The Dining Rooms – Do Hipsters Love Sun (Ra)? – A Soundtrack Of Cosmic Funk, Abstract Jazz, & Cinematic Avant Garde

After a four years hiatus since the previous album Lonesome Traveller, The Dining Rooms are back with a work that reconnects to the early sounds of the Milanese duo: a soundtrack of cosmic funk, abstract jazz and cinematic avant-garde.

It only takes a glance to the title of the album to grasp its highly evocative power. On the one hand an homage to Sun Ra, an icon that infused a new meaning to the word ‘cosmic’, a space messenger able to bring new spirituality and vision to music. Hipster, on the other hand, is a word that in our age of social networks identifies one the most hated social species, but had originally profound social and political roots. Jack Kerouac described Hipsters as “rising and roaming America, bumming and hitchhiking everywhere as characters of a special spirituality”. Hipsters were forward thinking cultural explorers, a social movement characterised by an appetite for novelty and experimentation.

And this is what Do Hipsters Love Sun (Ra)? is about: a soundtrack condensing cosmic elements, a thirst for exploration and discovery, and the ability to dream. Abstract jazz, cosmic funk, instrumental hip-hop: Do Hipsters Love Sun (Ra)? has all these typical traits of The Dining Rooms’ sound, but also a strong cinematic element that delves into the rich world of Italian film scores and library music. The contemporary reinterpretation of that influence is another theme of the album, pervading the tracks with the mesmerising quality of those soundtracks.

Schema Italy
Format: LP + CD
Cat: SCEB 925LP
Genre: Broken Beat/Nu Jazz
Release date: 23/11/15
BUY

Tracklist:

1.Space Is The Place
2.Do Hipsters Love Sun (Ra) ?
3.Appuntamento Su Marte
4.Interstellar
5.Once Were Warriors
6.Devil’s Moon
7.Venere
8.Saturno
9.Sergio Leone Asteroid
10.Instrumental Hip-Hop Is Back
11.Light Time Tales
12.Agnone Bagni D’Inverno
13.Marte
14.Love Story

Liner Notes By Raffaele Costantino

Listening to this record with a rational approach is very simple.
Quotes are clear, easy to grasp, starting from the album title. On the one hand we have a tribute to Sun Ra: the most folkloric, paradoxical, hyperbolic buffoon and brilliant composer – and performer – of the brief history of African- American music; and with him, the space intended as a cosmos in which our ideas fluctuate, regardless of the legends.

On the other hand, the historical reconsideration of the of the word hipster, whi
ch today stands for nothing and superficiality, but originally bore a great aesthetic and socio-political significance.

Since the beginning, hipsters (or those who are always updated on the latest trends) were the first white people listening to jazz, taking interest in be-bop and hot jazz. They abandoned the swing genre, which was considered outdated and deteriorated by commercial intents. The hipster subculture quickly expanded when joined by a thriving literary scene. Jack Kerouac, for example, described them as “[people] rising and roaming America, bumming and hitchhiking everywhere [as] characters of a special spirituality”. I personally call them newness hunters, while philosopher De Masi refers to them as “naviganti di prua” (those forward-looking seamen lingering on the bow of the ship). De Masi actually does not specifically refer to hipsters, but in general to those who want to look forward and discover new worlds (also with their imagination) rather than always thinking about the past, regretting and mythicising it.

So on one side, we have a long-time misunderstood and mocked artist, an insane freak whose importance and significance continuously shifted according to time and tendencies. On the other one, a social movement, made of people who simply have a thirst for innovation, destined to become trendsetters (in the marketing era) and later on one of the most hated social species of our time (in the age of social networks). Everyone today hates hipsters, but no one admits to be one.

The truth is: we’re all hipsters, everyone except those who stopped looking for new inspirations, ideas, worlds and languages to explore. Being hipster always meant to keep our intellect agile and curious, within our fields of interest. Being hipster means to be explorers: not solitary adventurers, more in a “discover the world” mood, but still curious. It’s too easy to label hipsters as simple followers of the latest fad.

