Shipping class: 7

7 pollici

MAD TOWN / ULTIMA CACCIA

Available for the first time on 7″

Out on 25 February 2022

A1 – Mad Town
B1 – Ultima Caccia

Four Flies is delighted to present a super juicy treat for all 7-inch vinyl devotees: the first 45 single ever to feature tracks from Giuliano Sorgini’s masterpiece Zoo Folle. To ensure maximum DJing pleasure, we’ve picked two of the grooviest tracks from the original recording session, never before released in this format.

The psychedelic funk number “Mad Town”, on Side A, drags you in with its infectious drum breaks and the rapid yet hypnotic flute of Nino Rapicavoli. “Ultima Caccia”, on Side B, is sheer afro-tribal bliss, with drums by Sorgini himself and massive funky percussion by legendary session player Enzo Restuccia.

If you want an ace up your DJing sleeve, look no further.

 

PAESAGGI ★ CD VERSION

Out on February 18, 2022

TRACKLIST:
1 – Prime nebbie
2 – Nel parco
3 – Risaie
4 – Lungo il canale
5 – Ciliegi in fiore
6 – Oriente rosso
7 – Pianure d’Asia
8 – Tanto lontano
9 – Borgo montano
10 – Laguna tropicale
11 – Vecchie strade
12 – Porta d’Oriente

 


Finally putting an end to a long wait for library music lovers, Four Flies Records is proud to present the first reissue of Piero Umiliani’s Paesaggi – a record that, despite remaining for many years pretty obscure compared to other titles in the maestro’s discography, is now regarded by collectors and experts as the gold standard in Italian library music.

Originally released in two versions with different sleeves, the first on Liuto Records in 1971 and the second on Ciak Record in 1980, the album features tracks composed by the maestro himself (under his alias Zalla) and performed by the legendary super-group of Italian session players I Marc 4, this time with Angelo Baroncini instead of Carlo Pes on guitars (which probably explains the name being spelled with a ‘k’ instead of a ‘c’ on the album cover).

The Italian word paesaggi means “landscapes”, and that is exactly what the music in the album has been designed to evoke – a journey of moods and emotions, through exotic and pastoral scenery, with loungey sounds that caress your ears like the song of an enchanted nightingale. Mysterious yet captivating
soundscapes transport you to a faraway and peaceful place, possibly somewhere in rural Asia. While listening to the record, you’ll feel as if you are sitting under a pavilion, right in the middle of a tea plantation, enjoying a freshly brewed green tea and watching the calm sunset.

In addition, Paesaggi is paradigmatic of Italian library music and its genre-defying nature. By using a multitude of instruments, such as flute, vibraphone, harpsichord, sitar, gong and others, it brings together a variety of arrangements, styles, and genres spanning from bossa nova to jazz, easy listening to psychedelic, Latin, exotica, and many more.

Under Umiliani’s brilliant direction, the pianos and keyboard instruments of Antonello Vannucchi, the guitars of Angelo Baroncini, the bass of Maurizio Majorana, and the drums of Roberto Podio dance together and – enriched by other instruments played by top session musicians like Bruno Battisti D’Amario (sitar), Franco De Gemini (harmonica), or Franco Chiari (vibraphone)– create the sound that makes Paesaggi so unique.

With the honour of reissuing this masterpiece so many decades since its release comes a responsibility to do full justice to one of the greatest Italian composers of the 20th century and his now celebrated legacy. Four Flies have done their best to put out a record that replicates as closely as possible the value of the original as a cultural artefact, providing Italian library connoisseurs and novices alike with an exquisite sonic, and tactile, experience.

Paesaggi will be available in 3 different formats: Limited Edition Vinyl LP – 1971 album cover, thick tip-on sleeve, 700 copies only; Vinyl LP – !1980 album cover; First ever CD version – 1980 album cover.

