Alessio Riccio’s Metalanguage Unit

I remember the first time I came across Italy’s Alessio Riccio, I was blown away by the look of his set up. It was as much a sculpture as it was a drum kit. My immediate reaction was, Here’s somebody who’s serious about drumming. I need to hear him play. And when I heard him I wasn’t disappointed. Alessio’s playing is so free of the usual drumming clichés that everybody else seems to be locked into. His unique approach has as much to do with sound as it does rhythm. As I was to find out later, this set up was the result of various experiments to find something that was able to release his inner vision of music.

He’s a deep thinker (just check out the essays on his website at http://www.alessioriccio.com/). Ask a question and you are likely to get a protracted answer that talks not only of drums and music, but painting, sculpture, and a good dose of philosophy.  Like fellow Italian drummer, Andrea Centazzo, he’s a true renaissance man. He’s also a loyalist, having worked extensively with Italian cymbal makers UFIP since 1990, and drum makers Drumsound since 1995, to create his unique instruments over the years. He’s also had renowned Italian cymbal maker, Roberto Spizzichino build some special metal drums from his specifications.

The Metal Language Unit contains some 16 drums, 37 cymbals/bells/Gongs/metals, and 11-foot pedals. At first glance it’s easy to compare him to say, Terry Bozzio or Grant Collins, but Alessio has his own thing happening. He also uses electronics, like looping pedals, to layer sounds and create a one-man percussion ensemble.

A rather late bloomer in drumming, he started playing just before his 17th birthday. He studied extensively with various teachers and at the Conservatory in his hometown of Firenze. He earned 2 scholarships to the Berklee college of Music in Boston, 1 to Drummer’s Collective in NYC, and various ones in his native Italy. While at Berklee he won the prize for outstanding musicianship, and also he also won the Modern Drummer magazine/Drummer’s Collective International Drummer award, as well as various awards in Italy.

He has worked with such diverse artists as Steve Lacy, Tim Berne, Carla Bley, Evan Parker, and many others. Alessio has released 5 unique original CDs on his own Unorthodox Recordings and has been featured in many drum magazines. This interview was conducted via the Internet.

When did you first envision the idea/concept for The Metalanguage Unit (TMU), and what inspired it?

It was more or less around 1996, when I started to empirically experiment with the layout of the elements which made up my set. I just couldn't figure out why almost all drummers use the classical arrangement, which dates back to the Swing Era of the 1930s. That's when I started the long digression, by way of hundreds of experiments that would lead to the present day configuration and fifth version of TMU. It's extremely difficult to clearly define what inspired it. Perhaps the need for innovation, and the resulting transformation in terms of technique and timbre, was the prevailing factor. Examples like [composer] John Cage and his concept of the preparation of the instruments, or [artist] Paul Klee and his magnificent Twischter Machine, or even [Japanese drumming ensemble] Kodo's explosive and disciplined physicality, come to mind, all influences which have little to do with drumming.

In creating it, what were your thoughts? [Was this a fully formed vision in your mind, or did you start with say, a standard drum kit and experiment / add from there]

I had an overall, general vision of the Macchina Vivente (Living Machine), which is the name/concept that I've given to the latest version of TMU, that which evolved from the dimension of Sculptura Sonora (Sound Sculpture). This vision lacked definition and clear contours, but it was extremely strong in terms of sensory perception: where musician and instrument were physically interconnected and the ergonomic solutions adopted to create music were definitely children of TMU's characteristics. Obviously this caused a painful, but necessary, revision of the techniques that up until that moment defined my dimension as a drummer.

When did you first realize "this is it! " (the more or less 'final' or working version - I know that as in my set up, it is always evolving), and what was the occasion? Also, how did you feel at the time, or what did you think about the experience?

I believe that the fifth and latest version is essentially very similar to the original idea: to the vision of the completed and operative Macchina Vivente. I am presently still working on some minor changes and additions but its evolution per se is more than defined. It was apparent to me immediately, that it was not just a matter of drum work, but rather a complete metamorphosis on my part as a musician as well as the consequent rediscovery of the fundamental sensations that bind me to music.

In working/playing with the TMU, how has your perspective as a drummer and musician changed?

I'd say that using such a vast set with its richness in tonalities and executable variants, has determined an even more precise artistic direction. To apply TMU to a musical context which is stylistically predefined wouldn't make much sense. I could easily play a normal set. It exists for my music, or better yet, for my concept of music, which is passionate and iconoclastic. As I said before, the drummer that I used to be, no longer is: a new one has emerged, born of the Sculptura Sonora/Macchina Vivente. Although I felt a bond with the instrument, I had to completely reinvent myself as a drummer. Naturally, it follows that even though my creativity rests upon a strong conceptual structure, I don't rationally analyze the music which is "played". Interconnecting myself with the Macchina Vivente, I become "another" drummer and my perspective has, from that moment on, perforce, radically changed.

What has been the reaction from other musicians and the public to TMU?

It has been of extreme interest, in every area. Obviously those who like NuJazz are reasonably used to being surprised. Even many of my colleagues, musicians who work in more "traditional" areas, have shown a great deal of curiosity and have manifested esteem. I also seem to have met with the approval of both the public and the critics. The [Italian drum] magazine Percussioni, a specialized publication, dedicated a front cover to TMU in May 2002!

You worked closely with both UFIP & Drum Sound, what was their input (if any) and how did that help shape the construction of it?

Both UFIP and Drum Sound have played a fundamental role, guaranteeing constant and quality creative support. I'd go as far as to say that the interaction with both provided for yet another stimulus towards the creation of TMU and consequent process of musical emancipation. With the president of UFIP, Luigi Tronci, there is an extraordinary rapport: we have been working together since 1990. The better part of the research dedicated to the creation of prototypes and the addition of metallic percussion to normal drum kits has become an integral part of TMU. Drum Sound, in the person of Luca Deorsola, president and founder of the factory, has proven to be of valuable support since 1995, providing drums which have met my specifications. This type of support has been precious, especially at the beginning, the phase animated by what Freud defined as the “impulse to destroy", a phase in which I felt the need to flee from the sound of traditional drum sets. His capacity to provide drums of varying sizes has been decisive not only in terms of sound, but also in terms of artistic motivation.

Epilogue

How often do we come across a true original artist? Alessio Riccio stands out among today’s drummers as being original in both his approach to music, and the music he makes. You owe it to yourself to check out his website, and check out his music.