Pitti Galaxy, Planet Funk | rolling stone italy

In space no one can hear you scream, the famous claim that launched the Alien saga into theaters. Maybe, it could be. But if Lt. Ripley, played by an accomplished Sigourney Weaver, had access to Planet Funk’s conduit, her battle with the evil Xenoform would have been less insidious. Six years of silence that kept Planet Funk off the scene, a global drama, a deafening void created by the Covid 19 pandemic and a personal one, the tragic death of bassist and founding member of the band, Sergio Della Monica. Fast forward to today, we’ve left the pandemic behind and Planet Funk are responding to the new desire to dance and socialize and they do it the way they know how: with a new high-profile album, Produced by Senzo Townshend (a real veteran, already working with holy demons like U2 and the Rolling Stones, even if we have to wait until next autumn) and a series of live shows that will endear him to his enthusiastic fans Will bring back An appointment that marks Planet Funk’s return to style, winks at the fashion world during one of the most anticipated moments by fashion victims around the world: the Florentine week of Pitti Uomo. The Tuscan-Campion training, active since the late 90s, will in fact be the protagonist of the program launched by the US Polo Association, the official brand of the United States Polo Association (manufactured and distributed in Europe by licensee Incum). Montecatini in relation to the clothing line) next June 14 is set for one of the most evocative Florentine settings, the Torrigiani Gardens, the former site of the first fashion show held in our country. Planet Funk will present their new show during the evening, presented as a hybrid of live and electronic music, featuring the voices of Dan Black (with whom they famously recorded Who Said) and Alex Uhlmann. Are. We find Marco Baroni on keyboards while Domenico Canu takes care of the guitars. The electronic part is, as always, entrusted to Alex Neri, a longtime DJ and part of the artistic direction of the historic Florentine club Tenex. We caught up with him to chat about what’s cooking up at Planet of Funk.

Hi Alex! How are you and Planet Funk?
We come by a path, to the planet, long and arduous. Six years ago we were recording a new album and in the middle of the album we lost a member, Sergio Della Monica. We are obviously suffering from the loss of a friend, we have been a family for 20 years, amidst the pain and the reorganization of the band we found ourselves in a dark moment. We thought about finishing the album without Sergio but also about ending PF’s career. One was the Covid period which was another tough time for everyone including me. But it was also a moment of reflection: once the pandemic was over, we got together and finished and restarted the part of the album that we wrote together with Sergio and then we started working on an album. co-wrote a series of unreleased songs to be out this fall. We have found the right motivation to start again.

What can you tell us about the new record?
The next single after World’s End, still a song by Alex Uhlmann, is called Any Giving Day, out now. On the wave of the single we will do a summer tour and then in autumn, with the release of the album, a winter tour in the most suitable places for this line-up, we will also see what the market offers us.

Is it fair to say that Disc is the son of grief?
He is not a son of sorrow in my opinion, but a son of rebirth and transformation. I believe in their oriental vision of mourning, death is understood as a transition to a new life rather than the end of it. The death of a certain type of Planet Funk, the beginning of a new course. Among other things, the album will also mark the debut of a new singer. So Planet Funk is different but faithful to our DNA. If someone hears us, he always recognizes us. He is our voice. We – and I say this not as a boast but as a fact – have always been a very conscientious group, we’ve always made records when a need arose from within, we did it according to contracts or recording standards. Never done for. And when we met again everything was born in a very natural way.

What can you tell us about the collaboration with Senzo Townshend?
that was lucky. We made this record the old fashioned way, locked in a home studio where we wrote, arranged but didn’t mix it. Then we sent the mix to Senzo who we met in London during the first period of our album and his work is a huge added value. There’s a sound in the mix now.. you know, I was told on the first single that we sound like Depeche Mode..

Well that’s a compliment.
It is, but then I understood why. He’s the author of a good 80% of Depeche’s mixes, so the approach to vocals is also common to them, so that’s where the similarity comes from.. It wasn’t some demand, to understand each other. . But come on, I think it’s a compliment (laughs)!

Did you get to see Senjo’s work or did the production happen at different locations?
It happened partially in different places but I also saw them working.

