Can Italy still dare on a musical level?

Some time ago with a colleague we found ourselves at the same concert. It is certainly not something extraordinary, in reality it often happens: In fact, we had the task of reviewing the live for the media for which we work. What is curious is that both of them came from listening to the latest album of Mac Miller, “balloonerism” (here our review), a vivid disco, outside the box, full of ideas, texts and musical curves, a disc not for everyone and for thiswhen it was designed, not understood by most of the discography. A jewel that reconciles with the very idea of ​​music. With a little despair, thinking from which magical sound we were coming and towards which stereotyped sound we were heading, entering the live on which we should have written, We asked ourselves: but in Italy the music, at high levels, still dare? I emphasize: “At high levels”. Yes, because in the underground world e In the undergrowth it is full of quality recordsalso capable of breaking the patterns and beating alternative roads.

But in the mainstream? This is not the case. A photograph of the autoral and productive static of our country is offered by the Sanremo Festival: in 66.6% Of the songs competing at the next edition of the Italian Song Festival, as the Sole24ore has calculated, the name of at least one of those who have renamed many media “The usual authors”, or the most famous ones. Twenty pieces out of thirty bear the signature of at least one of them. Among these are there Federica Abbate, Davide Simonetta, Davide Petrella, also mentioned by Marracash in the recent song “Power Slap” (“I remind you, child, who you would be with ‘is sberla/ without Sanremo, without the summer, without Petrella/ The patience ended”), Jacopo Ettorre and others. Nobody questioned the skill of these authors and composers, Indeed, the problem is more than the artists: many, too many, focus on the same names, just to finish in the spotlight Of the most important Italian music show, it is a fact. And this is also reflected in Songs, more and more similar to each other as if they were the Gremlins that multiply.

It is exactly one of the points he contested Marracash With his “Peace ended”, an album that has decided to make and write entirely by himself, how to counter this approval, with the support of his producers Marz and Zef. It is the claim of an identity and another way of being inside the mainstream, large numbers, the stadiums. A vision also shared by Cesare Cremoniniwho with his “Alaska Baby”, did the same: seek once again one of his, unique, recognizable style to stay in the sea of ​​the great pop. Be relevant, but in its own way. An attitude, in Italy, from white flies. Yet from abroad, despite the music of our country you look a lot about its navel, messages of reassuring smoke arrive, but which do not seem to be interpreted. Let’s take Kendrick Lamar’s “Gnx” and “Debí Tirar Más Photos” by Bad Bunny. The first is a rap album that starts from the streets and names of Los Angeles, from the West Coast, in which the compon rapper works and rands on with some emerging stars of the local scene.

A album “For and of the people”, the same identical approach put in place by the international star of the world Latinwhich has left from its roots, a Puerto Ricocombining different generations of musicians and shaping a new sound, stuck between past, present and future. Two projects that dare, who take directions different from the usual mega productions and the usual names. But above all two authentic projectsin which you can breathe the visions and creative ideas of the two artists. Not even to say, these declarations of freedom are among the most listened records of these months. Will the reason not reside in their originality? Even Justin Bieber, to look for new lifeblood, was caught in the studio with Mk.Gee, demonstrating how, even in the high peaks of international pop, there is hunger and desire to get out of certain banks. Will Italy, as has already done on other occasions in its musical history, be able to get out of the bubble?