Kalascima / Italy
The fervent Italian tradition from Salento, Puglia region in the south-western Italy combined with modern sounds. It is said that the band’s name is based on a local dialect and is a combination of words “good” and “evil” into one. For several years now the audiences worldwide could appreciate the high quality of the band’s music, as apart from Europe, the band also went to Australia, Ecuador, Israel, Japan and the United States.
Their style can be described as the combination of elements of traditional music - tarantella in particular - and world music with indie folk, broadly understood alternative music and psychedelia. The uniqueness of the band’s style can be confirmed by listening to their albums, Santa Maria Del Foggiaro and Psychedelic Trance Tarantella, the latter featuring Ludovico Einaudi, an acclaimed Italian pianist and composer. The album has garnered many enthusiastic reviews and remained high on the global world music charts, such as the World Music Chart Europe or the American World CMJ Radio Chart.
Kalàscima combines taranta - old traditional ritual dance music - with modern electric and electronic solutions. The explosive, energetic and captivating Kalàscima also uses many interesting, fascinating and original local instrument, such as the bagpipes, traditional flutes or the organetto - a widely used Italian folk instrument, similar to the accordion. The band’s sound is also enriched by a wide spectrum of percussion instruments from all over the world, including riq or darbouka, combined with strong vocal harmonies and the sound of modern instruments, such as bass guitar or a looper, allowing them to loop some musical themes in a trance-like manner.
The old and traditional combines and intermingles with modernity, and the result of it, according to the musicians itself, is a highly explosive trans-folk musical mix.
Riccardo Laganà – drums, tambourine, vocals
Luca Buccarella – organetto
Massimiliano De Marco – guitar, mandolin, Irish bouzouki, ukulele
Federico Laganà – frame drums, cajon, darbouka, background vocals
Riccardo Basile – bass, background vocals, live electronics
Aldo Iezza – bagpipes, double calabrian flute, tin whistle, flute, xaphoon
The concert took place in 2016.