Ductia - A Blue Planet

An Arezzo-based trio devoted to sophisticated crossovers between Celtic roots, exotic sounds and electronica, Ductia have emerged as one of the most interesting Italian "world music" projects

by Claudio Fabretti

Ductia (named after a medieval two-movement dance very much in vogue in the 12th century) are a trio from Arezzo whose aim is to range across various geographical and musical territories, building a bridge in particular between the Celtic-folk sounds of the past and electronic new age. The result is a sonic blend in which ethnic or traditional instruments – such as Irish bagpipes, flutes and bouzouki – played by Massimo Giuntini (formerly of the Modena City Ramblers), rest on top of melodies, sounds and electronic loops generated by keyboards and computer, the domain of Carlo Gnocchini and Stefano Santoni, respectively keyboardist and guitarist. The outcome is a sound that combines tight rhythms and Mediterranean melodies with the more solemn atmospheres of Celtic tradition and the more rarefied settings of new age.

The band debuted in 1997 with the self-titled album Ductia, produced by the Bergamo-based cultural association "Music on". The record earned the trio several appearances on compilations bundled with the magazines "Avalon", "Keltika", "New Age & New Sounds" and "Celtica", as well as an intense run of live shows across Italy and abroad, spanning theatres, festivals, arenas and pubs.

But it was with the following album, Il Ramo d'Oro (first released in 1999 and reissued in 2001 by Nun Entertainment), that Ductia established themselves as one of the most interesting revelations in Italian world music. The album's title stems from a series of references, chief among them the celebrated ethnological treatise by the English scholar James George Frazer, a 12-volume work seen by his contemporaries as a kind of "animist" response to Darwinian theories on the origin of man. In his work, Frazer searches for a link between modern man and his barbarian ancestor, delving into sagas, legends and popular traditions. And Ductia's own "Ramo d'Oro" likewise digs its roots into the past, into the most ancient heritage of Celtic folk, while still looking firmly toward the future: avant-garde crossovers between jazz and rock, ambient and blues.

The Mediterranean world and the Celtic one thus converge into new musical territory, uniting an acoustic dimension with electronic programming. Fifty minutes of flowing harmonies, in which the most disparate influences – some rooted in Irish tradition, others far more exotic – merge into a fascinating web of crossovers, at times rhythm-driven, at times dissolving into calmer, more dreamlike fantasies. "Erme" combines the evocative sound of bagpipes with driving electronic pulses; "Caramantran" is steeped in a soft, dreamy atmosphere, dominated by a pastoral flute and an accompaniment of piano and violin, which soon gives way to surging percussion; the rhythm then grows tighter, almost tribal, on "Stirru Siccu", where the guitars occasionally take on Spanish colours, but never lapse into excessive virtuosity; while the closing "Mosaik" (featuring former Estasia member Romina Salvatori on vocals, and Massimiliano Lupo on sitar) blends Indian mysticism with dance beats. Also noteworthy is the vocal contribution of Nina Fischer, which lends the record an extra touch of exoticism.

"Listening to Ductia," explains Giuntini, "you realize that melody is the core of the sound, and melody is precisely what transcends trends. Melodies endure, beyond the sounds of the moment. We've always wanted to make music that goes beyond fashion." No concessions to the music business, then: "We're not interested in making compromises, we keep going our own way, well aware that we're not exactly... commercial."

With Blue Planet (Nun, 2003), a circular project embracing the sounds, colours and symbols of the planet, Ductia further expand the boundaries of their music, a "hybridized" new age that incorporates pop melodies and ethno touches borrowed from the World-music epic of Peter Gabriel. This legacy is particularly evident on a track like "Suspended", while "Terradelia" plays up the ethereal, evocative dimension of their sound. Mediterranean melodies, tight rhythms and Celtic echoes seal an enjoyable, elegant album, even if it grows a little monotone at times.

Meanwhile, Romina Salvadori has also joined the band on vocals.