Product Description
Back in 1971, when this real gem of electronic experimentation was released, the term
“cybernetic” was used to refer to the future. Or, at least, to an obscure science in the
hands of a few experts, conducting experiments in rooms flled with huge electronic
calculators. Automated controls, auto-regulation, information theory… those were abstract,
uncommon and rarely used concepts which would change the world in a few years – and, in
our case, deeply infuenced an album which, almost half a century later, remains a mystery.
The greek origin of the word used as a title (kybernetes, which indicates the pilot of a ship)
is not very helpful and we still don’t know who is hiding under the Peymont alias. For many
years it was commonly believed that Peymont was Piero Umiliani in disguise, but some of
the most respected theories explain that the nickname was used to hide the identity of
Luigi Malatesta – composer of flm scores, music libraries and, oddly enough, the hymn of
the italian political party Democrazia Cristiana – or the world famous Egisto Macchi (a more
fascinating and plausible thesis).
The 13 tracks featured on Cibernetica, indeed, bring to the mind the most abstract and
experimental compositions of Macchi; but if we fell into the pitfall of living this listening
experience as it was a treasure hunt, we’d make a huge mistake.
Indeed, this music is constantly a means to research and explore: we can almost see the
author and the musicians – whoever they are – locked in a research lab (“Laboratorio di
ricerche”) while assembling thermoionic valves (“Valvole termoioniche”) and artifcial
kidneys (“Reni artifciali”), using an oscilloscope (“Oscilloscopio”) or an electronic calculator
(“Calcolatore elettronico”), discussing about analysis and distillation (“Analisi e
distillazione”), electronic impulses (“Impulsi elettronici”) and automatism (“Automatismo”).
If you are careful – and we’re certain you do – you can also listen to the noise of a
teletypewriter printing these notes, in a future perfect time.”
