Daniele Baldelli is often cast as the Italian counterpart to Larry Levan, and the two have a lot in common. In 1977, as Levan was opening the Paradise Garage in the gritty heart of Hudson Square, Baldelli was brought in as the resident DJ at posh discotheque Baia Degli Angeli, looking out onto the Adriatic Sea. As Levan drew on countless genres to craft what would become the "Garage" sound (disco, new wave, synth reggae), Baldelli took eclectic records ranging from Steve Reich to Eurodisco cheese to Fela Kuti, sometimes layering three to four records to craft a sound soon dubbed "Afro/Cosmic" when he moved over to the Italian club Cosmic in 1979. Defined by synths that aim towards outer space and hard percussion influenced by thundering tribal drums, Baldelli’s mesmeric, head-widening sound and eclectic selections have influenced numerous generations of DJs and producers, from DJ Harvey to Todd Terje.
But while Levan descended into drugs and died at a tragically young age, Baldelli—now in his sixties—has had a renaissance of sorts. He’s remixed Museum of Love as well as Róisín Murphy and recently turned in a marathon set in Coachella, Ca. After numerous mix CDs, edits made in conjunction with younger Italian artists like Marco Dionigi and Luca Roccatagliati, this month sees the legend release Cosmic Drag. With its title and four other song titles bearing the word "cosmic" (two more reference space) you can already anticipate what Baldelli has in store here.
Even if there isn't a new sound to be discovered across these dozen tracks, Cosmic Drag exceeds expectations, with almost every track bearing a shooting-star thrill. And as one would expect from an iconic DJ known to unearth rare tracks, Baldelli excels in sussing out the sweet spot between genres and exploring the new space between. So while "Ballbearing" opens with electro pings and a metallic chug, midway through a vintage synth melody emerges and gives the track buoyancy and lift. The rubber band bass of "Space Dumper" suggests where '70s funk meets German kosmische, with a psychedelic guitar lick made to sound like rippling water on top.
There’s a sameness to some of Baldelli’s productions here, to where I’d have a difficult time telling you which track is "Cosmic Particles" and which is "Cosmic Glide", much less which one is "Cosmic Drag". But there are standouts: the upbeat disco-funk of "Mooneyes" and the heavy Afro drums that roil across grandiose melody and Speak-&-Spell vocals of "Chop and Roll" are worthy of entry into the Afro/Cosmic canon. If he hadn’t rendered them himself, no doubt Baldelli would want to weave them into his set.
