‘Unconscious Collective’ is the first album by PS5 – the new ensemble led by Pietro Santangelo (Nu Genea, Slivovitz, Fitness Forever). It’s a further step in the label’s path in trying to connect the musical tradition of South Italy, the love for African-American music, and new ways of expression. A musical experiment where layered memories and hidden feelings resonate as if they arise directly from the most recondite part of the unconscious and produce a suspension of the stream of consciousness. With the aim to create a state of trance and override human reason, this is an imaginary round trip across the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, ideally connecting Naples with North Africa and Latin America.
The arrangements written by Santangelo are based on great freedom of improvisation: while the melodic textures of the two saxophones didn’t give any clear references, the other musicians followed the rhythmic pulse and its unpredictable ways. The music moves naturally along an imaginary line highlighting the ancestral connection between Jamaica and Ethiopia or between Nigeria and Cuba. In the background, Naples is a synthesis of all the sonic ingredients, mixed and cooked in its own mystical and spicy belly.
Catalogue number: HJ005
Released May 21, 2021
Credits
Pietro Santangelo: tenor and soprano saxophone, vocals
Paolo “Batà” Bianconcini: percussion
Giuseppe Giroffi: alto and baritone saxophone
Vincenzo Lamagna: bass
Salvatore Rainone: drums
All tracks are composed and arranged by Pietro Santangelo
Performed by PS5
All tracks are recorded and mixed by Fabrizio Piccolo at Auditorium Novecento, Naples,
Mastered by Davide Barbarulo at 20Hz20Hz Studio
Photos by Sabrina Cirillo
Artwork by Riccardo Gola