Record of the day: Radiodervish, “In Search of Simurgh”
Radio dervish
“In Search of Simurgh” (Cd Il Manifesto 129)
Patient weavers of musical plots in limine between the East and the rest of the world, Radiodervish have built over time a notable following of enthusiasts who travel with them along paths that lead away from the usual places, even from those now worn out of world music.
The songwriting meets multiple stylistic suggestions together with voices coming from different cultures, united only by being soaked in the Mediterranean sun; even the languages merge, Arabic, English, Italian, often transforming into a single sound, a song that is refracted in the instrumental fabric.
Radiodervish were born in Bari, sons of another very interesting group, Al Darawish. Critics immediately placed them in the corner of the world, but their music is much more complex, fascinating and difficult to label. They have been linked to the path of Franco Battiato, perhaps by virtue of the long melodic phrases in unison intertwined by the strings that often appear in these songs, yet it is not to Battiato pop that their music could possibly be linked as much as
to the experimenter of “Egypt before the sands”, author of incantatory and iterative scores in constant dialogue with silence.
An extreme discretion (one could almost speak of modesty) characterizes the music of this album; the arrangements distribute light touches of color using vast chromatic possibilities with skill and taste.
A flute line, some percussion in the background (rhythms played by authentic instruments are often superimposed on others programmed electronically, but the timbral fusion makes them indistinguishable), different types of acoustic guitars, the very delicate keyboards entrusted to Michele Lobaccaro (harmonium , diatonic organ, accordion, piano) and harmonic frames of strings envelop the beautiful voice of singer Nabil Salameh, expressive and always full of intensity.
In a recording world too often devoted to perpetual shouting, Radiodervish prefer to come forward by focusing on the profiles of the shading, on the chiaroscuro, through the scribe’s attention to detail. Saro Cosentino’s excellent production favors luminous textures that reveal the melodic potential of the songs and their immediacy even more than in previous albums.
Carlo Boccadoro, composer and conductor, was born in Macerata in 1963. He lives and works in Milan. He collaborates with soloists and orchestras in different parts of the world. He is the author of numerous books on musical topics.
This text is taken from “Lunario della musica: A record for every day of the year” published by Einaudi, courtesy of the author and the publisher.
