Syncage are first of all
a family, a group of friends.
Syncage, well... they are a really interesting band
with undoubted qualities, that's for sure.
We met at high school
and since then we've been together
working on this project
They are really united
The first reason for which we play together
is to be together
in the name of friendship
doing what we like to do the most.
They are consistent musicians
both as singles and as a group
each one of them helps to create
a unique balance.
I think you should listen to them.
This album was written in about two years
so that the first pieces to be written represent a person
who was surely different
or who was in an entirely different situation
than the one who wrote the latest songs.
More than two years were spent in the making of "Unlike Here"
accompanying us through different stages
both in musical and personal terms
through several changes
The fact that the most part of the music
if not 100% was written by Matteo (Nicolin)
made it difficult for me to feel involved, at first.
When I'd look at the album and not at the band
it felt like I was just witnessing the creative process
without taking part in it
and without contributing as much as I would like.
At the beginning this was hard for me to accept
as much as distance was hard to stand
which made it difficult to discuss about music and to create together.
Just before to move to the Netherlands
we all had our doubts on our ability to keep playing together despite distance
not because we did not want to bring it on
but because it seemed like a very hard thing to do in logistics-wise.
We wouldn't be able to meet as often as we used to
but fortunately
we succeeded to go on rather positively I think
we were determined to continue despite the difficult conditions
because we really wanted to do so.
Everything changed for me when I realized that Matteo's ideas and music
were objectively brilliant and that I really liked them:
everything got clear then, I freed my mind from any doubt
and I started growing more and more attached to this music
I really felt that we were really facing this as a band
and what mattered was the final, collective result.
Since my brother Matteo moved to Amsterdam
we could not rehearse on a weekly basis, like we used to do
we needed a place where to rehearse during the summer
in the lowlands summer is extremely hot
so we started looking for a place in the mountains
without really having any clue on where to look for
until the day we got a suggestion by another local band, "Bottega Baltazar"
who suggested us to get in contact with Valli del Pasubio's municipality
and from there we got in touch with the people from Staro
who gave us the chance
to rehearse for 20 days in an ex-elementary school
We reached our destination, we're in Staro
This is the room where we will...
This is the room where we will practice individually
Here we have Matteo who...
...looks tired and disheartened .
Still setting up here.
Here's the kitchen
our food supplies and Riccardo
The legend talks about upsetting presences which...
...travel...
..in this..
former elementary school, anyway...
here's the bedroom
Here's a rather detailed schedule of the coming days
here's the album's tracklist
At last the third floor
The Staro experience was...
fun beyond any expectations
and for the fact that
I was all the time with my best friends
and for the fact that I did what I like the most
namely playing with my band
and for the beauty of the place and people that we found there
Staro made all the difference to me, because
we were again four friends
who want to share some time
in order to achieve something
which is amazing, in my opinion
when friendship blends with a common goal
then everyone does his best for that goal
it's not just about spending some time together
because of habits or conditions
it's about enjoying what you're doing and also the times you're not working
because you're with the people you love and want to stay together with
Those days...
...in Staro were organized as follows:
we woke up and had breakfast
while listening to the radio news
and then
everyone would practice individually
then we had lunch
quite rightfully
and after lunch we rehearsed together what we practiced in the morning
till snack time in the afternoon
after a break we rehearsed again
then we had our extremely important daily football match
and finally we had dinner
after which we went to local feasts.
We were supposed to head to Magrè but we followed [should be Merendaore, Matteo's wrong]
Riccardo's intelligent suggestion
so we ended up in Santa Giuliana di Sopra [the middle of nowhere]
We're in Hobbit Ville
FOR SALE! FOR SALE!
Here come the buyers!
It's somehow poetic, because
there are not many bands who take one month to rehearse
together each and every day
this is one of the secrets that made this album sound
so solid and convincing
because it began
long before the recording sessions and the band
worked together since long before entering the studio
what I did during the 20-days period
give them some notions that later
made the studio sessions quicker and smoother
When Mike came to visit us
we could finally start speaking about sound
Each of us had a rather clear idea
about the final result
luckily these ideas made it through the recording sessions
and are evident in the album
because Mike took into consideration all of our opinions
Mike was...
very helpful for us to develop and improve
instead of three snare hits
he'd suggest only one
but in the right place
and that bar, section
opens up, breathes
and does not feel unnecessarily heavy
or exaggerated, which is a serious risk in this kind of music
which we should always take into consideration
Another person who came to visit in Staro was Leonardo Guerra
who made "Unlike Here" 's artwork
we loved it, he stayed with us several days
so that he could
really feel the vibes that were there
by staying with us and to hear the music
which would later become
the album itself, he was indeed among the first ones to listen to the pieces
Honestly, what happened and the way things went
made me forget the preconceptions and ideas I had on that bus that was taking me to Staro
I think...
...that the experience went in the best possible way because
we shared the space, the time
and the activities
I was present during some of the rehearsals
listening to the music, and it was
very, very helpful
as helpful as getting closer to the band
at a personal level
I let myself be inspired and driven
by the music and
by the storyline of this album
I tried to give
a form to what I represented
starting from the front cover
where there are two kind of de-personalized silhouettes
not in a negative sense
for they could be anyone
so that anyone can
identify him or helself with those figures
then, i nside the booklet
and in the rest of the artwork
I painted semi-abstract stains which vaguely resembled
mountain profiles, woodlands, skies...
eventually everyone
can see anything in there
but these were the main ideas.
