Published by Davide Pappalardo on April 14, 2018
Psycho Kinder is the project by Italian musician Alessandro Camilletti, characterized by minimal new wave sounds and a punk attitude driven by social and existential theme expressed via spoken words. His career started with a self-titled single in 2011, followed by an EP called Democratice ipocrisie and the full length Il tramonto dell’evidente. In 2016 he released under the label Fonetica Meccanica the work called The psycho kinder tapes, recognized by many digital and printed zines as an innovative take on the genre where the modus operandi of bands like Offlaga Disco Pax and CCCP was mixed with experimental elements very close to kraut rock and post-punk music.
Now he returns with Extension, a remix album in which many artists from the underground scene rework tracks coming from his past works, giving them new life, sometimes with surprising and unsuspected takes. Whereas his usual sound is already open to experimentation and different angles, here new dimensions are showeb, be them linked to the dancefloor or a sort of sound-laboratory. His partner in crime are post-punk/darkwave band Kill Your Boyfriend, Celery Price, Michele Caserta (Drama Emperor), dark ambient/musique concrete artist Deca, Fausto Degada, minimal new wave project Lisfrank, Miro Snejdr of Death In June, and Giovanni “Leo” Leonardi (both alone and with his project Carnera).
Nel caos dell’ecumene is the first track opening the album, a collaboration with Valerio Zecchini of Post Contemporary Corporation. Here he speaks with epic pathos, articulating his words while a dark ambient sound gives us a one-minute track working as in intro for the work. L’incomunicabile is treated by Kill Your Boyfriend, becoming a noisy piece full of shrilling and abrasive sounds conceived by downtuned guitars and industrial effects. Speedy cymbals and filtered vocals complete the dramatic atmosphere which remind us of the more dub-oriented moments of Godflesh. Thanks to Celery Price 2009 becomes a syncopated track with guitar loops and engaging melodies, a fusion of elegance and energy underlined by piano keys and electro-rock fragments.
Un uomo is reworked by Michele Caserta, surprisingly taking the direction of IDM broken rhythms before indulging in uptempo crescendos and synth hooks. The second half of the remix meets dark and hypnotic patterns, inspiring an urgent atmosphere. Oltre il tempo is now a dark ambient track managed by Deca with frantic atmospheres, crawling rhythms and spoken words intertwined with sharp effects , while Viaggio allucinato is reworked by Degada as a dance tune characterized by synth- leads and robotic vocals, a mid-tempo affair completed by 4/4 drum machines and oldschool refrains. Stato di violenza sees Lisafrank adding buzz-saw basslines and crispy rhythms to the song, not forgetting ethereal arches and atmospheric pauses.
With Il tramonto dell’evidente Carnera take the chance to develop a ritualistic mantra with piano sounds and militant drums, following the modus operandi of the band by keeping the tension hidden. The last session of the track knows throbbing synths and cosmic moments. Vivo e invisibile is a track already published in this version with Miro Snejdr on The psycho kinder tapes, an ambient episode with ethereal sounds and majestic synths, ready to explode into a melodic electro-rock song. The album is closed by the outro Essere, which sees spoken words by Andrea Chimenti (Moda) underlined by static drones and orchestral ambiances for half-a-minute of length.
An interesting new chapter in Psycho Kinder discography, ExTension shows us once again the continuous re-thinking and adjustment of the opera of the project, discovering new facets and motifs thanks to the help of some excellent names of Italian underground electronics. Many times remix albums miss the mark by aiming only to dancefloor, or by choosing the route of experiments for the sake of experiments, but luckely this is not the case. Here the core elements of his music (spoken words, electro-rock and post-punk elements, minimal wave sounds) are all present, but under different interpretations enriching the sonic palette of the project. If you don’t already know about it, it’s time to give a listen to Psycho Kinder .
Label: Fonetica Meccanica
Rating: 7,5