TUN Torino Unlimited Noise – New Door (Jazz-o-Tech, JOT018) – Interview

Hello Gianni, Fabio and Mattia,
thank you for taking the time to do this interview!

First of all, for those who don’t know about you yet, can you please introduce yourself to our readers?
Hello everyone! TUN is an Italian trio based in Turin and we are a Techno Jazz band. The Unlimited Noise is the continuous buzz of the city, with its cool underground art scene.

Who is behind TUN?
We are Gianni Denitto on saxophone and electronics effects, Fabio Giachino on piano and synthesizer and Mattia Barbieri on acoustic and electronic drums

When did you meet?
We have known each other for more than ten years. We studied together at the music academy and we have shared similar paths during the years playing in different bands.

When did you start the project?
TUN was born about three years ago.

We were all busy with our personal commitments but we found a common purpose in mixing and shaking electronic music with our jazz education. This, together with our longtime friendship, prompted us to conceive this project.

What’s your individual musical background?
Our musical background is deeply rooted in jazz music. However, each of us had a different path. Gianni first began studying classical clarinet at the Conservatory, then he discovered the saxophone, jazz and electronics. Fabio was born as a classical organist and then continued with jazz, piano and electronic keyboards. Mattia developed his language by first becoming a jazz drummer, and then gradually opening his influences to different music fields such as rock, pop and electronics.

Please describe your sound a little bit.
Our sound is made up of two sides. On the one hand, we are inspired by the typical harsh sounds that techno music is based on. On the other hand, we refer to the improvised acoustic patterns involved in jazz music

Some of your biggest influences are?
The list of references is rather long. Among all the heroes we loved the most on our journey, we would certainly like to mention Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Jeff Mills and Floating Points

Tell us about your new album “New Door“.
Porta Nuova (“New Door“ in English) is the name of the main railway station in Turin, our city, that has always been a crossroads of departures for new adventures, encounters, unexpected directions.  Besides, It is also the manifesto of the sound we have achieved over the years, a new door for a new sound.

How did it come together?
Each song was inspired by images, sounds and noises suggested by the different parts of our city, according to our personal point of view.

What did you use to produce it?
Basically, we mixed our acoustic instruments like saxophone and drums with some synths and samples that best suited our sonic ideas, playing each part live.

How did you record?
Once the setup was ok, we played all the instruments without any sequencer, relying only on our technical skills just like in a live concert.
( The album is released by Jazz-o-Tech (Milan/Berlin) ).

How did this connection come across?
The connection came across through social media. We wrote a direct message to the Jazz O Tech Instagram page and they luckily replied! We wrote them because we have the same goal: to mix jazz and techno. We immediately started to work together, and it’s going on better and better.

How are you performing on stage?
On stage, we play with special Hi-Fi headphones produced called “Spirit Torino”. In this way, we can better hear all the details of the sounds created live during the show.  We are all connected via Midi to synch patterns, delays and other effects to a common clock/tempo.

Which setup/gear are you using?
Gianni plays the saxophone with a piezo microphone, connected to several effects including harmonizer, delay, reverb, loop machine and Kaoss Pad. Fabio plays two synthesizers, a Moog Sub 37 and a Nord Stage, one for the bass lines and the other one for pads and leads. Mattia plays an acoustic drum and a Roland drum pad.

Any differences to your recording in the studio?

Our previous album “Jason” was recorded live in the studio, with no overdubbing at all. “New door” was recorded during the lockdown, in separate tracks and different moments. This is why we wanted to give a different sound from a direct recording, which is typical of jazz albums.

How do you deal with the current situation with no gigs allowed?

The past months have been difficult to manage, but now we feel excited because we have planned different summer concerts in Italy. We are also waiting for playing abroad when the pandemic situation will be better.

Tell us a little about the Jazz/Electronic scene in Italy.

The Jazz/Electronic scene in Italy is GROWING and we are happy to see a new wave of young musicians who can really play jazz but with an open mind and an open eye to the new sounds of electronic music.

Many festivals like Jazz Re:Found and Locus are very careful and support the scene. Personally, we have some Italian mentors: one is Gianluca Petrella, a great jazz trombone player.

