Piero Umiliani
Although most of his work straddled the gap between jazz and lounge, prolific Italian composer Piero Umiliani also had a yen for electronic music, and he was one of the first in Italy to experiment with the Moog and other electronic keyboards. Like many of his Italian colleagues at that time, he composed the scores for many exploitation films in the 1960s and 1970s, covering genres such as spaghetti western, Eurospy, Giallo, and soft sex films. Although not as widely regarded as, for example, Ennio Morricone or Riz Ortolani, he helped form the style of the typical European 1960s and 1970s jazz influenced film soundtrack.
Although most of his work straddled the gap between jazz and lounge, prolific Italian composer Piero Umiliani also had a yen for electronic music, and he was one of the first in Italy to experiment with the Moog and other electronic keyboards. Like many of his Italian colleagues at that time, he composed the scores for many exploitation films in the 1960s and 1970s, covering genres such as spaghetti western, Eurospy, Giallo, and soft sex films. Although not as widely regarded as, for example, Ennio Morricone or Riz Ortolani, he helped form the style of the typical European 1960s and 1970s jazz influenced film soundtrack.
La Ragazza dalla Pelle di Luna
“La ragazza dalla pelle di luna” is the first chapter of Piero Scattini’s acclaimed movie trilogy,completed by “La ragazza fuoristrada” (1973) and “Il corpo” (1974), whose soundtracks were all entrusted into Piero Umiliani’s expert hands. With a title taking inspiration from the fame of Seychelles’ indigenous beauties (a myth later dismissed by Scattini himself) the film found its protagonist thanks to a casual encounter between the director and the beautiful model Zeudi Araya, the first element…
Psichedelica
**CD version** Before talking about Psichedelica, one of the many and rare library albums signed by Piero Umiliani, we must step back in time, until June 1968, when Umiliani was working on the score of Svezia Inferno e Paradiso (Sweden Heaven and Hell), one of the many collaborations between director Luigi Scattini and the Maestro. In fact, a large part of the music recorded for that movie, one of Umiliani's most popular works, would be later selected for this library release. Originally issued …
Il Mondo dei Romani
First vinyl reissue. Limited edition of 500 orange LPs (vinyl only; no digital release). Remastered from the original reels. The sought-after experimental gem Il Mondo Dei Romani, by soundtrack and avant-garde maestro Piero Umiliani, is now available on vinyl for the first time since its original release in 1972. Originally recorded for a TV documentary about ancient Rome and released on Umiliani's Omicron label, Il Mondo Dei Romani finds Umiliani experimenting with electronic instruments (Suoi …
La Legge Dei Gangsters
First complete vinyl edition of the great Piero Umiliani's jazz score for La legge dei gangsters (Gangster's Law), an obscure 1969 Italian crime film starring the mighty Klaus Kinski. Featuring a large ensemble of the country's strongest players (including Oscar Valdambrini on trumpet), the score is full of sophisticated, groovy, and romantic tunes. Two LPs on colored vinyl, released in a limited numbered edition of 1000.
Effetti Musicali
Effetti Musicali is a 1968 Piero Umiliani homemade album that exposes his art and his versatility. Listening to this album seems to show him among his keyboards and other implements to overlap sounds and create situations with no outside producer influence, in full artistic freedom. The result is an experimental psychedelic electro-acoustic album. From the original Umiliani family master tapes. Limited edition of 500 copies in a glossy cover.
We all love a bit of Umiliani, and here on this excep…
Svezia Inferno e Paradiso
*2022 stock* One of the greatest soundtracks ever from the mighty Piero Umiliani is finally available again, in a faithful replica of the original edition on Omicron. A sublime mix of erotic elements, playful funky numbers, and warm jazzy tunes – all supposedly scored for an exploitation documentary about sex in Sweden – but music that really stands strongly on its own! There's a number of cuts with those cool Hammond organ tricks that Umiliani does so well – and lots of others have cool female …
La Morte bussa due volte
A stellar cast doesn’t always guarantee a magnificent film and, from a strictly cinematographic point of view, “La morte bussa due volte” (Death knocks twice) is one of many examples of this kind; This thriller was in fact quickly forgotten at the time (1969), despite the presence of the charismatic Adolfo Celi and the beautiful Anita Ekberg.However, even for less ‘important’ productions, the likes of Morricone or, in this case, Piero Umiliani, were sometimes bothered: composers but also …
Le isole dell'amore
A groovy erotic film score by Piero Umiliani – his soundtrack for 1970's Le Isole Dell'Amore – and it's a wonderfully arranged one by the maestro! Raw percussion and a sunny vibe overall..."In the late '50s and throughout the next decade and beyond, among the underground most ridden film genres there was the so-called ‘mondo movie’, basically made of a collage of several scenes with a commenting voiceover. To this category belongs “Le isole dell’amore” (The islands of love), a film that’s practi…
Synthi Time
*2022 stock* Synthi Time is perhaps one of the most suitable albums - within Umiliani's incredibly vast discography - to fully appreciate the composing and experimental genius of the Maestro. For once away from the classic soundtracks that made him popular, this project veers away also from refined works of library music such as Genti e paesi del mondo (People and countries of the world) or Problemi d'oggi (Today's issues), released under the moniker of Zalla. In this case, we like to imagine hi…
