I Sincopatici - 2026 - La Corazzata Potemkin

(40:45; I Sincopatici)

I Sincopatici are an ensemble based in Milan, Italy, who were formed by Francesca Badalini (piano, electric guitar) with the aim of re-scoring early 20th Century silent movies. They have been collaborating with Cineteca Italiana since 1999 and have worked on  famous movies such as ‘Nosferatu’, ‘Metropolis’ and ‘The Cabinet of Dr Caligari’ as well as some which are less well-known such as ‘Seven Footprints to Satan’, ‘The Lost World’ and ‘New Babylon’. The group have been concentrating on undertaking live shows through Italy, and this is only their second album, following on from ‘Decimo Cerchio’ where Claudio Milan guested on vocals. Along with Badalini, bassist Andrea Grumelli played on that release, and this time the line-up is completed by Silvia Maffeis (violin) and Teo Ravelli (drums, live electronics).

Here they have taken as their subject the 1925 Russian film, ‘Battleship Potëmkin’, which is based on the true story of a crew who mutinied in Odessa in 1905. Interestingly, it is not the first time that it has been used as a musical reference in recent years, as Pet Shop Boys undertook something similar (but very different) in 2005. As one expects from the silent movie era, this music was played live in the studio, no overdubs or retakes and works incredibly well both as a standalone set (which is how I listened to it the first few times) or when playing the movie itself. AI has been used to “colour” (it’s not brilliant) the original film, and along with the new music has been given a vibrancy which makes it fascinating. The footage of the shot mother accidentally pushing her baby’s pram down the steps and the violence which immediately follows is both deep and shocking, with the music taking it to a new level.

The result is piece of art which has taken the film and lifted it to a new level, and while it is very unlikely I will ever see I Sincopatici perform here in New Zealand, I would imagine the experience would be like when I saw Goblin play the soundtrack to ‘Suspiria’ some years back, which was wonderful. This album stands on its own as a modern soundtrack with heavy classical intent or to be played as accompaniment when watching the film. Either way, this is another wonderfully solid album which I have thoroughly enjoyed. 

Kev Rowland, July 2026

Links:
https://www.facebook.com/I.Sincopatici