Giorgio Moretti - it-pop Short Films

What is the most radical form of love? Perhaps the one imagined but never actually experienced. An experience that, deep down, we've all felt at least once in our lives. Giorgio Moretti, a young Roman artist with a distinct flair for filmmaking and writing, has turned it into a captivating single and video, under the artistic direction and production of Meiden, an eclectic musician who got his start in the world of EDM and has already produced some tracks on Rancore's album “Musica per bambini”. The track precedes Moretti's debut album, titled “Quasi mai”, due out in February on the Camarilla label. We took the opportunity for a chat spanning music, film and beyond.

How did the idea for “Radical Love” come about?

I wanted to play with a bit of irony on that kind of imagined falling-in-love experience. It's a song that was born and finished in a second inside my head, the way those love stories for a passerby walking alone on the other side of the street are born and die, someone who, for a moment, lets us imagine a different future together with her. And yet, in the end, we never cross that street. Not because we lack the courage, but because sometimes we prefer to travel through our imagination instead. In general, I always start from personal feelings, or from feelings of people I've known, and try to translate them into songs only if there's a sense of something shared, something universal.

That slightly disenchanted, melancholic irony that comes through in the song feels like a recurring note in a lot of Italian it-pop, from Dente to Calcutta. Where does it come from in your case?

I should say first that not all the songs I write are like that — many, in fact, are quite dark and dramatic. In this case I tried to bring out that spirit halfway between melancholy and self-irony that I always love finding in directors I admire, like Woody Allen and Nanni Moretti. The whole thing is built around a monologue delivered straight into the camera, as if trying to break through that fateful fourth wall.

Can you give us a preview of the upcoming album?

It'll be nine tracks, preceded by a second single coming out soon. It ranges from more pop and dance-leaning songs, with lively arrangements, to more acoustic, singer-songwriter-style pieces written on guitar. The themes are mostly intimate, with no ambition toward social or political commentary. It's more like one big story, a personal diary.

Did your studies in creative writing and screenwriting at the Scuola Holden in Turin help you with the songwriting?

Yes, definitely. When I write a song, I always try to picture it as a film. Or a short film. I try to start from an image and write as if I were telling the story of a movie. For instance, "Radical Love" is really a linear narrative. In general, my songs come together as a collection of images, edited one after another.

And what was Meiden's main contribution instead?

Well, he's kind of my musical guide — he mainly helped me build structures capable of making the sound more interesting, like in "Radical Love", where there's an electronic element that helps give the track more weight. He also helped me move between the different songs while trying to create a recognizable musical identity.

Do you have any reference artists? And in general, what do you listen to the most?

I really love the new American folk scene. Especially Bon Iver: I love his modern, eclectic approach, his ability to move from the barest, most traditional folk to denser, more electronic compositions. Another artist I really appreciate is Sufjan Stevens, who also made a more electronic record with his latest album. In general, American indie-rock is sort of my reference genre. Then I also really love Italian singer-songwriters, above all Franco Battiato and Pino Daniele. Growing up, my family raised me on Genesis: as a kid they'd play me "Supper's Ready", turning it into a bedtime story complete with a made-up translation. So Peter Gabriel also remains a model for me, with his universal eclecticism.

And that Françoise Hardy reference in the lyrics of "Radical Love"?

It's a tribute to another great passion of mine, French culture and the chanson tradition. Hardy, Gainsbourg, but also Brigitte Bardot and Carla Bruni are all part of an idealized image of France that I love seeing myself in.

Then there's that jarring ending: "You can't be an artist if you don't know German". How did that come to you?

It's a completely nonsensical epilogue! As if the protagonist struggles through the whole song trying to find a way to talk to this girl, and it slips his mind that, of all languages, the only one he actually needed was German, the only one the girl spoke...

The video was directed by Gigi Roccati, the director of "Sfide" and other interesting films, like "Lucania". Where do you see his touch most clearly?

I'd say in the naturalistic style typical of his films, which are mostly documentaries. Everything unfolds in a very simple, natural setting, in keeping with the spirit of the song. My brother Adriano, who's studying acting, is also in the video, along with other friends who lent themselves to the project.

Cinema is another great passion of yours. Who are your favourite directors?

Besides the two I mentioned earlier – Woody Allen and Nanni Moretti – off the top of my head I'd say Pedro Almodovar and Darren Aronofsky.

What do you make of this so-called Italian indie or it-pop scene? Would you like to be part of it?

I think everything's different today compared to the past: music distribution has become much more "democratic", letting everyone put out their own work through channels like YouTube or Spotify, and inevitably that's also created a lot of confusion. So much stuff comes out that it's hard to sift through it all. When I was living in Rome I witnessed the rise of artists like Calcutta and I Cani, true pillars of the Italian indie scene. But over time I started drifting away from that strand - I got to know a lot of international artists, and now what I really enjoy is travelling through music, without worrying too much about genre boundaries.

What about music on TV? Does it appeal to you, or does it scare you off?

It scares me off. I see little emotion and a lot of show, plus a lot of competitiveness. That said, I was on Rai Radio2, as a guest of Gino Castaldo and Ema Stockholma on the show "Debuts", and that was fun. My real dream would be to start playing concerts - I'd like to grow gradually, with the chance to express myself independently. I know it's not easy, especially in these pandemic times, but I'll give it a try as soon as I can. My idea is to build a small circle of listeners and people close to me, and then aim to expand it over time.

Well, good luck then, and remember us when you become famous! By the way, do you follow OndaRock?

Of course, it's been a go-to source for me for years when it comes to music journalism - a lot of my discoveries have come straight from your pages.

(02/01/2021)

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