SHINE ON / PROHIBITION

Previously unreleased

Out on 3 December 2021

A1 – Shine On
B1 – Prohibition

Four Flies keeps digging into the secret archives of Alessandro Alessandroni to bring hidden treasures back to light. After two successful releases – the EP Afro Discoteca and the compilation album Lost & Found -, it is now the turn of a new 7’’ single featuring two tracks with a strong soul-funk influence, sung by the Maestro’s beloved Cantori Moderni in a typically Italian harmonizing style, poised somewhere in between gospel and disco music. Both tracks are previously unreleased and were recorded in the same 1976 sessions that birthed Sangue di sbirro (Knell / Bloody Avenger), his most blaxploitation-inspired soundtrack.

“Shine On”, on Side A, is a disco-funk anthem driven by a killer rhythm section, with heavy drum breaks and bass lines enhanced by a powerful brass section, string interludes and Fender Rhodes phrasings with a distinctly jazz-funk flavour. In the same vein, “Prohibition” on Side B is a mid-tempo funk floor-filler built on a super groovy bass line on top of which are layered prominent brass and Wurlitzer passages. This is another great find that expands the known horizons of Alessandroni’s
discography. And it won’t be the last one…

NON SI DEVE PROFANARE IL SONNO DEI MORTI

Available for the first time on 7″

Out on 8 October 2021

A1 – John Dalton Street
B1 – Manchester M2 6LD

Four Flies is proud to present the first Italian 7-inch release of Non si deve profanare il sonno dei morti (also known as The Living Dead at the Manchester Morgue and Let Sleeping Corpses Lie), the soundtrack that gave Giuliano Sorgini eternal and worldwide fame as an occult composer, one who, being perfectly at ease with a certain type of Italian horror cult films, has gradually come to represent the quintessence of frightening Italian film music.

Side A features the soundtrack’s main theme, “John Dalton Street”, a psychedelic-zombie funk number with infectious drums and an exquisite orchestral interplay between lush strings, psychedelic flute and a funk-inspired rhythm section. At once modern in conception and rhythmically dark and obsessive, it is exactly what you would expect from 1974 Sorgini (i.e., the same composer who, at the time, was writing stuff like Zoo Folle and Africa Oscura). The same theme is reprised in the version titled “Manchester M2 6LD” on Side B.

This 7” edition comes in an exclusive cover reproducing the original, terrifying film poster by painter Sandro Symeoni, a close friend of Sorgini’s — the same Symeoni who, a few years before, drew the iconic “Under Pompelmo” album cover.

AGIP

Limited edition 7″ – 300 copies

Out on October 8, 2021

A1 – Agip
B1 – Astrotensione
B2 – Telefono Giallo

Italian producer Azzurro 80 makes his debut on Four Flies with a super limited edition 7 inch (300 copies only) that draws its energy from and is inspired by the Italian library scene of the 80s. More
specifically, its retro but innovative sonic landscape combines shiny synthesizers and dynamic jazz-funk with pop and television culture.

As he himself explains, the name “Azzurro 80” is meant to refer to a particular shade of light blue: “a worn-out, faded light blue that feels retro and outmoded”, just like the color adjective “azzurro” feels a bit outmoded these days (most people seem to prefer “celeste”). Through his music, he aims to evoke precisely that color, and the nostalgic but comforting combination of sounds that corresponds to it.

Side A features AGIP, titled after Italy’s first national oil company (later absorbed by Italian multinational oil and gas company ENI), whose famous logo is a six-legged dog spitting fire. The track transports you to a night-driving scene seen through the eyes of a kid sitting in the back of a family car (i.e., the composer himself back in the 80s), the asphalt roads dimly lit by yellowish street lights surmounted by the fire-spitting canine.
Side B opens with ASTROTENSIONE, a cosmic synth-pop journey through a nebula, almost like the sonic depiction of someone touching a fast traveling asteroid, while TELEFONO GIALLO is a tribute to the late 80s Italian true crime and docudrama TV show of the same name.

Just let the tunes spin on your turntable and follow Azzurro 80 into his reimagined version of the Italian Eighties.

