Foja - Along the Tracks of Contamination

The word “foja” describes the energetic wave that washes over our bodies whenever something happens, that powerful sensation that seizes the senses, that “switches us on” in some way, sometimes unexpectedly. Now apply that musical meaning to the noblest of folkloric contaminations and you'll get an idea of the sound of Foja, a band from Naples fronted by Dario Sansone (voice and guitar), and made up of Giovanni Schiattarella (drums), Giuliano Falcone (electric bass) and Ennio Frongillo (electric guitar). One of those bands capable of winning everyone over: young and old, nostalgics and modernists alike. After their third LP, “’O treno che va”, an impressive run of live shows and all sorts of artistic collaborations, the Neapolitan band has decided to step beyond national borders. Accompanied by producer Luigi Scialdone (guitars and electric mandolin), Foja are touring Europe for the first time with their music built on tradition, rock and songwriting. A sound that constantly aims for linguistic fusions and Latin influences, all while never forgetting Neapolitan tradition. For the occasion, we caught up with them – through Dario Sansone – to have them tell us about their decade-long career and this exciting new adventure…

Twelve years of music, three albums, an impressive string of live shows and performances of every kind, including a reworking of “Yes I Know My Way” by Pino Daniele for the award ceremony honoring the “Dio di Napoli” Maradona. In short, you haven't missed a beat. You've toured the length and breadth of Italy, and especially your beloved homeland, Campania. How does it feel now that you've set off “to conquer the world”? What will you bring with you on this grueling international tour? How's it going so far? You'll be playing Paris, London, Amsterdam…

We'll bring what we are, our artistic sincerity, what makes us feel alive. After so many adventures, it still feels like we're starting over each time with fresh drive and new ideas, and we remain amazed by what happens to us. The first leg of the European tour (Paris, Brussels, Cologne, Amsterdam, Liverpool, Dublin, London) was a whirlwind of emotions and encounters. Finding the clubs consistently packed and the audiences so warm and hungry for our music was a happy surprise for us, but what moved us most was the “homely” atmosphere we felt during the performances; it was like visiting relatives, bringing a bit of Naples for one night into each venue we played, and feeling at home far from home. We expect the same warmth from Barcelona and Madrid, and it's our job to keep creating energetic, passionate happenings.

You recently decided to rework the song “A qui tu appartiens”, sung together with French artist Pauline Croze, and “Dummeneca (Domingo)”, sung with Adrià Salas and played by accordionist Romain Renard, both members of the Catalan group La Pegatina, into French and Catalan versions. So, how did the idea come about to bring these two songs to life in two different languages?

It's a wide-ranging project, and we've always seen it as one with an international scope, tied to its own roots but with a spirit that's always on the move. This new path comes from the need to engage and exchange experiences with other cultures and other stories, where every artist we collaborate with can be sincere in expressing their own language. There are languages that have a history and a sound that blends wonderfully with the Neapolitan language, which is itself the offspring of centuries of contamination. Bringing all of this out in the form of a work of art is our intent.

In the track "Nunn'è cosa" you sing about a love pushed to its limit and now over. But how much have romantic relationships changed for you compared to the past? Were "things better when they were worse"?

Things are better when they're better, and you don't dwell on the past. We're an atypical band, with solid relationships; we love travelling but also finding peace in coming home, and we're always grateful to our partners for their patience in putting up with our wandering and our follies. This constant state of being in the balance is one of the secrets to keeping any kind of relationship alive.

You also appeared in Stefano Incerti's film "La parrucchiera" with a live cameo, you won an E.F.A. award for contributing to the soundtrack of Alessandro Rak's animated film "L'arte della felicità", and your very first tour coincided with the release in Austria, Germany and France of the award-winning film "Gatta Cenerentola"; it's no coincidence that Dario Sansone is one of the film's four directors, and the video for "A qui tu appartiens" is also the French trailer for the film. In short, for you, music and cinema intertwine wonderfully. How does one of your soundtracks come about? And in this specific latest case, how did it all start?

Basically, we write songs, and often these songs intersect with cinematic moments, where they can either enhance the images through music or vice versa. In the film "La Parrucchiera", for instance, Incerti drew heavily from our back catalogue, using the tracks that best suited his narrative; it was different with "A chi appartieni", a piece that came about after reading the first draft of the screenplay for "Gatta Cenerentola", initially written from a female point of view, in the first person, and later transformed into a male perspective dominated by passion.

“Te n’hanno luvato ‘e parole/ pe’ chest’ nun me parle maje/ e ‘mpietto m’he miso ‘nu core che sbatte e nun sape ‘e chi è/ nunn’è ca me sento cchiù overo si piglio e me invento ‘na via/ ma saccio ca n’omme è cchiù sulo si resta assettato a guardà”. The opening of the aforementioned "A chi appartieni" almost seems to turn contemporary loneliness into a metaphor, with time wasted in front of a screen or behind an avatar. What do the words of this song actually mean, and how did it come about? And above all: how do you relate to the web, social media dynamics and so on?

