Italian vocalist Boris Savoldelli is one of those musical wonders who can do amazing things with his voice. In addition to his lead vocals, Savoldelli uses pedals and other electronic effects devices to create vocal harmonies, looped human beatbox percussion and other vocal parts. He has two sides to his music, a melodic and more accessible side which he calls his ‘light side,’ and a darker, more experimental side. In this case we are discussing his two ‘light’ albums.
Insanology was the debut album by Boris Savoldelli. This independent recording was originally released and distributed in Italy by BFT Records. Insanology presented the artistic ability of Salvadolli for the first time. He meticulously combined overdubbed vocals with human beatbox effects, jazz, soul and circular songs inspired by Bobby McFerrin as well as traces of Italian, pop and classical music. It was primarily a solo effort, even though two tracks feature guitarist Marc Ribot.
Most of the material on Insanology was composed by Salvofelli, except for the Jimi Hendrix piece titled ‘Crosstown Traffic’ and ‘In the Seventh Year’ by Mark Murphy and Uli Rennert. Vocals are in English and Italian.
Biocosmopolitan, released in 2011, reveals an even more exciting vocal cocktail. This time, Boris Savoldelli adds even more exquisite layers of harmonies, looped vocal beats, and lead vocals. He also added more musicians, including rising trumpet virtuoso Paolo Fresu and renowned fusion bassist Jimmy Haslip (Yellowjackets; Allan Holdsworth; Holdsworth / Pasqua / Haslip / Wackerman).
On Insanology and Biocosmopolitan, composer, singer and innovator Boris Savoldelli takes the human voice to uncharted territory. It’s music that is groundbreaking, yet engaging at the same time.
Buy Insanology
Buy Biocosmopolitan
Other releases available: Protoplasmic
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
