IL MAGO DEL GELATO - Chi è Nicola Felpieri?

The milieu they belong to is the cosmopolitan one of Milan's via Padova, stretching from the asphalt jungle of Piazzale Loreto to the gentrified clearing of the NoLo district (short for North Of Loreto). For some years now, a more underground expansion of the melting pot of ethnicities, attitudes and assorted shades of clubbing has been taking shape here - one that already made the fortune of the celebrated Porta Venezia and that is increasingly pushing toward the "poisonous Brianza". Picture this midsummer night's dream (in the city), amid mosquitoes, shuttered storefronts repurposed as urinals, and the flickering neon of kebab joints, sex shops, Peruvian take-away spots, betting parlours and a lone surviving newsstand, stocked mainly with disposable umbrellas for the August storms.

One of these signs reads: "Il mago del gelato" ("The ice cream wizard"). There's one in everyone's life, and it's probably seen us in bermuda shorts queuing for a scoop of stracciatella and ginger. "Stracciatella" and "Zenzero" were also the titles of the first two singles by the band, which named itself after the neighbourhood ice cream parlour that long served as its headquarters.

There are four of them at core, but the full seven-piece line-up is a genuine spectacle. It's no surprise, then, that they first made a name for themselves through a relentless apprenticeship on the live circuit, which took them from the underground to stages like JazzMi and MIAMI. Now they're gearing up for the big leap, backed by the revived Numero Uno, today Sony's division dedicated to less mainstream acts, with a genuinely impressive catalogue. 

Compared to their debut EP, "Maledetta quella notte", released in 2023, this first album marks a significant step forward. You can hear both the stage experience and the greater resources now at their disposal. What hasn't changed is the ironic edge that makes the energy of their groove something truly distinctive.

There's been a lot of talk about reference points for them such as Nu Genea and Calibro 35, and certainly the affinities exist on a surface level and do the band great credit. However, on closer inspection, their take on funk lands in different territory altogether, both compared to the former's Mediterranean flavour and to the philological visionary approach of Enrico Gabrielli and co. Here the imagery also draws on certain urban settings descended from Beastie Boys, the Tondelli-esque 1980s of Giovanotti Mondani Meccanici, the jazz-rock swagger of Venegoni & C., and even Vince Tempera's Actarus.

A beautiful tracklist. Besides the three lead singles “Tic Tac” (reggae-inflected and sinuous, featuring Mélanie Chédeville), “Granturismo” and “In Punta di piedi” (with Le Feste Antonacci), standouts include “Controtempo” (enriched by the presence of Venerus), the psychedelia of “Sembrava deserto”, and the lively opening one-two of “Depistaggio” and “Segreto”.

But these are just first impressions. Records like this one have the artisanal grace to win you over through gradual, repeated listening, which reveals the inventiveness, the attention to detail, and that passion for music that is the real lifeblood of the whole project.

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15/03/2025