Lino Capra Vaccina: Antico Adagio Vinyl LP

Landmark minimal new age session from Milanese percussionist Lino Capra Vaccina. Antico Adagio was recorded in 1978 after Vaccina's stint in Italian experimental fusion troupe Aktuala. Apart from a few violin parts and the extraordinary vocal lines (sung by Vaccina himself and Juri Camisasca), Antico Adagio is a percussion record through and through, but a world away from traditional "percussion records," squeezing sublime soundscapes out of vibraphone, marimba and gong. Here's an excerpt from Kieren Hebden AKA Four Tet's liner notes: "There are records I have found in my life that I was almost wishing existed before hearing them. Recordings with new combinations of sound and atmosphere I knew could be wonderful to me if I ever discovered them, and then on discovery the sound was even better than I could have imagined. I felt this way when first hearing music by Alice Coltrane (Journey to Satchidananda) and Don Cherry (Organic Music Society) and I also felt it with Antico Adagio. The combinations of the rhythms and melodies resonate with me in a very clear way and I feel transported by this music every time I hear it. I first heard this record when it was posted on the Mutant Sounds blog a few years ago and am very happy to see it get another release. The music is timeless and brilliant and maybe there are other people out there wishing for a sound like this too, who will now have chance to find it."

• 2017 vinyl pressing
• includes printed insert with liner notes from Four Tet
• music label: Die Schachtel 2017

reviewed by mayor of hounslow 09/2017