Were you able to steal any secrets from him?
But, you know, more than stealing his secrets, we must steal his machinery. His technique is insane too, mind you, he has a way of mixing that I would define as artistic, especially in terms of approach. He takes the mix and basically brings it all analog, watching him work is an experience.
Not to mention his studio, which is gorgeous and which I think is Ed Sheeran. It’s absurd to watch him work and you realize that, for us self-educated people, his work is just another job, it’s another kind of mix. Then, of course, you will judge for yourself.

Which toy are you most jealous of?
A range of compressors that are amazing. all valves. I have seen many manufacturers, even very good ones, working, but they are different, their method of mixing is almost a system.

How healthy is the clubbing scene?
See, I predicted this during Covid..the world of clubbing is now split in half: on one hand the superstars who are practically unreachable given the cachet they demand, and the other half of the world who Instead is Super Underground, created by serious people, super passionate about vinyl and we, like Tennex, have built this year’s poll into an event focused on discovering the names of the future. We were among the first in Italy to create Loco Dice, Peggy Gow, Marco Carola and so today we think it is no longer the case to mention a few names that have now taken the place of EDM in the world, and we consider ourselves Threw into this scene has given us great satisfaction. There is an audience of young people who are very attentive to new scenes and good music: it really gives me hope and has also given me the privilege of being able to re-open a market for myself, because on the other hand, I would A dead DJ, honestly. So cool that there was a possibility to change, explore and jump into a new world. But we’re not the only ones who have embraced the cause: Cocoricò itself will be doing programming at Titilla this summer that is very similar to what we did at Tenax this year. So that means that the club, the real club scene, is getting closer to research, to being underground, what is its true nature.

What can you tell us instead of the live scene? Tickets are increasingly a luxury item and many small and medium-sized names have chosen not to tour due to lack of sufficient economic benefit.
As far as we are concerned, I must say that the hybrid solution we have adopted allows us to reduce many costs: I am fully aware of the difficulties of live performances, but I am also aware of the economic difficulties of our country I am also aware The truth is that we struggle to keep pace with some foreign countries. And consequently the live shows too. The cost of which is very high now and if the raw material is increased by 30% as has happened, it is impossible to make it a business for the promoters but also for the players.

Do you want to share any thoughts about Sergio?
For me, speaking personally, he was a mentor, an elder brother. It has made me grow as a human being, even from a cultural point of view it has made me learn a lot. He raised me as a producer, when I met him I was 29, I was very young. We shared a lot, for me the experience with him was more than just sharing a stage. Sharing studies is probably almost like being..maybe it is more than being a wife! (Laughs) A person with incredible values ​​who I really respect a lot.

When did you first play at Pitti Party?
I think the first was in ’93, still in the ’90s the historic Florentine club Meccano.

Tell us the craziest thing that happened to you at one of these parties.
I’ve always loved the melting pot of pitty parties, there are 50 year olds, but there are also 20 year olds, the gay world and the straight world, all very much wanting to party together, and it’s kind of real feature of the event. I remember one incredible party where, at 3:30 in the morning, I found a nun at the console.

Nun!?
Yes, because there is a convent above where we were playing and the nun asked me to turn the volume down. But smiling eh!

Well, she’s still a nun.
it was super cool it seemed sister Act,

About Us Polo Assn.
US Polo Association. is the official brand of the United States Polo Association (USPA), the non-profit governing body of the sport of polo in the United States and one of the oldest governing bodies in the sport, founded in 1890. With an imprint of a multi-billion dollar global business and distribution through the US Polo Association, approximately 1,100 retail stores worldwide. and thousands of department stores, as well as sporting goods, independent retailers and e-commerce channels, the US Polo Association. Offers men’s, women’s and children’s clothing as well as accessories and footwear in over 190 countries around the world. US Polo Association. Was named among the top five sports licensees in 2022, according to License Global. For more information, visit uspoloassnglobal.com and follow @uspoloassn.

About INCOM
Incom was founded in 1951 in Montecatini Terme (PT) and manages under license the apparel sector of the US Polo Assn. and produces and distributes important clothing brands all over the world. In addition, Incom is one of the main suppliers of military and paramilitary clothing for the Italian State, made with exclusive Float proprietary patents for floating fabrics for uniforms and technical clothing. Since January 2008, the US Polo Assn. producing and distributing men’s, women’s, children’s clothing, underwear and beachwear in Europe under the brand, which continues to grow sales. For more information: www.incomitaly.com.