MONDO DI NOTTE OGGI

Available for the first time on 7″  (Limited Edition  – 350 copies)

Out on 9 July 2021

A1 – Soul Meeting
B1 – Teenager

Welcome to a new exciting chapter in the Four Flies 45s series, which brings to DJs, producers and music lovers all over the world a collection of super-groovy themes from the finest Italian soundtracks, issued on 7-inch vinyl for the very first time. This release presents the two funkiest tunes from the soundtrack to Gianni Proia’s Mondo di Notte Oggi, a 1976 Mondo movie whose score was composed, arranged and produced by Gianni Oddi and Gianni Dell’Orso. While Oddi had several successful albums under his belt, either as writer or arranger, Gianni Dell’Orso, one of the most versatile producers of his time and the brother of multi-talented maestro Giacomo Dell’Orso (the husband of Morricone’s favourite singer, Edda), had worked in a wide variety of genres, from prog rock to library music.

Side A contains the afro-funk classic “Soul Meeting”, a vibrant, infectious and psychedelic piece driven by percussion and flute. Side B features the equally irresistible “Teenager”, an afro-influenced funk track with a soulful brass section and wah wah guitar, used in the soundtrack as a sort of background music but, in fact, released a couple of years before as part of Oddi’s album “Oddi 4”.

A must-have for any DJ and collector, this exclusive 7-inch comes in a limited edition of 350 copies. Don’t wait and grab yours before it’s too late!

FORNELLESSE / BIANCO ROSSO E VERDONE

Limited edition 7″ – 300 copies

Out on April 9, 2021

SIDE A: Banda Maje – Fornellesse
SIDE B: Banda Maje – Bianco rosso e verdone (titoli)

More a family than a band, BANDA MAJE formed in a home studio in the historic district of Salerno, in Southern Italy, on the initiative of Peppe Maiellano (composer and keyboards) and Tonico Settanta (producer, rapper and DJ). The collective has an ever-changing number of members, all of whom – a bit like the lively port city they are from – exist at the crossroads between Italian melodies and imported genres like funk, soul and disco.

With a strong cinematic feel and an infectious funk groove, Banda Maje’s first single “Fornellesse” is a great introduction to their forthcoming debut album “Ufo Bar”, which transports you to a version of Salerno that combines local tradition and 70s pop and film culture.

The song is inspired by a real event from the late 19th century, when the traditional procession of Saint Matthew was banned by the city’s mayor. In an act of rebellion against the ban, the ‘Fornellesse’ – i.e., the women who lived in the Rione Fornelle, one of the oldest neighborhoods in Salerno – stole the statue of the saint and, like modern wonder women, carried it themselves in procession among a jubilant crowd.

The single’s B-side is a live cover of the opening titles from Ennio Morricone’s soundtrack to the 1981 Italian comedy “Bianco, Rosso e Verdone” (directed by Carlo Verdone and produced by Sergio Leone) – a respectful tribute to the greatest Italian film composer of all times, and to a film that has shaped the imagination of many Italians.

Welcome to the sound of… Salifornia!

L’UOMO ELETTRONICO ★ CD VERSION

CD digipack edition
out on February 19, 2021

Cosmic electronic environments from an Italian synth music Maestro (1972-1983)

TRACKLIST
1 – Roma Amor – 2:37 (1972)
2 – Soundmaker Blues – 4:08 (1980)
3 – Elettrone – 1:31 (1976)
4 – Fruitori – 2:43 (1972)

5 – Lavorazione a mare – 6:17 (1974) previously unreleased
6 – Batticuore – 2:46 (1983)
7 – Danza magica – 2:10 (1975)
8 – Attività – 2:26 (1973)

9 – Sinistro Carillon – 2:46 (1983)
10 – Pianeta spento – 4:12 (1983) previously unreleased
11 – Apocalisse atomica – 1:39 (1976)
12 – Civiltà lontane – 2:34 (1975)

13 – Dolomiti – 4:20 (1975)
14 – Eliogabalus – 2:37 (1972)
15 – Lavoro nero – 2:32 (1975)
16 – Description – 2:04 (1983) previously unreleased

compiled & conceived by Pierpaolo De Sanctis

artwork by Luke Insect

restored from original master tapes by Riccardo Ricci

mastered by Fabrizio De Carolis | Reference Mastering Studio

all tracks © & ℗ Liuto Edizioni Musicali

very special thanks to the Umiliani Family


Twenty years ago, what is probably still the best collection of music  by Piero Umiliani, “Musicaelettronica”, was released on Easy Tempo (in our opinion, the finest Italian soundtrack label ever).  The album, curated by Rocco Pandiani, focussed on the astonishing creative mastery with which Umiliani played around in his Sound Work Shop studio, where he had all kinds of analogue machines to
experiment with.

