Yo Yo Mundi

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Passion, resistance, roots and innovation are the words that come to mind when describing Yo Yo Mundi, a five-piece band from Acqui Terme, a tiny spot on the hills and vineyards of Monferrato in the North of Italy.

Their musical journey is somewhere in between folk and rock. It’ s not easy to fit them in a genre because they often play with traditional as well as innovative sounds. The accordium is surely part of their sound in the best of folk traditions, although they are not your traditional folk band.

Yo Yo Mundi begin their musical journey by writing a song inspired by the European cycle race Flèche de Wallonie. Their first record comes out in 1994 titled La Diserzione degli Animali del Circo and sees the participation of Brian Ritchie and Gordon Gano of Violent Femmes and the innovative guitarist and producer Michael Brook (who worked with U2, Pogues, David Sylvian, Peter Gabriel). Brian Ritchie produces four tracks of the album, Gordon Gano sang and played violin in “Sitting in Silence”, while Michael Brook plays his infinite guitar in two songs. Unrestrained songs, born from a melancholic province, acoustic basses and accordions, pocket tales about animals escaping from the circus, contorsionists and children who in a slaughter-house discover the darkest sides of life: these are the themes of the album.

The second record is Bande Rumorose, an album with twelve new songs together with four songs of the first album completely re-arranged to make up an extraordinary melting-pot of committed songs, psycho-folk and rock. The version of “Freccia Vallona” proposed here has been played with the participation of French duo Corman&Tuscadù and in the cd there is also a version of Un Giudice, written by Fabrizio De Andrè, the great Italian songwriter.

Percorsi di Musica Sghemba comes out in 1996 and the group changes again: melancholic songs and atmospheres full of underground energy take the place of the joyful mix of the debut. The album is received with great enthusiasm from the music critics and also on this occasion the guests are international: Trey Gunn with his magic stick-bass (who collaborated also with Robert Fripp and David Sylvian) and Guy Kyser of the unforgettable Thin White Rope, who stops his long period away from the stage for Yo Yo Mundi.

During their career Yo Yo Mundi collaborated with many artists, among which Teresa de Sio (Neapolitan folk artist among the most known and important of the Mediterranean), famous Italian actress Lella Costa and many others for the project Materiale Resistente. A number of songs of the Resistance are re-arranged by Italian groups of the young generation and Yo Yo Mundi participate with the song “Banditi della Acqui”, inspired from WW2 tragedy of Cefalonia.

In 2001 they publish a completely instrumental work, Sciopero is Yo Yo Mundi’s soundtrack to Strike, Eisenstein's first silent movie. Silent cinema interaction with live music is re-explored to bring back the experience of the moving image and the tradition of live performance.

Yo Yo Mundi’s direction towards playing instrumental is maintained in 2002 when they publish their latest album Alla Bellezza dei Margini. The instrumental track titled “Monferrina 2006” is an homage to their land, Monferrato, a land of hills and vineyards in the region of Piemonte. The beauty of the peripheries of the world and their marginal actors are celebrated in this work that catches Yo Yo Mundi’s essence at its best.

In early 2004 is released “54” (MescalMateriali Musicali I cd de il Manifesto). This album is a particular and fascinating project that unifies and amazingly melts the music of Yo Yo Mundi and the Wu Ming’s novel “54” (Einaudi Stile Libero, 2002). “54” of Yo Yo Mundi is a handmade-tasting work, animated by the great civil and political passions of history. Guests of the record are the actors Marco Baliani, Giuseppe Cederna, Fabrizio Pagella and the singer of 24 Grana, Francesco Di Bella.
The band has a huge history of live performances. Taking their music on the road is such a priority that they even played in Malaysa, as well as Switzerland, Austria, France and all the main music spots in Italy for a total of over 700 gigs.

Discography

Albums:
La Diserzione degli Animali del Circo 19943 (Sciopero RecordsCpi)
Bande Rumorose 19954 (Sciopero RecordsCpi)
Percorsi di Musica Sghemba 1996 (ColumbiaSony)
L'Impazienza 1999 (NoysColumbiaSony)
Sciopero 2001 (Materiali Musicali i cd de il Manifesto)
Alla Bellezza dei Margini 2002 (Mescal)
54 - Wu Ming 2004 (MescalMateriali Musicali i cd de il Manifesto)

Singles:
Dio è Triste 2002 (Mescal)
Ambaradan 2002 (Mescal)
La Bellezza dei Margini 2002 (Mescal)
La Libertà 2003 (Mescal)

Special projects:
Musiche per una Favola 2003 (E.I.G.Sciopero Records) 11-track cd allegato a Storia del Bacicalupo Innamorato di M. Castelnuovo
La Casa del Freddo 2004 (E.I.G.Sciopero Records) 5-track cd allegato to the novel of S. Ballestrazzi: La Casa del Freddo

For contacts/info:
Mescal International – Roberta Accettulli
Tel./fax +39 02 474451 – Mob. +39 335 316695
e-mail roberta@mescal.it
Booking in Italy:
Mescal Live – Alessandro Ceccarelli
Tel./fax +39 051 5878905 – Mob. +39 335 7169140
e-mail cecca@mescal.it
International Booking:
Mescal Live – Emanuele Roveri
Tel./fax +39 051 5878905 – Mob. +39 335 5736656
e-mail lele@mescal.it