I love it when songs have a broad interpretation, where everyone can read into them whatever resonates most with their own feelings. When I write, I'm just a filter; sometimes I don't even remember what image a song sprang from, and so the real meaning of a track lies in the heart of the listener. Our relationship with social media is purely professional; new technologies, seemingly so unregulated, are still something unknown to humankind, and we're starting to see the first signs of social unease. For the first time in human history, social relationships travel across immaterial ground, and these constant impulses are transforming our minds even on a cognitive level. I wish we could all be truly free and sometimes choose to switch off notifications and social media for a day, at least enjoying the simple things that have always stirred poetry in human beings.

"The Showmen" is dedicated to Mario Musella, a towering figure of Neapolitan song who is still talked about far too little. What is your connection to Musella's music, and which is your favourite song from his catalogue?

"Che m'he fatto", the song we chose to reinterpret, is without doubt the one we fell in love with from the very first listen, a unique example of poetry, performance and sound. We know the Showmen's discography very well - the true "fathers" of "Neapolitan power" - and we've also had the honour of playing with their longtime drummer Franco del Prete, with whom we share a wonderful mutual respect. Part of our job is also to keep these songs alive for new generations, to remind people of all the beautiful things that have come out of our city.

There's a lot of talk about a "new Neapolitan scene", in other words a breath of fresh air that can be felt both through the many young (t)rappers and in projects that reinterpret tradition - I'm thinking of Nu Guinea, for example; a mix of fresh sounds spanning past, present and future. You, who love both tradition and a certain folkloric exploration, what do you make of this new wave, this rebirth, which involves not just music but other fields too - I'm thinking of Jorit's works, of Napoli being back in Serie A for several years now, of theatre, of grassroots associations and all the thriving realities in the city of sun and sea.

It's something that makes us proud; this city has always been artistically hyperactive, and it still is. What's happening now is that the spotlight is finally being turned on everything going on around us. It's no surprise - there's just work to be done so that as many people as possible can enjoy this flourishing Neapolitan moment.

How has Foja changed compared to your beginnings, what do you regret perhaps not having done, and what, on the other hand, helped shape you into what you are now?

We have no regrets; we're lucky guys. What made us Foja was hard work, and the love and care we've put into what we do for a long time now, not taking ourselves too seriously, and knowing that as long as you're yourself and honest in what you do, it's hard to have anything to regret. Basically, we're the same guys we were twelve years ago, with a lot more songs, a lot more gigs behind us, but still a mad desire to play and discover our own music.

You were the very first rock band ever to play an electric set on the stage of the Teatro San Carlo, with "Cagnasse Tutto", a show featured in the 2016 lineup of the "Napoli Teatro Festival Italy". In Naples, theatre is more alive than in any other city on the planet. What's your relationship with theatre and theatricality? Is there a play, a work of theatre in general, that you see yourselves in, or that has inspired you, perhaps in some particular way?

We love theatre that manages to speak to the people, that tells of feelings and suggestions capable of bringing ordinary people closer to culture, even through experimentation. Obviously, we can't overlook the greatest playwright our city has ever had, Eduardo De Filippo.

In your music, contemporary poetics and old-school folk spirit chase each other, mandolins and rock-style riffs, so with you the past takes on the colours of the present, while still keeping its substance incredibly fresh. What does melancholy mean to you? Is there a specific take on this particular feeling that fascinates you (especially in musical terms, but also in everyday life and in general)?

Here in Naples we have our own special "saudade", that mixed feeling of joy and sadness that lets us laugh in hard times and be moved by every kind of event. The "'a 'pucundria" we carry inside is a companion to both our poetics and our life.

"'O Treno Che Va" is the title of your latest album. How many trains have you missed so far, and which ones would you like to board instead?

So far we've always stayed on board, on our own train, which we wouldn't trade for any other means of transport, because our aim is to keep travelling and keep discovering ourselves - we'd rather crowd our own carriages than look at other trains going by.

Who are your musical guiding lights (including international ones), besides the aforementioned figures of the so-called "Neapolitan power"? What do Foja listen to in their free time?

We're quite omnivorous when it comes to music, each of us has a different background, but what we definitely love is music played with soul, able to get a message across through its lyrics and its search for sound. It's hard to name just one artist - lately I've fallen in love with the latest album by Brunori Sas, a true example of songwriting courage, but at the same time I keep going back to Dylan and Sinatra, and many international projects, like Belgium's Saul, Portugal's Dead Combo and Brazilian songwriter Rodrigo Amarante.

When will your next album come out? Do you already have any songs ready? What's cooking?

Right now we're working on this international project, we've already got about ten songs in the writing stage, but we're pretty obsessive about it - once the "'O treno che va" tour wraps up, we'll take stock of the material we've got and start work on the next album.

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