Leonardo Barbadoro, formerly known by his electronic moniker Koolmorf Widesen, is an Italian musician and producer based in Florence. The highly versatile artist released his song and video, ‘Bomi’ on the 22nd of September, via Helical records. The track, having already received support from electronicgroove, comes off his highly-anticipated album Musica Automata, an LP comprised of orchestral music performed entirely by robots. With the official LP recently garnering support from musictech, the initial project and concept, launched a few years ago, gained serious mainstream attention from publications such as Red Bull, Vice, RaiNews, and CNN Indonesia. In addition to this, as Koolmorf Widesen, he has performed alongside the likes of Apparat, Venetian Snares, DJ Spooky and 808 State.
Just under 2 minutes in length, ‘Bomi’ is a short and sharp experimental appetizer for what is to come when Musica Automatica is delivered in its entirety. A vast array of orchestral instruments, both conventional and unconventional, create layers and textures rooted in acoustic sound sources that resonate in natural spaces – and they are all played by carefully-programmed robots. There is an assortment of pipe organs, piano and bells playing a motif while other melodic instruments playfully weave in and out of the fray, while castanets and tambourines hold down a minimal rhythm. The accompanying video is a helpful visualizer to the listener, showcasing the sheer amount of musical and technological elements at play.
“Musica Automata represents a turning point in my compositional and instrumental research,” Barbadoro states. “It is music that brings together two dimensions often perceived as incompatible, even antithetical: the boundless expressive possibilities of electronics implemented by an acoustic instrumental body in a sensory reality, beating, vibrating, and blowing”.
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