Ataraxia - A Look Back To The Early Days

To some fans that are only familiar with Ataraxia's current styles may find it odd to think of them as a post-punk band but that's exactly what they started out as. I always cringed when someone who is not familiar with their history comparing them to Dead Can Dance (which is honorable) or to Enya (who I respect and do like but prefer her earlier stuff) when infact they are so much more and stretch out so widely in different music genres. They formed in 1985 and struggled to make their own sound within a deaf wealthy Italy that was not so open to "underground" music. It is really a shame that at the time they weren't signed to a cool label or given more airplay for they contributed greatly to the 80's post-punk/goth rock/psychedelic sound. Had they been in the UK they would have fit in nicely. There was amazing guitar work, powerful drums, cool quirky keyboards, and of course Francesca Nicoli's awesome haunting androgynous vocals - sometimes screaming/shouting and just sounding like she was having a blast. They recorded several demo songs that were years beyond the Neo-folk/Neo-Classical sound that we've become so accustomed to hear from them, in fact they don't look back fondly to the old days, which were filled with countless struggles and misfortunes. I however think they should be proud of those days of the long lost 1980's for they created some really cool and very catchy punk tunes, which I will review for you all here. Ataraxia has never been the type of band interested in making singles or pop hits, they wanted to keep true to their art and not be defined by one style of music. Maybe that has been what has made them such a success. Even today they are hard to catogorize for they continously move from one style to another and one concept album to another. Their 80’s material can seem to have traces of influence ranging from bands such as; UK Decay, The Virgin Prunes, The Cure, Siouxsie & The Banshees, X-Mal Deutschland, Bauhaus, Specimen, and many other bands that thrived in those days, yet to a dregree they were ahead of their time, singing in such varied languages as Latin, German, Greek, English, Spanish, Italian, French and various Middle Eastern tongues. Combined with their musical talent is their creative theatrical side that comes alive during their renowned live shows. A true sight & experience to behold. The stage is filled with an array of bizarre & elegant props/masques, bursting with colors and magical wonder upon the mezmerized audience. Former band mate Lorenzo Busi (who had followed and been with the band since the 80’s till 2004) used to play the sometimes sad/mysterious and more so creepy mime, a visual dramatic embodiment of their music. As mentioned, the band itself is not fond of their past (some of the original members actually died along the way), vocalist Francesca Nicoli herself has referred to this time as “the years of death” (mainly 1988 - 1991), a painful passage in the bands history that is not fondly talked about, but it is that history that is a part of them that really shouldn’t be forgotten. After all there are some awesome songs from that era (1986-1989) that have long since nearly been buried away. For in my opinion their early material is just as cool as their current material and showed great promise of a band to come. Some of that post-punk sound can be heard on their 1990 self-produced tape "Prophetia" - a addictive masterpiece in my opinion and as very diverse in sound and style as all things Ataraxia. Just awesome stuff!

"Prophetia" 1990
Digital remastered tracks: http://www.mediafire.com/?ijtxj2zjyym

VISIONARY SIDE (A)
1. Prophetia
2. Anno Domini MDLVI
3. In Articulo Mortis
4. May, 16th 1980
5. Hommage Funèbre
CHIMERICAL SIDE (B)
6. Kastamonu
7. Ozymandias
8. Nocturnal Euthanasia
9. Teuflische Mosaikarbeit



