Paolo Baldini DubFiles - In The Shell (2024) [Hi-Res]

The starting point for the beat-making of In The Shell was the writing of original music, a blank page on which to develop every single track. The core of the production and song-writing is rooted in the creation of instrumental tracks in the studio; only at a later stage did Baldini look on the outside, establishing the necessary connections and collaborations for the entire album.

The shared element among the songs in the record is the use of a palette of ethnic sounds and samples, recorded and archived by Paolo Baldini himself during his various trips to Africa, and on which he later carried out his unique electronic production and post-production work – the distinctive feature of his musical aesthetics. The personal and family ties that led the Italian producer to visit Sub-Saharan Africa, and especially Senegal, granted him an exclusive observation standpoint on day-to-day contexts which are usually not accessible to those who don’t have a key to participate in the family life of these communities, and allowed him to respectfully use this advantage to record original and unique samples.

In The Shell celebrates such “hybrid” vision, which spans from the all-round exploration of black music, through its electronic components, to the beat-making originated from the use of samples. These two narrative threads intertwine, merge, and alternate, giving birth to the sound and rhythm patterns at the foundation of this album.

The sound landscape described in In The Shell is a visual and sonic collage where past, present, and future coexist. They are interrelated, but never fully integrated. They retain their specific identity, as if they were oversized fragments in a mosaic where natural, archaic, and pristine landscapes perfectly dovetail with scenarios belonging to the cinematic imagery of science-fiction (sometimes Tatooine, sometimes Blade Runners): a sort of borderless no-man’s land where foreign worlds mix with the glimmering light of digital art.

In The Shell is ultimately the map Baldini uses on his journey as a producer, navigating through the diverse landscape that black, Caribbean music originated.

Tracklist:
1.01 - Paolo Baldini DubFiles - Fe Free Dub (Occitan Clouds) (3:32)
1.02 - Paolo Baldini DubFiles/Bleue/5 Star Celestial - Sunlight (3:42)
1.03 - Kabaka Pyramid/Mellow Mood/Paolo Baldini DubFiles - Nice and Easy (3:29)
1.04 - Paolo Baldini DubFiles/Supahfly - Sandagà (4:08)
1.05 - Anthony B/Paolo Baldini DubFiles - Deep Meditation (3:09)
1.06 - Queen Omega/Paolo Baldini DubFiles - You Are Not Alone (3:37)
1.07 - Paolo Baldini DubFiles/Jules I - Praises Be (5:00)
1.08 - Mellow Mood/Lasai/Paolo Baldini DubFiles/Zacky Man - Shililin Kikikin (3:08)
1.09 - Kg Man/Forelock/Andrew I/Paolo Baldini DubFiles - Mata Mata (3:18)
1.10 - Mellow Mood/Paolo Baldini DubFiles/Minori - Big and Bad (3:59)
1.11 - Paolo Baldini DubFiles/Mellow Mood/Lasai/Zacky Man - Ticking Bomb (3:27)
1.12 - Mellow Mood/Paolo Baldini DubFiles - Como Yo (4:14)