FRANKIE HI-NRG MC - Voce e batteria

In today's Italian scene, dominated by layered productions and an often sterile digital aesthetic, choosing to strip away every electronic frill and return to the essentials is a radical act. With "Voce e batteria", Frankie Hi-Nrg Mc carries out a systematic subtraction, paring the sound down to a primordial duel between Donato Stolfi's drums and the scratches of longtime accomplice Dj Stile. An "extreme synthesis", as the rapper himself calls it, which works beautifully because the original tracks are, for the most part, excellent to begin with. These are authorial rereadings of a career that's by now a classic.

A varied cast of guests helps steer the album away from self-celebration. While pairing up with pop and singer-songwriter names (Jovanotti, Tiziano Ferro, Elisa, Emma, Diodato) raises questions about the balance between the hip-hop soul and pop territory, the project holds onto its stylistic coherence precisely thanks to the iron discipline imposed by the rhythm section: everything stays firmly locked inside the cage succinctly spelled out in the title.

Among the reworkings on the tracklist, one standout is "Autodafé e batteria", featuring an excellent new verse from Fabri Fibra, along with an explosive version of "Potere alla parola" with Emma. The dreamlike "Elefante" with Raiz is also striking. Still, these rereadings often leave you craving the originals, perhaps starting over from the masterpiece "The Death of Miracles".

"Voce e batteria" is a bit of a letdown in that it offers no new tracks from one of Italian rap's sharpest pens, but it's also a successful experiment in getting back to basics. In front of the mic, one of the scene's pioneers rekindles his passion for a formula that's live and analog, pulsing and still exhilarating. There's always time to return to the digital world later.

Ride the wave of great music

Add OndaRock to your favorite sources on Google Discover. Don't miss our reviews, milestones and latest news straight in your feed.

Follow on Google

20/06/2026