A review of the "Prophetia" tape by: ANTONY BURNHAM

Side one opens with "Prophetia", the moody title track, showing the vocalist's voice to be as rich as NICO' s without the wearing flatness, and the music, although in a similar mood, is far more accomplished - a dark, sombre song. Next up is a medieval dance piece called "Anno Domini MDLVI" with warm flutes & a slightly spatial & Ethnic approach to the percussion. It may be based on an eons-old music, but it has a bright 20th century feel to it - a natural progression to an ancient sound. Again the vocalist's strength forces it's way through, occasionally complemented by others, in a style reminding me not only of NICO, but also of SIOUXSIE in ways. "In Articulo Mortis" reminds me a little of the small amount I've heard from BLACK ROSE, the CONTEMPO group, but with a strangely 'captive' sub-Rock twanginess, a 'caged' sound as of something large forced to prowl a small space while the voices soar & swoop like whispy ghosts or harpies. "May 16th 1980" shows the SIOUXSIE influence in it's beautiful naked darkness - this track could almost be an off-cut from the "Juju" album - elements of "Spellbound" with a hint of "Carcass" & "Overground" thrown in for good measure. Dark & brooding stuff indeed. They create a 'big' sound with very little. The vocalist might not have the full strength of SIOUX, but has instead her own timbral colour. "Hommage Funebre" again takes the BANSHEES' sound & inject something far more interesting into it - an atmosphere of dusty darkness & cold vistas. Side two opens with "Kastamonu", again entering BANSHEE territory with a fast dervish dance bowed along by a smooth. sleek flanged guitar & Eastern-style flute sounds & voice to match. It's a rather colourful piece evocative of mysterious desert countries with ancient histories and brutal traditions. "Ozymandias" is perhaps the most catchy, commercial piece here - very memorable, but I could hardly see it making the charts. Not only does this hold the two obvious influences mentioned above, but brings to mind ATTRITION in it's vocal placement. A wide piece of rhythmic music which has a shadowy 'live' feel to it. "Nocturnal Euthanasia" is probably a more saleable piece - a rich, full, slowly walking drifting piece of Gothic/Punk-influenced music (I'll not mention that group again, but this has all the beautiful cobwebby lace, dark stares & shadows) - typically brilliant! "Teuflische Mosaikarbeit" takes the same style away to the conclusion of this short album - it has a great subtlety & there are moments you discover which you have never noticed on previous listens - an intense piece of dark music with light overtones. I can even detect a CURE influence in this piece, circa the first three albums, yet this is somehow larger, more positive, taking a similar atmosphere & injecting a lighter feel into it,.
The only problem here is that it is a short album which keeps you begging for more. Without doubt, a CONTEMPO group, if only the label will realise that. A dark scrying crystal liberally flecked with pure gold.
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Bootlegs and various mp3 copies of this album are floating around on the world wide web as well as an occasional pop up on Ebay. I was lucky enough to get a copy of this gem in the early 1990's and after a mishap when my tape was eaten by my evil stereo the band was generous and gracious enough to send me a tape copy in the mid '90s. Seriously I hope like the 2008 re-release of “Nosce Te Ipsum” this album gets an official digital CD release, so let's keep crossing our fingers even though the band has said: "that it's too old and far behind them."
NO! Please release it & add some of the era's tracks as bonus tunes! ;)

Like the 1991 tape album "Nosce Te Ipsum" - there apparently were two different releases of the “Prophetia” tape, the 2nd is the one we are familiar with (which is posted along with mp3 snip bits in their discography section on their website WWW.ATARAXIA.NET), but the first release had a different track list altogether. I have never been able to obtain an original copy of this version but it does/did exist, just check out the back pages of the tape inserts for "Nosce Te Ipsum" & "Arazzi" where it clearly mentions this version under their early discography.



However as mentioned above that punky sound went way back to the nearly 20 something demo songs that were born during 1986 - 1989. They included most of the original “Prophetia” songs in various stages of growth and the following:

1. Confiteor (****) - Very post-punk rock piece with a great bass intro that just flourishes into this catchy guitar filled head banging song. This piece appears on the equally hard to find “Nosce Te Ipsum” VHS.
2. Hypnosis (***) – Again very guitar filled rockish and punky with Francesca’s shouting vocals crying out “I wanna die! I wanna die! I wanna die, die, die!”
3. Weltschmerz (*****) – Sung and titled in German “World In Pain” is just filled with cool liquid guitars, 60’s style organs and just in all has a psychedelic feel to it.
4. Anatema (*****) – Again we get another psychedelic piece with that 60’s feel and just plain great!
5. The House of Soodhoo (****) – I would describe this song as an insane trip to some bizarre circus of madness – and it’s catchy! You can’t help singing “come in the door it’s open!” .
6. Fieberwahnsinn (****) – Again titled in German as “Fever Madness”- this piece is very weird with its zig zag synth spiraling along with drums, bass and a creepy organ. The weird metallic synth should get old but doesn’t.
7. Requiem (*****) – Love this song!!! Cool medieval harpsichord intro and then this song just takes off with such energy, guitars and drums just taking you on a desperate trip through some dark tunnel of fear and loathing! This piece appears on the equally hard to find “Nosce Te Ipsum” VHS.
8. Torrent of Abuse (*****) – A very cool darkwave pop tune and an early version of what would become the soft dream of “Verdigris Wounds”. Again I can’t stop jamming to this tune!
9. Memphitis (*****) – This Egyptian sounding post-punk song is (again I will say it) very catchy. Francesca’s voice is very deep and commanding flowing perfectly with Middle Eastern flutes, march and guitars. Goes Very well with “Kastamonu” & “Ozymandias”.
10. Ono No Komachi (****) – Very Oriental as it has a long instrumental intro that goes off into a great little punk rock piece.
11. Die Sühne (*****) – German sung & titled “Antonement” starts off with a great whirling guitar intro that builds into a real demanding goth/post-punk piece. Francesca sounds very commanding and may I say pissed J
12. Que No Te Senta Venir (****) – A very moody/gloomy song that sways along gently with nice little guitar & bass.
13. Lady Lazarus (**) – Pretty much almost the same as the later version which appears on their 1995 album “The Moon Sang on the April Chair” except a tiny bit more delayed.

