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INSTANT FLIGHT Jessica Attene & Alberto Nucci
 

Can you please introduce the band to our readers?

Marco Magnani on guitar and voice (from Bologna, Italy, who has been living in London for 12 years), Lucie Rejchrtova on keyboards and accordion (from Czech Republic), Andrew Browning on bass and James Ovens on drums (all based in London). Before Instant Flight got together I started playing solo sets in acoustic clubs in London around 1997. The first hint of the band came in 1999 with a line up of 2 guitars, bass & drums, though even then we were playing regularly around London. The sound of that line up can be heard on the "music" page of our webpage, by clicking on "more music". But in 2001 me & Lucie Rejchrtova met in a psychedelic club called "Electric Orange" in central London, where also our current drummer James Ovens happened to be the DJ. Pure magic isn't it? And Andrew Browning, our bassist, joined us a bit later.

How did the love for a certain kind of music start and by whom do you feel inspired?

I first listened to Beatles, Who and Bob Dylan and others myths thanks to my brother. I felt in love with that kind of music immediately. My brother taught me my first chords of guitar. The first ones were the chords of "Gloria" (by Them). At that time I was interested in singing and playing rhythmic guitar but then climbed the mountain of the music playing by ear and I also begun to untie some solos. I don't know what links us to that sound but Rap, Techno, Metal and all of this stuff make us feel like we've been closed in a refrigerator. How would you feel in a refrigerator? Quite cold, isn't it?

How do you reply to the ones who accuse you that your music is too retro?

I, mainly as songwriter, can tell that I don't want to be retro but first of all I must like the ideas that come to me and that I keep. I try to adapt myself to the times but what can I do if Cold Play sounds the same way of Travis? They use real acoustic guitars, yes, but who's taking the place of Hendrix' electrifying sound, for instance? I think that, if new directors like Tarantino choose very old surf tunes from early Sixties there might be a reason that our emotive senses just perceive, whether we're in 2005 or in 1975. If in nature documentaries still today old songs of Pink Floyd are used is because beautiful music is beautiful for our senses and I don't care a fig if everybody tints hair of violet and play music with computers.


Living in London: does it make it easier or harder for those who devote themselves to a music like yours?

Both things. There's big variety of genres and it's full of lovers of our music or what we're influenced by. At the same time, clubs where bands like Instant Flight and others play, are so full of bands of all kind that one hardly manages to make an original event of it. Perhaps for us it's difficult like in Italy, maybe a little less. Or at least it's less alien as a musical genre itself.

Do you think it's still worth making vinyl LP's?

Sure! Hey hey My my, Rock'n'roll can never die!

Is the recording vintage too?

Not intentionally as some people think. Maybe it is but unintentionally. All what I wish is to make music being that is beautiful in a timeless way. Since we live in a World where everything wants to have a label though, we sound vintage, maybe because the snare drum haven't been mixed with the highest volume.

How did the collaboration with Arthur Brown start?

Lucie was playing keyboards in the underground as a busker. Mr Brown stopped by and asked her if she had a band. Few days later she sent him our previous mini album. He enjoyed it and asked us if we would be his band for some gigs. We answered yes and he also accepted to sing on two songs of our album "Colours & Lights".

For me your album would go great in some kind of discos, what do you think?

You mean in techno discos to educate robots dancing in them to appreciate good music? If instead you mean retro clubs, maybe, but you'll be surprised if I tell you that in such venues even in London I feel disgusted, if everybody is 100% addicted to 60's. I'm disgusted for every kind of situation where a fashion wave creates separatisms. I do prefer nights in 60's clubs where there are people dressing casual, also mingling with Carnaby Street 1960's style fanatics.

Do you think music is a way to get estranged from the environment or must it on the contrary integrate itself with it?

For me both things. An example? I listen to music in my car and I'm very charged… until I get lost and if I want to get back on track the first thing I do is lower the volume at zero. For me the music is made to get estranged from the environment temporarily, in order to get back to it later and appreciate it again.

Marco Magnani(Singer/guitarist of Instant Flight)

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