Spaccanapoli

Spaccanapoli are a group from Naples - historically a crossroads for the cultures of the whole Mediterranean region. The music is rooted in traditions that go back further and deeper than Catholic rituals to the pre-Christian rites of Dionysus. This is the expression of the working people - pulsing drums, impassioned vocals, the wild dances of the Tarantella and Tammurriata - the vibrant energy of the street carnival celebrated in the shade of the smouldering Vesuvius.The late heavy industrialisation of this area in the 1970s has forced the people to rethink their own culture. The ancient myths and rituals, which were part of their daily life, were at risk of sublimation within modern mass-culture but have evolved afresh to express the anguish of an anonymous post-modern existence. Today it is the car workers and industrial labourers who sing the songs of protest, defiance and anger.Spaccanapoli grew out of the original 'Gruppo Operario' (Workers Group) E Zezi which was formed in 1974 and provided the channel of expression over the years for more than 100 singers, instrumentalists and dancers. Some of the songs on this album are from the repertoire created within E Zezi, the group which encouraged this new, dramatically mutating folk music.In a final ironic comment Spaccanapoli have chosen their name from an old street of Greek origin in the centre of Naples - which, in spite of being reduced to a stop-off on the tourist trail, still retains the vital, irrepressible spark of authentic folk expression.June 2000