In all these demo songs are very fun & original, with neither song sounding like the other, however the sound quality of these tracks vary - some are very low, mildly muffled, and filled with tape hiss. I was very fortunate to receive these tapes and fear that unfortunately they may never again hear the sound of day – mainly because of their worn tape sound which I tried to restore with various music programs to the best of my ability. But I am SOOOOO not complaining!

Mick Mercer interviewing Francesca Nicoli:

Mick: “On page 74 (of their book 'Arcana Eco') what you’re prepared to tell us is there on the band’s early history and I gather you don’t like discussing a painful period, but there are some questions I think need to be asked. First of all, Francesca forms the band with bassist Michele Urbano at the end of 1985 – but why? That’s the most obvious question of all perhaps – the fact you had been into music as a child, then neglected it, then got your love for it back – what made you then decide to take it one step further and have a band? Were you going to gigs a lot, into a particular scene, inspired by certain record and thought ‘that’s what I want to do now!’?”

Francesca: “I’ve never neglected music, I simply neglected singing. I had a quite hard childhood and all what was linked to self-expression, joy and creativity became secret, a private, solitary dimension where I spent all my time and that was kept carefully hidden. I stopped singing at the age of 7 but till the age of 14 I went on composing with the pipe-organ I had in my house. At the age of 15 a school mate asked me to sing in his band. I forced myself and I accepted. I was so shy, rigid, incapable to express myself through my voice and when I was a child it was so natural... I started learning, accepting bitter critics, I stayed silent and tried to do what they asked me for 6 months even if I knew I was considered a sort of naif person even if my lyrics were appreciated if they registered them as theirs. I knew I could write and adapt lyrics to any kind of song in a very natural way and my ability to write music was still there. I should have given my first concert with them but, happily, destiny prevented me from that and some seconds before I started singing the concert was cancelled because the organizers hadn’t paid all the taxes. Funny. All my possible fears extinguished in that aborted show. From the very first concert of ATARAXIA (in May 1986) no more fears, no shyness, I was completely at ease on stage. At the very end of November 1986, just a short time after the experience I had with that first band, my sister Alassandra Nicoli (who played guitar and was in touch with the hard-core, punk world) and Michele Urbano (who also had started as a punk bass-player) asked me to join their new band. I went to the ‘Wienna’ club (it was the name of the place where we started playing), I found paper on the floor with some lyrics, I started singing (crying and shouting) and I was in the band. I felt actually well with Michele and in the first months of 1986 we started working with a very talented guitarist, Donato. In that period, I chose the name of the band. From February till May 1986 we created our first 7-8 songs and we performed our first concert in a punk-dark festival as headliners. It was a success, it was like we had been playing live since several years and it was just the beginning. After that we had quite hard times but the beginning was under a good star and that gave us strength. Vittorio joined the band at the end of December 1986 and the first concert with him was in March 1987, another great concert. Giovanni joined us in early 1989. During those 4 years several musicians joined and left the band, we also experienced death. Our lives were completely devoted to music, we were full of rage, we felt the urge to create, we felt strong and alone in such a grey, ordinary, conventional Italy. One night someone stole all our instruments, we were students with no money so Vittorio started working to buy again all what we had lost.”

Mick: “Similarly, you mention having quite an angry and sometimes experimental post-punk sound, which was a common thing in the 80’s, but it’s five years before you make a demo. Was that a common thing in Italy? Why wait so long, or were certain projects developed, then thwarted?”

