Confusional Quartet
Confusional Quartet is one of the most recognized Italian bands in the so-called New Wave era, a period ranging from the late seventies to the mid-eighties.
History
Formed in 1978, they had quite enthusiastic consent during their activity, playing a mixture of instrumental, avant-garde, experimental rock. The band published several works on vinyl, the single "Volare" (a futurist, instrumental cover of the famous song "Nel blu dipinto di blu" by Domenico Modugno), the homonymous LP, a mini LP and a limited edition of flexy discs. They 've also been included in various compilations, and their original records have been reissued on CDs. Confusional Quartet performed live in countless gigs, and because of their "arty" nature, they were invited to some contemporary art events, such as the "IV Settimana internazionale della Performance" (Bologna 1980) and "Universität für angewandte Kunst Festival" (Wien, 1981). In 1982 they stopped their activity, until 2011, when the four original members (Lucio Ardito, bass, Marco Bertoni, keyboards, Gianni Cuoghi, drums, Enrico Serotti, guitar) decided to reform the band. In 2012 two new albums have been published, "Italia calibro X" and the (once again) homonymous "Confusional Quartet". The single "Futurfunk" has been written together with Sir Bob Cornelius Rifo a.k.a. The Bloody Beetroots. In 2013 the drummer Gianni Cuoghi left the band, replaced by Claudio Trotta. In 2014 the band publishes "Confusional Quartet play Demetrio Stratos", an album made using previously unreleased material by the famous vocalist-experimenter Demetrio Stratos.
Discography
Volare/Nedbo Zip (7", Italian Records 1980)
Confusional Quartet (LP, Italian Records 1980)
Confusional Quartet (EP 10", Italian Records 1981)
Documentario (3xFlexi 7", Italian Records 1981)
Mission Is Terminated - Nice Tracks (2LP, AAVV, Nice Label 1982)
Confusional Quartet - reissue (CD - Elica 1999)
Confuzed Disco Sampler 1 (remix by Scuola Furano) (LP, AAVV, Mantra Vibes 2005)
Made in Italy 1978-1982 (CD, Astroman 2010)
Italia Calibro X (CD, Ansaldi Records 2011)
Music? No Control! (CD, AAVV, Sfera Cubica 2012)
Confusional Quartet (CD-LP, Hell Yeah Recordings 2012)
Italia No!-Contaminazioni No Wave italiane 1980-1985 (CD-LP, AAVV, Spittle Records)
Italian Records-The Singles 7" Collection 1980-1984 (CD Box Set, AAVV, Spittle-Goodfellas 2013)
Confusional Quartet play Demetrio Stratos (CD-LP, Expanded Music-Goodfellas 2014)
Bibliography (selected)
Giancarlo Riccio - Percorsi del rock italiano, Ed. Il Formichiere, 1980
Lucio Mazzi, Roberto Rossi Gandolfi - Bologna la rock, Ed. FuoriThema, 1991
Alessandro Bolli - Dizionario dei Nomi Rock, Arcana Editore, 1998
Arturo Compagnoni - Italia '80. Il Rock indipendente italiano negli anni ottanta, Ed. Apache, 2004
Oderso Rubini, Andrea Tinti - Non disperdetevi, Shake Edizioni, 2009
AA.VV. - Largo all'avanguardia 50 anni di musica rock a Bologna e dintorni, Sonic Press, 2011
Livia Satriano - No Wave. Contorsionismi e sperimentazioni dal CBGB al Tenax, Crac Edizioni, 2012