“90% of what is considered “rap” or “hip hop” today is very far from my conception and my taste, not to say it's garbage. Gianni is something else. It was natural to connect through music and create something different. It's our way." - FF
"FFiume and I immediately found ourselves on the same wavelength, like natural alchemy, unsurprisingly Hip Hop united two generations. He proposed the music to me and everything else came by itself. Collaborating has been a pleasure, both from an artistic and a human point of view." - Loop Penn
From the musical encounter of different but similar backgrounds, a digital 12" entitled "ECHI" was born, a project aimed at restoring long-forgotten nuances to Italian Hip-Hop.
The connection between Loop Penn and FFiume stems from mutual respect for each other's music, with an exchange of inspirations, rhythms and moods that has been going on for years, behind the scenes, away from the clamour.
A renewed lyricism, a clear artistic direction.
The soundscapes that FFiume has chiselled during the working of this project, have been imagined to make room for the renewed lyricism of Loop Penn, refined during the parallel preparation of his next album.
Already known in the indie circuit for his battle rhymer skills, Loop Penn accepts the challenge of writing a different type of rap than his usual, opening himself up to emotional and exciting communication, to take the musical scenario to another level.
We are not talking about "rap songs", but about rap songs. Echoes of life, for better or for worse. Rap songs, street poetry. With rarefied atmospheres, thanks to the use of hypnotic loops and lean but deep grooves, FFiume hands Loop Penn the musical carpets to tell two equal and opposite stories, however vivid in the narration.
"Echoes" is a rare pearl of honesty and depth, which speaks of the difficulties that life can make you face, and how you are never ready enough to face them, if not by standing firm and proceeding at a brisk pace.
In times when urban and hip-hop music, in particular, seems to have forgotten its roots, this is a bold statement.
"The Wheel," on the other hand, is a love letter to self, a reminder to keep your head up, and your heart in the sun, no matter what. The refrain sung by FF leaves no room for doubt: if time flies, what little you have you have to hold on to. On tempo.
"La Consapevolezza" and "La Resistenza", the two parts of the same track that opens and closes the sortie of the two, show a different approach to the musical production of FF, almost a prelude to the next releases of both artists.
credits
released April 26, 2023
--
Music produced and mixed by FFiume at Basement Flat Studio, London,
and Studio Mobile, Florence, for AudioMidiMixTeppismo, 2020_2023.
Lyrics written, recorded and mixed by Loop Penn at GrowUp Studio.
Mastered by Don Cianni at GrowUp Studio, Pescara.