Francesca: “For three years, from 1986 till 1988, we created more or less 20-25 songs. We had no money, there were no labels, nobody was interested in this kind of music. Simply there was no way out and this was typical Italy of the second half of the 80’s. But we recorded some of our concerts, rehearsals and with a not so professional 4 track recorder we released a sort of demo with + or -15 songs. Then we spent the whole 1989 creating and arranging the songs that would have become the ones included in the “Prophetia” tape.”

Current Band Line-Up:

Francesca Nicoli - Voice, Lyrics, Flutes, Drummachine
Vittorio Vandelli - Guitars (Acoustic, Electric, Synth), Drummachine, Voice - Joined in '86
Giovanni Pagliari - Keyboards, Organ, Synthesizer, Piano, Drummachine, Lyrics, Voice - Joined January of '89
Riccardo Spaggiari - Acoustic & Electronic Drums & Percussions - Joined in 2004
Livio Bedeschi - Performer, Tour Assistant, Official Band Photographer

Members Past:

Lorenzo Busi - Mime/Performer & Artistic Collaborator (198? - 2004)
Michele Urbano - Bass (1985 - 1991)
Alessandra Nicoli - Electric Guitar (1986)
Donato Di Bari- Acoustic Guitar (1986)
Corrado Righi- Keyboards (1987)
Fabio Varroni- Drums (1987 - 1988)
Lino De Micco - Keyboards (1988)
Marco Dolce - Drums (1989 - 1990)
Francesca Zitoli - Backing Vocals (1989 - 1991) on “Ozymandiaz”, “Aigues Mortes”, “Zweistimmenstäuschung”, “Torquemada”, "Zelia (The City In The Sea)", & accompanying chanting on “Nec Mortales Sonans”
Ombretta Gazzotti - Artistic Collaborator (1988 -1991)
Giorgio Buttazzo - Voice & Percussion (1994 - 2001)
Francesco Banchini - Drums, Voice (2001 - 2003)

Their Impressive Discography:

1986 - 1989 Various Demo Tape Releases
1990 - Prophetia (1st Tape Album)
1991 - Nosce Te Ipsum (VHS)
1991 - Nosce Te Ipsum (Tape Album)
1992 - Arazzi (VHS)
1993 - Arazzi (Tape Album)
1993 - Sub Ignissimae Lunae (Tape Album)
1994 - Simphonia Sine Nomine (1st CD Album)
1994 - Ad Perpetuam Rei Memoriam (Collection of early tape songs)
1995 - Would The Winged Light Climb? (VHS)
1995 - Ataraxia & Engelsstaub - In Amoris Mortisque (Vinyl 10")
1995 - La Malédiction D'Ondine
1995 - The Moon Sang On The April Chair
1996 - Il Fantasma Dell'opera
1996 - Concerto N. 6 : A Baroque Plaisanterie
1997 - Concerto N. 6 : A Baroque Plaisanterie (VHS)
1998 - Historiae (CD/Vinyl Picture Disc)
1998 - Orlando (Maxi CD)
1998 - Os Cavaleiros Do Templo - Live in Portugal (VHS/CD)
1999 - Lost Atlantis
2000 - Sueños
2002 - A Calliope... Collection (Best of CD + new songs)
2002 - Mon Seul Désir
2002 - Spirito Ancestrale (VHS)
2003 - Des Paroles Blanches (Maxi CD)
2004 - Saphir
2005 - Arcana Eco (Book/CD containing new songs)
2005 - Ataraxia & Autunna Et Sa Rose - Odos Eis Ouranon
2006 - Paris Spleen
2007 - Kremasta Nera
2007 - Sous Le Blanc Rosier (2 CD Best of + new songs)
2008 - Ataraxia & Allerseelen - Ulima Thule (Vinyl 7”)
2008 - Nosce Te Ipsum (Re-Issue in CD format + an unreleased song)
2009 - Oil On Canvas (Book/CD + a new song)
2009 - Strange Lights (Re-Issue of Odos Eis Ouranon, w/o other band)
2009 - Concerto N. 6 : A Baroque Plaisanterie (Re-Issue + new songs)
2009 - Os Cavaleiros Do Templo (Re-Issue in DVD format)
2010 - Historiae (Re-Issue + new song)
2010 - Llyr