Label: B.F.E Records

オリジナルは高額で取引される歴史的1st!!1980年代初頭にFrancesco Paladinoのメールアートプロジェクトとして始動、A.T.R.O.X.でも活動を共にするメンバーPier Luigi Andreoni & 様々なゲスト共に85年にリリースした、F.P. & The Doubling Riders名義の1st LPが単独再発!!電子音楽、民族音楽、フォーク、コンテンポラリーの要素を自由に取り入れ、常に独創的なカテコライズ不可能のユニーク音源を残した稀有なグループ。未体験の方は是非この1st LPから!!







The Doubling Riders were born in the middle of the '80s from the ashes of the great experimental / minimal wave project A.T.R.O.X. around the trio of Francesco Paladino, Pier Luigi Andreoni, and Riccardo Sinigaglia (Professor of Electronic composition at Milan's Conservatory) .
Starting from an electronic music approach and working freely with ethno, folk and wave elements, the sound of the Doubling Riders was extremely original and hard to classify.
Mostly quiet meditative stuff, with folk, experimental electronic influences and some unusual vocalisations, some sang in a strange italian dialect.
Even if often compared to the more intellectual electronic experimental bands like Tuxedomoon, Coil or Vox Populi, Doubling Riders can be easily considered a unique project within the Italian new music scene.

Remastered from the original files. 180 gr vinyl with insert.

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Highly distinctive take on the Mediterranean type of electronic minimalism by the duo of Pier Luigi Andreoni and Franceso Paladino. Both were members of Italian post-punk outfits La Pattona and A.T.R.O.X., but towards mid-1980s bravely moved into the world of electronic abstraction, albeit with the playful new wave references still intact. After this project Paladino was quiet, but Andreoni kept going with records involving Harold Budd and Roger Eno, ECM guitarist David Torn and David Sylvian. In tandem this collective recorded a very unusual ‘ambient travelogue’ tracing the storied journeys of Venetian merchant Marco Polo.

Later Andreoni and Paladino would be joined by the brilliant ex-Futuro Antico’s synthesist Riccardo Sinigaglia, but not on this first missive.

“Doublings & Silences” is an eclectic affair for sure. Already in the opening track there are contempo-classical chamber ambiences gradually growing into detuned synthesized drone with poetic recitation in heavily accented English. Second track is Durutti Column-esque ambient rock piece, while “Doubled By The Sun” is strongly reminiscent of Les Disques Du Crépuscule mid-80s compilations. Then there is “Neoplastie” - a nice slice of ominous dark ambient.

Further along you will find echoing jazzy minimalism of “HF A1” and twinkly, cosmic synth number “Chinese Rain” which would be right at home on one of the classic Berlin-school records. “Smell into a dream” is a great post-punk ditty in the mold of This Heat or weirder side of Wire.

In short not a dull moment here, but, miraculously, things never get incoherent. In fact the pace and sequencing feel organic and instead of generic consistency things are held together by the heady daydream atmosphere. 2021 reissue comes via great @bferecords

Review by Snows Ov Gethen