Galathea

GALATHEA is the new project by DJ Massimo Napoli, and the title of his first solo album. Borrowing the name from the homonymous Nereid from the Greek mythology, the album is a deep dive into dub, spiritual jazz and African surroundings. Over 12 tracks, the LP conceals a strong personality. Departing from club culture with particular emphasis on electronic dub, Galathea unfolds into many influences and styles, making it a unique listening experience. Mediterranean culture, afro and cinematic melodies, jazz, spiritual echoes, and soothing beats lead the listener into a subliminal escape, where the fluidity and the convergence of genres freely progress into a dream-like journey.

In "Spiritual Wind," the essence of spiritual jazz can be perceived on the central 5/4 rhythm, the deep double baseline, and the vocals.

In "Afrique," the melody and the rhythmic Nigerian Afro-funk blend with dub tonalities into a subtle listening experience, enriched by Kadi Koulibaly's vocal performance.

In "Dune," the album moves from Africa to the Caribbean; it is a tribute to the Cuban and Puerto Rican culture, sonically achieved with the interplay of Latin rhythms and dub sounds.

"Black Sand" is an Afro dub jazz composition; John Lui's poignant vocal performance accompanies the dub sounds and African instruments.

In "Scirocco," the warm and hypnotic atmosphere merges with Asian hues; it is reminiscent of the Shurhùq (or "midday wind") - a warm wind that blows from the Southeast over the Mediterranean Sea. The result is an explosive combination of music traditions with the addition of dub timbres.

In "Simeto," Asian influences merge with jazz. The delicate sitar blends with dub atmospherics like river ripples gently flowing towards the sea. Simeto (in ancient Greek "Symaithos") is the river flowing into the Ionian Sea from the slopes of Etna.

"Sunset Dub" was written in collaboration with musician and producer Salvo Dub; the song starts with a dynamic, percussive session and progresses into minimal dub tonalities and electronica.

"Sirens" is an ethereal song composition enhanced by the sounds of the sea and the sea birds, as well as the haunting sirens' voices.

"Karma Blues" is an Afro-blues track with impact. The kora and the reggae singing perfectly paint the recording and its gentle and atmospheric progression.

"This is African Jazz" is inspired by the Savannah sounds; it carries the listener on a refined journey accompanied by an African dub and percussions.

"Amanecer" was conceived as a soundtrack to welcome the sun, with the strings accompanying the sea sounds and the chanting of the sea birds.

MASSIMO NAPOLI is a DJ from Catania with a passion for jazz and black music. He began his musical career in the early 90s playing funk, hip hop, and acid jazz in clubs, contributing to the spreading of the most eclectic and refined sounds in Sicily. Napoli released a collaborative album under the collective Koom.h alongside DJ Salvo Borrelli and Salvo Dub; the album titled "Koom.h" came out in 2016 on Big Sur (Edizioni Ishtar). He contributed to Schema Records' compilations "Feel the Beat: Afrofunk" (2006) and"Break n' Bossa 7'' (2005) dedicated to African and Brazilian sounds.