With their album debut Nüwa Mends the Sky, UREDDA reveal themselves as musical alchemists who create pieces of utter beauty and a fascinating otherness, that appear to the listener as magic due to being at least one step ahead of their time. Their perfect amalgamation of elements from contemporary electronics, new wave, post-punk, krautrock, and drone among many other influences creates something excitingly new from some things old and beloved. Their sounds are born from experience as well as a deep understanding and mastery of their art.
The masterminds behind UREDDA have already left deep marks in circles of avant-garde music. Thighpaulsandra, previously a member of Coil and Spiritualized, has worked with Julian Cope among other influential acts – these include URUK, in which he was joined by Massimo Pupillo. Pupillo and Paolo Mongardi are probably best known as members of label mates Zu.
UREDDA sprang into being out of pure synchronicity – while those who believe in predetermination are welcome to view the meeting as glorious providence. Thighpaulsandra had travelled to Italy for a solo performance at a contemporary art museum while, at the same time, Massimo and Paolo were working at the studio of UREDDA guitarist Bruno to try out some new raw sketches. On a fateful whim, they invited Thighpaulsandra to join them. There was no prior blueprint, no rehearsal, and no intention of starting a band. Yet the sparks of creativity and inspiration were flying while music began to flow spontaneously.
The band name stems from the famous Italian ‘Caso Amicizia’ (‘Friendship Case’). This refers to alleged mass contacts between humans and extraterrestrial beings called W56 in the central Italian region of the Abruzzi between 1956 and the late 1970s. These aliens supposedly taught harmony and friendship. In this context, ‘Uredda’ was defined as the vital energy of love, friendship and wonder. This energy was not an abstract concept, but the literal fuel driving their advanced technology and the very core of their mission on Earth. “All I know is that a world on the precipice has a desperate need for beauty”, Massimo Pupillo states, discussing today’s single release. “Not a shallow and only cosmetic glamour, but real beauty – one that incorporates and transforms our deepest anxieties and fears. The diamond is born in the lotus, but the lotus is born from the mud.”
This philosophical approach ties UREDDA directly to an esoteric legend of early Krautrock, by mirroring the belief that musicians could collectively tap into a cosmic current and were able to communicate directly with their mixing desks, instruments and gear as living entities.
Ahead of the album, they’ve unveiled a video for ‘All He Knows’, which you can see here:
AA
Photo: Sek
Aural Aggravation 