How is that going for you in “normal days“?

On normal days we would love to play for an audience that can dance freely. And this helps us to better convey the feeling of our music.

Which events are you performing?

We have planned some summer concerts around Italy. Some are “Jazz on the Road” in Brescia, “Mammut Festival” in Arezzo, “Polinote” Festival in Pordenone, “Fano Jazz by the sea”. Lots of summer festivals are now planning their lineup, so we are waiting for more shows!

Have you adapted your creative/productive process during the pandemic?

During the pandemic, each of us focused on improving the skills on his own instrument. At the same time, we have produced several videos and new songs in our home studios. Take a look at our social networks to see the result!

How did it affect your life? How do you make it through?
The pandemic heavily impacted all musicians, but we kept producing and composing. We tried to move our activities in alternative directions: teaching, recording and composing soundtracks for production music. But still, we are mainly live musicians, and we can’t wait to start again playing for our fans!

Which future releases/projects we can expect from you?
We are working on three new songs with special guests, singers. And in 2022 we are planning a brand new show dedicated to Giorgio Moroder. A big challenge, don’t you think?

Go for it, boys! 

Our Friday selection:
TUN Torino Unlimited Noise – New Door (Jazz-o-Tech, at. No. JOT018)
The game-changing Jazz-o-Tech label continues to establish its unique sound with a new album from returning favourites TUN aka Torino Unlimited Noise. This cutting-edge techno-jazz band offers seven more thrilling hybrids that are primed and ready

for the return of dance floor action.

Italian collective Torino Unlimited Noise is at the forefront of this new sound, drawing on the history of jazz and futurism of techno to cook up brand new sounds that are challenging yet compelling. The band is made up of Gianni Denitto on sax, effects and loops, Fabio Giachino on synth and Mattia Barbieri on drums and drum pads. They are virtuoso live performers who have worked on international collaborations with Richard Galliano, Zion Train, Randy Brecker, Flavio Boltro and others, and they never fail to get their audiences in raptures.

The excellent ‚New Door‘ kicks the album off and is an intense and energetic track with booming bass and glitchy hits all run through with freeform jazz sax, modal melodies and a true sense of musical expression. ‚Sahara‘ is a hyperspeed workout with impressive live drums. Sci-fi synths and a noodling lead sax weave their way in and out of the busy arrangement and take you on a real trip. ‚City Card‘ is another expressionist live piece that ebbs and flows on tumbling drums, walking bass and gentle sax stabs, while Peacefulness provides a chance to catch your breath amongst more soothing keys and sax lines. ‚Tunz‘ combines perfectly the physical power of techno – thanks to the booming drum work – and the improvised, unrestrained nature of jazz. The high-powered ‚Unlimited Noise‘ is like Detroit techno played by an ensemble of paranoid jazz musicians, and closer ‚Balon‘ rides up and down on lurching broken beats, with withering saxophone and frazzled bass all-consuming your soul.

This is a hugely inventive and accomplished album of perfectly hybridised sounds from one of the most exciting bands in the underground.

Jazz-o-Tech is a label that draws on the rich heritage of two of the most visionary and experimental genes in music: jazz and techno. Taking inspiration from the freeform creative nature of those two musical worlds, artists on the label mix tradition with modernity, improvisation with experimentation, and create a new sound known as techno-jazz.

Modern music needs to be ambitious. It must aim to deliver a musical message which is one step beyond what has already been heard. It must take you on a new musical journey into unknown dimensions and emotions.

This is the Jazz-o-Tech mission.

Tracklist: TUN Torino Unlimited Noise – New Door (Jazz-o-Tech, at. No. JOT018)

01. New Door
02. City Card
03. Sahara
04. Peacefulness
05. Tunz
06. Unlimited Noise
07. Balon

Buy release: Digital
Listen on: Spotify // YouTube

Connect with the artist:
📷 Instagram
👤 Facebook

Follow the label:
📷 Instagram
👤 Facebook
Website

Discover more great music from Jazz-o-Tech.