Psychedelic Trance Tarantella

Kalàscima come from Salento, at the southern end of Italy, which boasts an explosive musical culture. The cover of this album shows a tambureddhu, a traditional frame drum, wired-up, with its jingles becoming printed circuits. It's fitting, as Kalàscima push the boundaries of tradition, following fresh paths through the old folk revival way. Accordingly, their latest album displays a visionary band amping up and instilling the traditional pizzica style with dance floor electronica, hints of hip-hop and rock elements. Warm vocal harmonies, propulsive percussion and versatile instrumentation (flutes, traditional reeds, harmonica, diatonic accordion, guitars, mandolin, bouzouki, ukulele, bass and electronics) contribute to the layered textures (which are sometimes a little too dense).

The title-track's overwhelming rhythm is as compelling an opener as any disc could wish for. ‘Lu Sule’ is a beguiling contemporary emigration song, while the highly-charged frenzied ‘Moi!’ deals with the waves of immigrants seeking shelter in Europe. The inspired touch of Ludovico Einaudi's piano fills ‘Due Mari’; another musical highlight is the trance-inducing ‘Kore’. The bouncing ‘La Rivolta dell’Arneo’, dedicated to farmers who fought for land reform in 1950, weds an Irish flavour to a pulsing club beat. Hot stuff from Puglia's southernmost part.