**LP edition** Persona is the brainchild of the Italian born, Brazil based, multimedia artist, Roberto Campadello, who, during the late 1960s and early '70s became highly regarded for a body of work that drew heavily on the I Ching. Notable among these was interactive installation for São Paulo’s XII Bienal in 1973, where, via an octagonal structure of mirrors, participants were guided by Campadello through meditations and cosmic dances. It was this work that laid the crucial groundwork for The Game of Changes, a mystical interactive artwork / game - blurring the boundaries between the real and unreal through reflection and translucence. Originally issued in a limited edition, and consisting of a box with a mirror, candles, and a 10" soundtrack - the album Som by Persona - to be played as it unfolded, it remains among the most coveted artefacts of Latin American experimentalism of the last half century.

Largely improvised by the guitarist Luiz Carlini, guided by themes based on the eight elements from the I Ching - mountain, heaven, earth, fire, water, wind, lake, and thunder - with further interventions by Franklin Paolillo, Lee Marcucci, Carmen Flores, and Campadello on vocals, percussion, and acoustic guitar, Som is a freewheeling adventure in sound; perfectly pitched for its era and nearly every one since. Laden in a dreamlike sounds and atmospheres that are drenched in fuzz guitar, dirty percussion, and echoplex delays, it’s cosmic journey touches on the territories of Brazilian psyche, Tropicalia, folk, and explicit experimentalism, resulting in a truly unique aural trip of inward consciousness.

Not to be outdone, Black Sweat has produced three incredible editions of this masterpiece. The first two are the first ever stand-alone releases of Som on LP and CD, beautifully reproducing the original cover and expanded to include two previously unreleased track from the sessions, as well as a stunning 24-page booklet that includes rare graphics, photos, press clippings, and extensive liner notes with texts by Carmen Flores, Daniel Campadello, Ayrton Mugnaini, and Luis Carlini. This wasn’t enough, in conjunction with the Brazilian imprint, Nada Nada Discos, Black Sweat has also produced an absolutely stunning new edition of the complete Game of Changes in a box set edition, including the full album on vinyl, the magical mirror, its stands, and the candles. Each is truly stunning and a thing to behold. We couldn’t possible recommend which to grab first. This is easily some of the most beautiful and important work that Black Sweat has ever done.


"What is the object with the most sensational magical and alchemical properties, if not glass? A permeable membrane that filters the real through the unconscious, an access portal with divinatory and therapeutic qualities, the glass has always been seen as the guardian of daring allegories and symbols. Aware of this, the artist Roberto Campadello conceived "The Game of Persona", in the context of an installation for the XII Biennale of Sao Paolo in 1973. Discovering the visual properties of gilded glass, he investigated the effects of the overlay of images, a mysterious moment of transparency in which two single people melt into the reflection of the image, creating a single fantastic person. Thus, his "Casa Dourada", also became the space for “Intro-nautical Journeys”: meditations and cosmic dances. The history of this LP (originally published in a 10’’ box set, in 1975) starts right to support those collective initiation sessions. Each track is inspired by an I Ching element (Mountain, Heaven, Earth, Water, Lake, Wind) which represented a primary source of inspiration for Campadello. The dreamlike and occult sound not only suggest the atmosphere of that experience but still reveal the echoes of the best season of the Brazilian rock and Tropicalismo. The music has been composed and played by Roberto Campadello and the brazilian super-star guitarist Luis Carlini, the leader of the Rita Lee's band Tutti Frutti. Fuzz guitars, dirty percussion, Echoplex delays, are the perfect elements for the final trip into your own consciousness. The edition comes with two unreleased tracks, an amazing booklet and the poster; also available the box set special edition with the reproduction of the game, including the magical mirror. Co-produced with nossos amigos Nada Nada Discos." - Black Sweat, label press-release