Landmark minimal new age session from Milanese percussionist Lino Capra Vaccina. Antico Adagio was recorded in 1978 after Vaccina's stint in Italian experimental fusion troupe Aktuala. Apart from a few violin parts and the extraordinary vocal lines (sung by Vaccina himself and Juri Camisasca), Antico Adagio is a percussion record through and through, but a world away from traditional "percussion records," squeezing sublime soundscapes out of vibraphone, marimba and gong. Here's an excerpt from Kieren Hebden AKA Four Tet's liner notes: "There are records I have found in my life that I was almost wishing existed before hearing them. Recordings with new combinations of sound and atmosphere I knew could be wonderful to me if I ever discovered them, and then on discovery the sound was even better than I could have imagined. I felt this way when first hearing music by Alice Coltrane (Journey to Satchidananda) and Don Cherry (Organic Music Society) and I also felt it with Antico Adagio. The combinations of the rhythms and melodies resonate with me in a very clear way and I feel transported by this music every time I hear it. I first heard this record when it was posted on the Mutant Sounds blog a few years ago and am very happy to see it get another release. The music is timeless and brilliant and maybe there are other people out there wishing for a sound like this too, who will now have chance to find it."

• 2017 vinyl pressing
• includes printed insert with liner notes from Four Tet
• music label: Die Schachtel 2017

reviewed by mayor of hounslow 09/2017