2. INFO
Country: Italy - Labels: Jestrai/EdisonBox
Bass, drums and flute vs. sequencers.
We can certainly say everything and its opposite about Mambo Melon music. They're unconventional and out of the box.
The lineup: drums, bass and a synth modulated flute follow the sequencer and samples.
MATH yes but without loose sight of the song form
NOISE yes but made with flute and a resonant filter
EXPERIMENTAL yes but not just ending in itself
INSTRUMENTAL yes but with voice samples
MASHUP yes but just a little bit
POST ROCK yes but in the past listenings
Mambo Melon are from Cuneo (Italy), they have released 3 full lenght album and they had over a hundred gigs all'over Italy, France and Spain. The last album called "tre" was released in 2022 by Jestrai, Vollmer and EdisonBox records
4. BIO
Born as a duo MAMBO MELON have now updated the line-up. They're actually a trio: Gabriele Grosso (bass, sampler and synth), Marco Bognanni (drums) and Giacomo Abbà (flute, loops and synth)
The basic idea was born in november 2009.
Formerly members of Instrumental Quarter, whereby they toured several times in the USA and in Europe and released two records for Sickroom Rec (Chicago) and for Stiffslack rec (Japan) they strongly needed to have their own project, mixing powerful drumming, electronics, synths, and sound manipulation.
After watching the documentary "RIP!: A Remix Manifesto" about copy-left subculture, they decided to put in their music a massive use of mashup samples together with a powerful rhythmic section.
Mambo Melon set is unusual: the bass player drives electronics sounds with a MIDI footswitch wired to sequencers, and the audio channels are splitted between a valve tube amp and a monitor side.
The drummer follows and gives the tempo as the same time.
This setup allows Mambo Melon to play bass and drums together with electronic loops without using any headphone click but giving off a lot of punk energies.
In 2010 the band lived isolated in the mountains of north west of Italy composing new songs. After that they intensely toured north of Italy.
Meanwhile in june 2011 they released the1st record called S.P.Aan ep of 6 track produced by EDISONBOX Rec.
During the last part of 2011 and 2012 they had gigs in every corner of the north Italy: from Trieste to Turin touching Milano, Genova, Bologna and more. At the same time Mambo Melon started to produce the new songs where they renewed themselves again : they were making loops live and play drums and bass at the same time.
2103 and 2104 still touring in Italy and in the south of France.
In june 2014 they start to record the new album called "Metro Jungle". This album was produced by JESTRAI/FACTUM EST RECORDS on march 2015 in a limited edition. The cover is hand-drawn, screen printed and painted one by one. Eight new songs full of post-modernism in an unconventional packaging.
2015 touring again trough Italy and France and promoting the new album.
Spring 2016 the new single out from FACTUM EST REC. called Bill Calò and promotional mini tour from the Alps to the Pyrenees touching Spain for the 1st time.
2017: new songs arriving, with unexpected sounds and solutions (FM synth and analog filters). Mini Tour in the South of Italy in April (touching Rome, Naples, Lamezia Terme and Avellino) as well as some gigs across northern Italy (including Turin, Milan).
May 2017: Mambo Melon were nominated as one of the best Live act on the Keeponlive Italian'zine
From May 2018: composing the new songs.
March 2019 they release their 3° full lenght album. The album is called "Il bestiario" and is produced by EdisonBox Rec. and Jestrai rec. They merge more and more diferent instrumental genres such as psych, funk, electronics, prog, jazz giving life to something that certainly could not be easily labeled. A new tour follow promoting the new album.
November 2019 France mini tour touching the north: Lille and Paris
2020-21 Despite the COVID9 health emergency and the lockdown restrictions, they could manage it working on some new ideas for a new album. During these sad times they could compose 6 new songs and had TIME to participate to "Remix this”, a contest organized by Metapop creating a remix using samples of 'Juice B Crypts' from Baattles.
November 2021 - After two years without playing live because of the Covid emergency, a little bit of freedom comes again: 2 gigs mini tour in Bologna and Pisa
March-April 2022 - The recordings of the new album begin + gigs again around Italy including touring Sicily.
We have recycled samples from:
Fugazi Offspring Kill Bill ost Eddie Vedder Steve Reich 2001 Space Odissey Mario Bros My Uncle Clock Etta James Ray Charles Def Leppard Pink Floyd Bangles Salif Keita Vinicius De Moraes Toquinho House Music Remixes Jovanotti Capoeira The Microphones Queen of the Stone Age Prince Gang of Four Janelle Monae Talkin Heads Frankie Goes To Hollywood Gossip The Police De Andrè Beastie Boys James Brown Chemical Brothers Imagination Barry White Edoardo Vianello Sonny Rollins SNSD The Last Poets Supercar theme At The Drive In The Queen Tha Cars INXS June of 44 and more.....
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