Not only did albums like “Musicaelettronica” inspire the very existence of Four Flies Records, but our new Umiliani release, L’Uomo Elettronico, follows on precisely from where “Musicaelettronica”  left off. While Pandiani’s selection provided an insight into the playful, lighter side of Umiliani’s electronic music, our release explores its introspective, esoteric side.

Thanks to unwavering support from the Umiliani family, who keeps granting us access to the Maestro’s archives, we have been able to continue a journey we started three years ago with Studio Umiliani, this time unearthing some stunning electronic, cosmic pieces characterized by atmospheric vibes and
carefully arranged sounds and sequences. Once again Umiliani emerges as a tireless, versatile composer whose output went well beyond ‘Mah Nà Mah Nà’, the hugely popular song that made him eternally famous.

The idea behind the album is to view Umiliani’s electronic output as the work of a scientist of some sort – a chemist or master craftsman who created magic in his laboratory or workshop. There is a dreamy, ambient quality at work here: the Maestro builds hypnotic, minimalist sonic landscapes through layers of sharp synths, including Moog, Arp, and VCS3. This music could fit equally well in a sci-fi documentary, a post-apocalyptic film, a television report on climate change, or a journey through outer space.

L’Uomo Elettronico features 3 previously unreleased tracks, as well as rarities and hidden gems, all composed between 1972 and 1983 and remastered from the original analogue tapes.

TELECINESI

Limited Edition 7″ – 400 copies

SIDE A – Telecinesi (full)
SIDE B – Telecinesi (drums)

Connected to the Occulto LP, this 7-inch single by Sorgini features two alternative versions of ‘Telecinesi’ (Telekinesis), a dark, nocturnal tune with a supernatural, macabre flavour, fuelled by solid drum breaks, percussions and restless synths harmonies.
On the flip side you’ve got a drums and synths only version, which sounds even more spectral and abstract than the original mix. Ideal for beatmakers looking for the perfect sample.
Limited Edition, 400 copies.

Un posto ideale per uccidere (Oasis of Fear)

Limited Edition 7″ – 400 copies

A1 – Badabadaba
B1 – Incontro

This is the first official issue of the soundtrack from Umberto Lenzi’s cult film UN POSTO IDEALE PER UCCIDERE (also known abroad as OASIS OF FEAR and DIRTY PICTURES). Despite being one of the rare instances in which Italian singer-songwriter Bruno Lauzi wrote for film, this stunning work really hits the mark.
The 7-inch features an extended, previously unreleased edit of the super cool ‘Babadaba’, a contagious samba-jazz cut sung by Lauzi himself along with an unknown female singer – a track that will set your dance floor on fire.
On the flip side you’ve got ‘Incontro’, a groovy, jazzy, downtempo track with a fantastic leading flute melody.
Limited edition, 400 copies

Make Love on The Wing / Sweet Disco Funky

Limited Edition 7″ – 400 copies

A1 – Make Love on The Wing (sung by Ulla Linder)
B1 – Sweet Disco Funky

We are delighted to finally make available as a 7-inch two of the most danceable tracks in the entire Black Emanuelle series of films starring Laura Gemser.
Both tracks were written by “dream-duo” Nico Fidenco (composer) and Giacomo Dell’Orso (arranger and conductor) for legendary cult director Joe D’Amato.
‘Make Love on the Wing’, from the original soundtrack of EMANUELLE AND THE LAST CANNIBALS, is a dance-floor banger sung by Ulla Linder, while ‘Sweet Disco Funky’ (from EMANUELLE AND THE WHITE SLAVE TRADE) is exactly what its name suggests: pure funky disco with an unmistakable Italian touch, featuring awesome vocal harmonies and strings.
DJs around the world will go crazy for this unique disco sound! Welcome to the funky side of Black Emanuelle! Limited Edition, 400 copies.