Sillyboy 
V.A. : What's Your Function ? -a tribute to Franco Battiato- (I,2005)***°
Franco Battiato’s first three/four albums showed a very adventurous, unique and beautiful style which was a mixture of sound collage, new electronic and acoustic music with some song or vocal orientation. Frank Zappa was one of the first to recognise his talent but also Steven Stapelton listed him in his famous Nurse With Wound list of collectable influences, also for his own experimental music. This particular tribute compilation is done with some of the musical artists who collect music themselves, and who are most possibly aware of this NWW list and approach and also of the possible challenging foundation of what Franco Battiato’s music can be as an example and landmark for new ideas and creation of new music nowadays.
Volcano The Bear is one of these bands who developed a great vision of their own of a perfect blend between the acoustic, sound experimentation and structure. They interpreted beautifully "Da Oriente A Occidente", a track which originally started slightly Third Ear Band like, but which then evolved to beautiful electronica. Volcano The Bear are themselves a unique band and so is their version. They only take the first part of the original track, which makes a perfect introduction for the compilation. Later on the album a small part of the second part will become the perfect outro for this cd.
Kinski after that interprets a beautiful calmly evolving track called “Propiedad Prohibidad” with ambient guitars and layers of electronica with flutes.
Hrvatski seems to play almost literally the splendid Battiato track “Plancton” (acoustic guitar, analogue synthesizers, with some different singing added). In the variation in the second half one can hear this still must have been a pleasure to make.
Cul De Sac interprets “Fenomenologia / Energia”, a varied collage-of-ideas track from Battiato, a bit more fragmented than it could be. Their own independent and post-rocklike style is perhaps just slightly uneasy in the mix for the group with the Battiato related electronica part.
The adventurous Italian chamber avant-rock styled group Zu solves this contrast brilliantly. With their talent for changing breaks they succeed in keeping all the subtle energy intact and the electronic part of “Beta”, thanks to a communication with turntablist/sound producer Okapi.
The different interpretation with jazzrock elements is gently laid over the electronic parts, with see through collages, making a nice cooperative energy track. Jennifer Gentle is another Italian group and this is in fact the group behind the Sillyboy label. They also started the idea of this project. Their track is more psychedelic, with some rhythmic repetition. It’s mixed in, at the right spot on the compilation. It has some idea inspired from Battiato, but it also is the first track to appear which actually comes from a different spirit, even when it still fits the compilation well.
English band Land Of Nod after that interprets with a nice large electronic intro, the track “Aries” played with guitars, percussion and electronica.
Finnish stonepsych band Circle interprets somewhat chaotically “No u turn” with the freely nonsense guitar and background electronica. It is not really moody enough to convince completely, but it isn’t too disturbing in the compilation either. One must also realize that the creative process of Circle is completely different; they don’t really work like Battiato with natural inner structure of changes, but are a very improvisational group who come to ideas because of the overlapping layers. With some minimal approach, one can see there's something more than occasionally is missing.
Los Natas starts with reverb voice and electric guitars, and interprets “Propiedad Prohibida” into a great long track, more partly jammed, partly in an improvised psychedelic music territory, and with vocals added somewhere.
Oneida interprets also differently from Battiato, but as a kind of variation, some nice guitar, with noise electronica and analogue electronica.
Acid Mother’s Temple are known to have interpreted many collector’s items that they liked. Their interpretation (?) here is like, as more often is the case, more like a free ride inspiration for a psychedelic far-out jam. Not sure how much that is Battiato related, but it’s a great and very rhythmic jam.
Volcano The Bear’s slight return version of “Da Oriente” with semi-temple like sounds makes a perfect ending for a great, and recommended compilation, with lots of brilliant stuff made with respect for Battiato’s music and some other examples which still fit in well.
The album is well mixed, and it is mastered by the master himself : Franco Battiato.
Contributors : Volcano The Bear : "Da Oriente A Occidente", Kinski : "Propiedad prohibida", Hrvatski : "Plancton" (or here), Cul De Sac : "Fenomenologia / Energia", Zu vs Okapi : "Beta", Jennifer Gentle : "Meccanica", Land Of Nod : "Aries", Circle : "No u turn", Los Natas : "Sequenze e frequenze", Oneida : "Propiedad prohibida", Acid Mothers Temple + Ruins : "Fenomenologia", Volcano The Bear - "Da Oriente a Occidente" (Slight return)
Homepages of involved groups :
(see review of some release of them at next page)
(see review of one release of them at next page)
