As Derek Jarman said: “Blue transcends the solemn geography of human limits [...] Blue is darkness made visible.”


With this in mind, L’Ora Blu arises as that moment of the day when everything merges and becomes a blurred outline, like the ebb of the sea.

L ‘Ora Blu comes from Ortigia Sound System’s purpose to give voice to a new Mediterranean, without a trace of nostalgia and strongly committed to Contemporaneity. The festival encouraged the encounter of three Italian artists who had known and followed each other for some time, but had never played together: the saxophonist Gianni Gebbia (Lee Ranaldo, Fred Frith) and the producers Giampaolo Scapigliati (Red Bull Music Academy, Hivern Discs) and Donato Di Trapani (Paolo Nutini, Indigo Studios).

To recall the enigmatic nature of the Mediterranean, the location chosen for the residency couldn’t be but a mysterious, magical, semi-abandoned venue. Somewhere so distant, yet so close to everyone’s reality. A stone's throw from the crystalline sea of the island of Ortigia: the small church of Jesus and Mary.

The right place for a flow of sound that does not die out but evolves, that springs from a note or a combination of sounds...

The right place for a flow of sound that does not die out but evolves, that springs from a note or a combination of sounds and lasts for hours. Long intervals of time during which passers-by (tourists and locals) look out curiously to cool off and enjoy that odd mixture of the sacred and the profane. The church is a damp, humid place that oppresses yet provides a bit of refreshment during the hot days of July.

To let go to the flow and avoid a too cerebral approach, the musicians developed a minimal setup: a saxophone, often manipula- ted and deconstructed, an aquatic drum machine and a small selection of vintage synthesizers: an Arp Odyssey, a Siel Orchestra and a Casio MT-240.

*Their compositions focus entirely on sound, small details, hypnotic sound textures, questions and answers that arise and dissol- ve with playful glee. A large amount of musical material, hours of recordings that will later be listened to by the musicians who will accurately choose the most intense moments.
credits


Written, produced, recorded and mixed by L’Ora Blu
Donato Di Trapani: Casiotone MT-240, Siel Orchestra, fx
Gianni Gebbia: soprano saxophone, electronics
Giampaolo Scapigliati: Arp Odyssey, Akai MPC1000, fx
Mastered by Carsten Dämbkes
Cover Art by Fabrice de Nola