I
Baustelle

About:

Francesco Bianconi and Claudio Brasini, both from Montepulciano, were in the band The Subterraneans before the founded the band Baustelle with Rachele Bastreghi and Fabrizio Massara in 1997. Influenced by the Smashing Pumpkins they started to make epic rockmusic. After a long series of demos they were able to produce their first album in 2000. On it they played with the concept of a troubled romantic adolescent. Although positive critical acclaim the album fails to interest the main public. The second album knows a more electronic vibe with the use of instruments like Moog and theremin. The single ‘Love affair’ is picked up by MTV but chart success stays absent. Their luck changes for the better however when Warner signs the band and the budget for marketing rises. Together with Carlo Rossi Ubaldo , long-time producer of Italian rock, they record their third album ‘La malavita’ in 2005. The album goes gold and gets the Targa Tenco award for best album. After the tour Massara leaves band turning Baustelle into a trio.

The success enables the band to record with a string of guests for their next project amongst whom Mulatu Astatke , Beatrice Antolini , Maestro Alessandro Alessandroni , Beatrice Martini and poet Francesca Gentiles. A year later (2009) they record the soundtrack for the movie ‘Giulia non esce la sera’ and score a big hit with the duet ‘Piangi Roma’ from the score with actress Valeria Golino. Later that year they join the stage for the charity concert Artists United for Abruzzo to help the victims of the earthquake in L'Aquila. For the 2010 album ‘I mistici dell'Occidente’ the band records several videoclips accompanying the album. The project gets the “Clip Music Prize 2010 - senior class", at the Ravello film Festival. In the same year they also celebrate their tenth anniversary with a book with interviews with the women they recorded with such as Naomi , Anna Oxa , Syria , Paola Turci and Valeria Golino. In May 2012 they start recording their sixth studio album, which takes place partly in Poland (with the Wroclaw Philharmonic) and partly in the fortress of the village of Val di Chiana , near Montepulciano. The album amazes critics and public as an orchestral concept album build around an imaginary ghost story. The cinematic feel to their albums is continued the next years with the duo album ´L´amore e la violenza´.

On the web:

- Baustelle's website:http://www.baustelle.it/

What do we think:

DB: Starting out as an epic rockband Baustelle evolved into a band that mixes that typical Mediterranean romantic sound with elements of post-new wave and modern classical composers like Ennio Morricone and Angelo Badalamenti. This holds the trap that they are just a copy of Anglo-American alternative bands but the luscious Tuscan hills of Montepulciano have a positive influence. Baustelle’s music sounds sweet as a good white wine and robust like a delicious pasta. You can drink and eat that anywhere in the world but it is never prepared like in Italy. You hear the sun and good Italian life through and in that they translate an international sound to something very typical Italian. .

If you like this, you probably like.. / european counterparts:

Tocotronic (Germany)

Prata Vetra (Latvia)

Recomended albums:

- Sussidiario illustrato della giovinezza - 2000

- La moda del lento - 2003

♪♪♪♪ - La malavita - 2005

- Amen - 2008

♪♪♪ - I mistici dell'Occidente- 2010

♪♪♪♪♪ - Fantasma - 2013

♪♪♪ - Roma Live - 2015

♪♪♪- L´amore e La Violenza - 2017

♪♪♪- L´amore e La Violenza Vol 2 - 2018

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♪♪♪♪♪ = outstanding album, an absolute must-have
♪♪♪♪ = great album, highly recomended
♪♪♪ = nice album
♪♪ = be careful, requires listening before buying
♪ = best to be avoided