I played that!
No you did...
Yes, I did it!
But I played it before because it sounded better
It's better!!
When I first listened to the band
where they played "Italiota" [EP, 2014]
I had a good feeling
about the capacities and potential
of this band
later, listening to the EP
I really had the impression
we could make a great record
if we decided to work together
this happened
long before to be hired as a producer
for "Unlike Here"
...and...
what we tried to do once we decided to work together
was to optimize and to
magnify the band's strongest features, which are a lot
and
to rationalize a few things
about the general sound
and the ideas
The analog experience taught us to say whatever we had to say
exactly within the amount
of words or musical notes
which are necessary to express
that concept or musical idea
Therefore I consider it an entirely positive experience
which formed us
which made us grow as musicians
Such a manifold album
in the most musical sense of the word
demanded
an equally varied sound palette
that's why
we chose to
have a string quartet, Ricky's vibraphone
several percussion instruments
the Morin Khuur, which is some sort of
Mongolian string instrument
It was great, composition-wise,
to dispose of such a wide choice
and to be able to choose the right sound at the right moment
I had lots of fun
because they are really 'proggy'
they made use of time signatures which are rather...
...ehm...
interesting
so that tape punch-ins and outs turned out to be really... entertaining!
It was really pleasant
and we were all enriched by this experience
Entering the studio is always a thing
because when you're done
after a session
you realize you've grown up as a musician
and as a whole
we managed to keep a good pace
also thanks to the locations where we worked,
rehearsed and recorded
for we were constantly immersed in Nature
and considering what "Unlike Here" is about
this was extremely helpful to achieve the best.
What I specially love about "Unlike Here"
is the fact that it speaks about
something that I really love, that is to say Nature,
mountains, freedom and will to escape
from the concrete jungles
in order to reach
pristine places.
Considering my and our bond with Nature
I can say that this fact
for us, at least, is very important.
I do listen to "Unlike Here"
besides the fact that I love the music
in order to remember the whole journey behind this album
all those months
arranging, receiving demo tracks from Matteo [Nicolin]
so that we could work on them
the seclusion in Staro to finalize
the composition and
the recording sessions
at Mike's studio
all of this was a very important milestone
which we reached basically by having fun
and it's among the best memories I have.
Well, this is a very diverse album
the pieces
change a lot from one to the other
thus
we started working on a title for the album
only during the 20-day rehearsal period
where our performance was prepared.
Having the lyrics and the melodies under our eyes and ears everyday
it was a rather "sudden" task
and I'm convinced that it was born from the condition in which we were
what I mean is
one day, I can't recall if it was in the morning or in the afternoon
Riccardo and I were in the car, heading somewhere
away from the school where we lived and rehearsed
and we were driving through those mountain roads
and we started discussing about the album title
all of the sudden
the idea struck me like a lightning
so I told Riccardo
what if we called it "Unlike Here"?
indeed
implying all those concepts that go together with such a name
namely
"differenly from here"
the story
tells about
this guy who flees from a city-state
that forces the inhabitants
to be efficient
while remaining unaware
unlike here
here you have an explaination of the name
What makes me listen to "Unlike Here"
is
mainly the fact that it always takes you by surprise
music-wise and story-wise
and that it always gives you this feeling of
"I already heard this
but something completely unexpected could happen at any moment"
this is really what makes Syncage different
from anything else I listen to
In other words, I could pick the right song for any situation
I love to listen to "Unlike Here", after the hundreds of times I listened to it while mixing it
I like it because it's an organic record
really colorful, because
also according to mastering engineer Ronan Chris Murphy
it's a very well produced record
the sounds are very beautiful
so it really is a pleasure in acoustic terms
as much as there is an emotional pleasure
because there really are some awesome tracks
that really take you through a journey
a considerable journey
it won't probably hit you at first listen
but like the best records
becomes your favorite after 3 or 4 spins
If from a practical point of view
it is not possible to take with us
a string quartet or a vibraphone to our concerts
which we could dispose of in the studio
on the other hand we became more confident
and globally more fluent in a musical sense
From the recording sessions
to the live version of "Unlike Here"
this music evolved, grew
and now flows more
therefore we are able to offer to those who listen to us live
maybe
surely something different
and perhaps also something more being a live performance
prepared with lots of love and dedication
What we did not want
was to give the audience an exact copy of the recording of "Unlike Here"
but to let you experience a real performance of 4 musicians
who create music on stage
from this decision we derived the choice
to add lots of vocal harmonies
we all sing in almost all the songs
and I must say that this whole thing gives birth to a whole new sound
a whole new "Unlike Here"
When I hop on stage I can't wait to begin
to kick some asses
jump, enjoy because it's only 1 hour and a half
and if we're lucky we're getting to play the week after
otherwise we'll have to wait for months
considering our present possibilities
that's why
we're the first one, I'm the first one
to put everything into it
and to play as good as I can
a live concert, compared to a recording
has much more energy, because we want the audience
to love and enjoy the music
it's not a recording
which you can pause whenever you want
of course, you can leave from a venue
but we'll do all we can to make you willing to stay till the last note
and to share with us this wonderful experience.
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