen to “ Cosmic Love”.







The covers of your records are very nice and well finished. Is this a strategy to intrigue the listener or simply an artistic expression?

I am very fond of cover graphics , and I think they are very important in order to complete the artistic expression adding visual contents to the musical ones.  We are not influential strategists…

Your live concerts are quite frequent ( I counted 25 of them in 2014) does it depend on your contacts or do you have an external  support ?

No we don’t have someone supporting us ,we do all ourselves through a net of friends who are also playing and with whom we exchange contacts. We like very much playing and so we try to do it the more we can, I would like to play a lot more, mainly abroad….

Sometimes during your exhibitions you wear Middle-eastern costumes does this mean you feel like forerunners of an electric sound that didn’t yet come out from those lands?

No concepts beyond our aesthetics, we simply use rhythms and musical scales coming from other cultures  in our music.






How much improvisation can be found in your concerts?

It depends , sometimes we play totally improvising, sometimes we play something remembering a structured pieces. Every time we decide following different reasons …..

Which is the country that acclaimed more your live shows?

I don’t know exactly, I ‘m not sure the success of a concert depends on geographical situations . I think the most important thing is the spirit of people taking part to the event.

Would you like to play in some Middle-eastern  or African country?

Of course it would be nice and stimulating.

Talking of this did you ever play with Middle-eastern or African musicians?

No we didn’t.




Blacksweat produced a live LP of  Embryo ,which is your relationship with them and what do you like of their way of being musicians?

I also organized one of their concerts sometimes ago and I often relate with Christian Burchard. I have to say their spirit is truly incredible they always play with the same passion of an adolescent. You can feel that they are only interested in music.

Normally at this point interviews end with questions about future projects, instead I ask you about what you wanted to realize and  you weren’t able to.

I would like to live all together , but probably this is an utopia.





some videos: