Mannequin continues its archeological mission bringing back to the modern format of the CD the cult italian new wave band Degada Saf, with their LP No Inzro from 1984.
Degada Saf were a transgressive-dada-ist musical combo coming from Veneto. The project has seen the light back in the 80s thanks to the reunion of two charismatic experimental sound makers, Fausto Crocetta and Luigi Campalani (with additional sounds provided by Fabio Basso, Gianni Baggio and Stefano Dal Col).
The music of Degada Saf suggests a peculiar mixture of post-modernism synthesised electro assaults, new wave’s imaginative minimalism and pop art aesthetic vision. The sound material of No Inzro makes constant interferences between rigorous avant-gardism, alternative music styles and colourfully plastic electro pop. The spectrum of musical imagination reveals a lot of good surprises, notably with the opening theme “La Rhumba de Shang Hai” which directly gives the tonality of the entire album: kitschy retro-popish ambiences based on dancing minimal hypno pulses and efficiently cold melodies. “Ris du Fles” is an intriguing-theatrical piece based on synth waves, absurd repetitive voices, surreal electro oscillations and skeletal e-guitar sequenze. “Tri-Banal” and “Loda Loda” are spaced out mechanical pop songs. Both songs admit obsessional abstract repetition, moody weird vocalizations, circular electro arpeggios and dissonant sound frequencies, in a way very similar to the experiments that Cabaret Voltaire were doing in the same period. “Zom Africa” is an instinctive pop-ish song, always bringing to the fore this massive, recognisable 80’s atmosphere. “Poli Su Mis”, “Om” and “No Inzro” deliver a convincing return to more dramatic, veiled electro-pop variations. Cynically and always in a jubilant provocative way it seems to open on a musical metaphor referring to negativity, conformity and anxiety within the consumer subject of late capitalism. A groovy and captivating electro experience. A pretty decent introduction to the band’s very own musical universe. Warmly recommended for those who are into minimal electro pop fantasies (Automat, New Order, Alphaville, late Kraftwerk...).