With that said, although this record can be read through an interesting rational and sociological filter, what really matters is the emotional experience. The Dining Rooms’ music has always been undefinable, (such as Sun Ra’s) and always had a touch of class and originality, typical of someone who does not follow trends but intercepts them (as hipsters do).

The Dining Rooms’ music is a cultural manifesto of several musicians’ generations, as well as a summary of the most representative expressions of our country. The Italian School, melody, movies, soundtracks, few special effects, but lots of contents.

The music of The Dining Rooms is international in the true sense of the word. It speaks now, as it always has, a universal language. Their music rest on a conscious creativity, comparable to the creativity which is embedded into everyone of us. The Dining Rooms’ music is contemporary: it gives the feeling – while listening to it – of here and now, creating the precise feeling of listening to the past and the future of music gathered in a space-time bubble.

As well as Sun Ra’s history and that of the hipster movement, all of The Dining Rooms’ music is a constant, emotionally unsettling back and forth time travel, which seems comforting only on a superficial listening.

This record sounds like an off the cuff speech, made out from instinct, with a single narrative flow. This happens only when behind the words (or the music) there’s a strong concept that supports the aesthetic.

Tracklist and credits
1. space is the place (s.ghittoni)
stefano ghittoni: beats, samples and keys. luciano cantone: vibraphone
2. do hipsters love sun (ra)? (s.ghittoni/g. ferrario)
stefano ghittoni: beats, samples and keys.. giovanni ferrario: mellotron and keys.
3. appuntamento su marte (s.ghittoni/j. lauren)
stefano ghittoni: beats. jessica lauren: multimoog synthesiser, korg cx3 organ, mu-tron bi-phase
4. interstellar (s.ghittoni/f.giampaoli)
stefano ghittoni: beats, samples, piano and keys. francesco giampaoli: bass and double bass, moog.
5. once were warriors (s.ghittoni)
stefano ghittoni: beats, samples, piano and keys. marco rigamonti: bass. antonio gramentieri: gtrs. stefania mazzotti: fxs.
6. devil’s moon (s.ghittoni/c.malfatti/b.dorella)
stefano ghittoni: beats, and samples. bruno dorella: gtr. francesco giampaoli: bass. cesare malfatti: rhodes and micro modular.
7. venere (s.ghittoni/c.malfatti)
stefano ghittoni: beats. cesare malfatti: beats, bass and keys..
8. saturno (s.ghittoni/a.gramentieri/f.giampaoli)
stefano ghittoni: beats. antonio gramentieri: gtrs. francesco giampaoli: bass, double bass, gtr, moog farfisa synthorchestra. diego sapignoli: drums, percussions. francesco valtieri: baritone sax, melodica.
9. sergio leone asteroid (s.ghittoni/c.malfatti)
stefano ghittoni: beats, samples, and keys.. cesare malfatti: gtr. geppi cuscito: gtr and bass: luciano cantone : vibraphone.
10. instrumental hip hop is back (s.ghittoni/g. ferrario)
stefano ghittoni: beats, samples, piano and keys.. giovanni ferrario: gtr and bass.
11. light time tales (s.ghittoni/c.malfatti)
stefano ghittoni: beats. and samples. cesare malfatti: beats, bass and keys.
12. agnone bagni d’inverno (s.ghittoni)
stefano ghittoni: beats, samples, and keys.. geppi cuscito: bass.
13. marte (s.ghittoni/c.malfatti)
stefano ghittoni: beats and samples.. cesare malfatti: gtr and beats.
14. love story (s.ghittoni/c.malfatti)
stefano ghittoni: samples and piano. cesare malfatti: gtrs, keys, bass and beats.
1,2,3,4,5,8,10,12 produced by Stefano Ghittoni 6.7,9,11,13,14 produced by Stefano Ghittoni and Cesare Malfatti photos by Giorgio Possenti.

Thanks a lot to Jessica Lauren, Sacri Cuori, Ronin, Francesco Giampaoli, Antonio Gramentieri, Bruno Dorella, Giovanni Ferrario, Geppi Cuscito, Francesco Borrelli, Maria Arena, Giorgio Possenti and Raffaele Costantino.

Radios Shows

News