The Electronic Renaissance is under way

The Electronic Renaissance is under way

Even though it has just reached its second edition, Grabber Soul/BeatCon is already the talk of the town. Buzzing with producers, music journalists, sound professionals and curious spectators from all over Italy, it showcases the very best of the Stivale's beatmaking scene. Waiting for the opening of FullMusic'

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Thu 10 Sep 2015 12:00 AM

Even though it has just reached its second edition, Grabber Soul/BeatCon is already the talk of the town. Buzzing with producers, music journalists, sound professionals and curious spectators from all over Italy, it showcases the very best of the Stivale’s beatmaking scene. Waiting for the opening of FullMusic‘s doors in via Baracca 1 on Saturday October 3, 2015, I met up with Edoardo Fracassi, Niccolò Brighella and Simone Brillarelli, founders of eclectic record label Fresh Yo! and creative minds behind this very first Italian Beatmaker convention.

The Florentine: How did you come up with the idea of creating this innovative event?Edoardo Fracassi: The whole idea stemmed from an observation made by Italian Rome-based producer Ad Bourke, who claimed that Italy was lacking a beatmaker scene. But the truth is that this country, and particularly Florence, is actually quite fertile when it comes to this kind of music. So Millelemmi, Florentine MC and main representative of the “lampredotto rap” scene (his rhymes are exquisitely written in Florentine dialect-ed) decided to prove him wrong and involved us in this crazy idea of creating a big event, a sort of grand beatmaker census. We also organize Grabber Soul, a monthly jam and concert event focused on soul, hip-hop and electro-related beats, so we are well aware of the scene’s potential and we saw BeatCon as its natural evolution. It must be said that this type of music normally dwells on the internet and propagates through social media, so we were also interested in observing the consequences of a more physical and face-to-face approach. That’s why we decided to install four jamming posts where people are called on stage to perform together, improvising and testing their abilities with other musicians.

TF: So tell us a bit about how the BeatCon event is structured. How are you going to manage 40 concerts and over 14 hours of live music?ED: We have no idea, we’re counting on a Deus ex Machina! Ok, so the event starts at 3pm. Two stages will be set up to host the live concerts which will all last 30 minutes each, up till closing time around 4 am. Four rooms will be devoted to jam sessions, that are actually the main focus of the event. These rooms are equipped with all kinds of instruments, both acoustic and electric, and about 40 people have subscribed to have access. We are flexible, if someone wants to join we will try to squeeze him or her in, but we had to guarantee performance time for those who were coming from out of Florence. One of these rooms will also be hosting a number of workshops: Habitat Records will be teaching a lesson on finger drumming and the Meet The Knobbers crew will be demonstrating the functions of modular synthesizers. BeatCon will also showcase a series of Visual projections, especially in the heat of the night. Artist Francesco Taddeucci will be supplying one room with a open-access interactive controller that people can use to create both images and sounds.

TF: What is the importance of jamming in this kind of musical world?EF: Jamming is not a simple task, not many are used to it, especially in the beatmaking scene. BeatCon offers the possibility of trying something new, to experiment and learn through a different approach. Electronic music is usually bound to a very solitary and defined modus operandi made of in-studio work and computer programming. Through improvisation we want participants to rediscover the very essence of music.

Niccolò Brighella: Many already know each other through the web but meet for the very first time on stage during these sessions. It’s quite unique.

Simone Brillarelli: Last year’s convention generated at least 4 albums this year. All because people that didn’t know each other found a connection, it’s as simple as that.  It’s a wave that propagates and creates, ideas circulate more freely. Among the pros and the renowned, beatCon is also packed with first timers that are the actual driving force of the event. Last year the previously unheard of nineteen year-old multi-instrumentalist Stèv hit the stage and blew our minds. His name was noted by all the media and labels present. BeatCon is a network -building event but one of its main focuses is actually talent sourcing. It has certainly meant a lot to us in terms of contacts and growth. This year 6 labels from all over Italy will be showcasing their music. We will be presenting the second volume of BEAT.IT, a compilation of collaborations between producers created together with  Railster, HLMNSRA and ReddArmy. Beat.it is actually a Facebook group meant to put Italian beatmakers in contact. We will also be introducing Nularse, our next release as Fresh Yo! Label.

TF: The first edition was incredibly successful, how do you think the city of Florence contributed in achieving this far-fetched goal?EF: First and foremost, geographically speaking Florence is located in a top strategic position. We were also lucky enough to find a structure like FullMusic. In the past 2-3 years, the Florentine audience has shown great aptitude and curiosity towards cross-over musical situations. Our events are never monochromatic, we value every kind of genre, even though the common denominator is a hip-hop approach, the will to sort of merge every sound and musician into a coherent and stimulating space. Without a doubt, this is the result of bigger historical factors, Florence has a long history of eclectic beatmakers and djs, like Biga and Simone Fabbroni. This city has the mysterious ability of creating omniverous sound makers. Contamination is the word.

Simone Brillarelli: We live in Florence, we do what we do not only for others but for ourselves, to entertain a wider audience, to enrich our city and culture. We are very happy to have The Florentine as our media partner, we constantly strive to involve the international community. We actively sponsor rapper Millelemmi and his series of events called Yes We Jam! at the Jazz Club, an open live session where people from all over are invited to play and listen to improvised music.

Niccolò Brighella: Florence presents a very peppy electronic scene, many producers live here and make music. Our events have always been well-received, our audience has created a natural network where word of mouth and active participation are key.

 

INFO

Grabber Soul/ BeatCon#2Where: FullMusic Firenze, Via Baracca 1/afWhen: Saturday 3 October, from 3pm to 4amEntrance: 5 euromail: contact@freshyolabel.comwebsite: www.freshyolabel.com

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