Karmamoi is an Italian

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed " progressive pop", the ...

band led by Daniele Giovannoni.

History

Giovannoni formed Karmamoi in 2008. Shortly after, he worked with the vocalist Serena Ciacci, guitarists Fabio Tempesta and Alex Massari and bassist Alessandro Cefalì, who completed the line-up. In 2009 Karmamoi met Crisalide Edizioni, who believed in the project and together with the band began to work towards the release that summer of a single, "Venere", which generated positive responses from radio stations and the public. "Venere" was broadcast by many independent stations even beyond the Alps, which led the band to take part in the JIMI Festival de Marne in Paris. That same year, as well as a series of concerts in the bigger live venues of Rome, Karmamoi played in the M.e.i. festival in Faenza. In May 2010 Karmamoi featured on the soundtrack of the short film by Paolo Budassi ''Cinque Note'' and began recording the tracks for their debut album. In January 2011 they released the self-titled ''Karmamoi''. The album was accompanied by the video of "Vivo Desiderio", directed by Paolo Budassi. In January 2011 the band performed in the

Eurosonic ESNS (Eurosonic Noorderslag) is an annual four-day music showcase festival and conference held in January in Groningen, the Netherlands. The first three days of the festival (Eurosonic) feature artists from all over Europe, the last day of the f ...

showcase festival in

Groningen Groningen ( , ; ; or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen (province), Groningen province in the Netherlands. Dubbed the "capital of the north", Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of ...

and launched the album at Rising Love in Rome. They performed at the Rome Fnac and gave interviews and radio broadcasts. In September 2011 the band appeared in the Supersonic Festival and Naples's AWOP Festival. In 2012, the band released an acoustic EP entitled ''Entre Chien Et Loup'', which launched at the Teatro Elsa Morante in Rome on 17 May 2012. ''Entre Chien Et Loup'' connects the pop proclivities of the debut album and their later rock/prog direction. The EP includes the new single "Stesa", which epitomizes the musical changes underway. In late 2013, Karmamoi released ''Odd Trip'', featuring a single of the same name. The band launched the album played along

Curved Air Curved Air are an English progressive rock group formed in 1970 by musicians from mixed artistic backgrounds, including classical, folk and electronic sound. The resulting sound of the band is a mixture of progressive rock, folk rock, and fu ...

at "The Borderline" in London. "Odd Trip" has been a big step into Progressive Rock. Ciacci left the band to work on other projects. ''Silence Between Sounds'' is their third album. Due to personnel changes, the album took over two years to complete. Karmamoi used this opportunity to follow a new musical path. They decided to keep the band without an official vocalist, and for this reason ''Silence Between Sounds'' features multiple singers, each of whom brought their own voice to the music. They featured instruments such as the cello, piano, flute, and clarinet. This change allowed them to balance traditional and modern progressive rock. Thematically, the piece attempts to understand the reasons for human failure. Producer and engineer Mark Tucker ( Jethro Tull) worked closely with Daniele as co-producer and mixing engineer. Karmamoi played at "Winter's End Festival" (UK). In 2018, Karmamoi's fourth studio album, ''The Day Is Done'', was released. Recorded in May 2018 at The Arc Abbey Studios (UK), published by Sonicbond, the album is a concept one, describing two brothers trying to find a better life in Europe who ultimately die in the

Grenfell Tower fire On 14 June 2017, a List of fires in high-rise buildings, high-rise fire broke out in the 24-storey Grenfell Tower block of Public housing in the United Kingdom, flats in North Kensington, West London, England, at 00:54 British Summer Time, BST ...

. As for the previous album ''Silence Between Sounds'', the band involved Sara Rinaldi as vocalist. Also, Karmamoi involved guests such as Colin Edwin, the bassist of (

Porcupine Tree Porcupine Tree are an English rock band formed by musician Steven Wilson in 1987. During an initial career spanning more than twenty years, they earned critical acclaim from critics and fellow musicians, developed a cult following, and became ...

and O.R.K.) and

Geoff Leigh Geoff Leigh (born 5 October 1945) is an English jazz and progressive rock musician, playing primarily soprano saxophone and flute. He was a member of the English avant-rock group Henry Cow and founded several bands himself, including Red Balu ...

, flutist and saxophonist (

Steven Wilson Steven John Wilson (born 3 November 1967) is an English musician. He is the founder, guitarist, lead vocalist, and songwriter of the rock band Porcupine Tree, as well as being a member of several other bands, including Blackfield, Storm Corrosi ...

, Ex-Wise Heads, Henry Cow, and many others). Mark Tucker co-produced and sound engineered the album. Critically acclaimed and by prog fans, "The Day Is Done" allowed the band to be recognized for its unique sound and compositions. Karmamoi has been included by Prog-Sphere in a list as one of the 20 best Italian progressive rock bands. They played at "Rosfest" (Florida), DanFest (UK), "Black Water Festival" and "Progressivamente Festival" (Italy). The band is working on a new album called ''ROOM 101'' that will be released in spring 2021. Recorded in Rome and London (August – October 2020) and produced by Daniele Giovannoni, the album is inspired by the novel of

George Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950) was an English novelist, poet, essayist, journalist, and critic who wrote under the pen name of George Orwell. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to a ...

's ''

Nineteen Eighty-Four ''Nineteen Eighty-Four'' (also published as ''1984'') is a dystopian novel and cautionary tale by the English writer George Orwell. It was published on 8 June 1949 by Secker & Warburg as Orwell's ninth and final completed book. Thematically ...

''. Once again, Karmamoi have involved some guests such as the pianist Adam Holzman (

Miles Davies Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of mu ...

) and the violinist Steve Unruh. 2022: In March 2022 Karmamoi released a new single called "WHICH DREAMS" From April 2022 Valerio Sgargi is the new singer of the Band. On 25 June Karmamoi performed as the open act of "IQ" at the "Legend Club" in Milan and on 29 July 2022, Karmamoi released the single TAMED SHADOWS 2023: The sixth studio album by KARMAMOI called STRINGS FROM THE EDGE OF SOUND will be out on 1 September 2023. On 3 September 2023, the band will be performing at the most important Italian Prog Festival 2DAYS PROG+1 in Veruno.

Band members

* Daniele Giovannoni – Composer, Drums, Keyboards * Alex Massari – Guitars * Alessandro Cefalì – Bass * Valerio Sgargi - Composer, Vocal, Keyboards

Discography

* ''Karmamoi'' (2011) * ''Entre chien et loup'' (2012) * ''Odd Trip'' (2013) * ''Silence Between Sounds'' (2016) * ''The Day Is Done'' (2018) * ''Room 101'' (2021) * ''Which Dreams'' (single) ''Tamed Shadows'' (single) (2022) * ''Strings from the Edge of Sound'' (1 September 2023)

References

External links

* {{Authority control Italian progressive rock groups Musical groups from Rome