Fischiando in Beat
*2022 stock* Due to a perhaps too buoyant and unfitting title and to a ridicolously limited distribution (even at the time of its original release), Fischiando in beat (Whistling in beat) has often been ignored despite being one of the most entertaining works signed by Piero Umiliani (here accompanied by his orchestra). Originally released in 1969, Fischiando in beat presents twelve gems of instrumental beat music, fabulous specimen of that music genre often labelled with the much-abused term 'l…
Tra Scienza e Fantascienza
2015 restock - "Tra scienza e fantascienza", is an album of histrionic Piero Umiliani recorded under the pseudonym Moggi. A Master gifted with a never ending passion for music, innovator by vocation, experimenter in his genetic code now at ease with synths in order to forge sound that could be reductively termed as avantgarde. Timeless atmospheres, alien hypnotic sonorities, modern and charmingly retro, minimal and complex arranged with an impressive taste for the unknown substance the Maes…
Intrigo a Los Angeles
Hold your breath. This is the soundtrack to the 1964 spy movie directed by Romano Ferrara (Roy Freemount) and starring Carol Walker, Luciano Marin and Mary Luger. Composed and directed by Piero Umiliani, Intrigo A Los Angeles is one of the best and rarest soundtracks he ever did, with original copies sold for around 600 euro. This de-luxe double lp reissues comes in a beautiful gatefold sleeve that reproduces the original artwork outside and has a reproduction of the original movie poster insi…
La Ragazza Fuoristrada
**CD version** This is the second movie with Zeudi Araya, filmed in a hurry to take advantage of the success of the previous “La ragazza dalla pelle di luna”. “La ragazza fuoristrada”, set between Egypt and Ferrara, Italy, deals in an unusual way with the theme of racial integration, still a taboo at the time especially in remote Italian provinces. Despite the fact that the title evokes the legendary "Dune Buggy" (the main character, Luc Merenda, is a journalist who goes to Egypt to test it), th…
Angeli Bianchi... Angeli Neri
**CD version** “Angeli bianchi... angeli neri” is one of the best results of the collaboration between Piero Umiliani and director Luigi Scattini. Filmed in Brazil, “Angeli bianchi... angeli neri” (also known as “Witchcraft 70”) is one of Scattini’s most popular mondo films. However in an exagerated way, as was common at the time, the aim of the movie was to document the world of black magic, devil worshipping and pagan rituals. Through the years it has reached the status of “cult movie” along w…
Il Corpo
**CD version** “Il corpo” is the last movie of Luigi Scattini’s trilogy, which started with “La ragazza dalla pelle di luna” (1972) and then continued with “La ragazza fuoristrada” (1973), all skillfully orchestrated by maestro Piero Umiliani. Here we are dealing with an erotic-noir film which has many elements in common with movies like “Ossessione” (“Obsession) or “I diabolici” (Les Diaboliques) and it centres on the relationship between Enrico Maria Salerno and the sensual Zeudi Araya. Inevit…
Omaggio Ad Einstein
Deluxe LP edition pressed on yellow vinyl and presented in custom "big hole" jacket“Omaggio ad Einstein”, among the many albums of electronic music composed by Piero Umiliani, has a very relevant place. In this homage to the German physicist, Umiliani subverts the rules of space and time in music and creates an album with 23 compositions, all of them less than 2 minutes long, instead of following the traditional 7-10 tracks usually present in an LP. This is an original and experimental albu…
Una Bella Grinta
n amazing set of modern jazz – penned by Italian film composer Piero Umiliani, but also played by a very hip group headed by a young Gato Barbieri! Although Gato's probably best known for his late 60s appearances on the American scene, and his 70s dates for Impulse and Flying Dutchman – his earlier work in Italy is all pretty darn great, and this set shows the budding modernist to be in very strong company with a lineup that includes Enrico Rava on trumpet and Franco D'Andrea on piano, plu…
Lost & Found Volume V: The Jazz Library Records
Dead stock of some ultrarare original editions of four jazz/easy listening Umiliani albums. Nearly impossible to find at reasonable prices, with this boxset you can get them all in a special and beautiful hand-screened box made especially for this occasion. After the four previous sold-out volumes, we are glad to announce the “Piero Umiliani - Lost & Found Volume V: The Jazz Library Records”. Some gorgeous Jazzy tunes from the mighty Piero Umiliani, plenty of trumpet and tenor lines throughout t…
10 Bianchi Uccisi Da Un Piccolo Indiano
The film music composed by Maestro Piero Umiliani is very appropriate, the orchestration is really good and the workmanship is excellent. The various musical atmospheres accompanying the scenes are very live. They create the pathos that binds viewers and force them to hold their breath for the duration of the film.
Lost & Found Volume IV: The Background Records
Outstanding fourth box, including dead stock find of some incredible original editions of the best background music library Piero Umilani LPS. Each one is worth already some money, but here's your chance to get them as a beautiful handscreened box made especially for this occasion in order to give 'new life' to this wonderful ageless music.After the first appreciated edition of the three boxes (containing his ethnic compositions, then his weird electronic music and the ambient ones), we are …