PALOMA SUPERSOUND

Paloma Supersound

Four Flies sheds light on the catalogue of the enigmatic Paloma Records, a DIY record label founded in 1983 by Bolognese composer, arranger, conductor, and singer Paolo Zavallone, who, after a long career in pop music and at RAI television, decided to venture into the world of library music publishing.

The 12 tracks on this compilation were composed by Zavallone, who co-produced and co-arranged them with his friend Mauro Malavasi. The Paloma Records catalogue comprises just five LPs, all released – solely for circulation among industry professionals and not for commercial distribution – within a two-year period. Like typical library music albums, these LPs had very simple, plain artwork that hid their creators behind a game of smoke and mirrors – fanciful pseudonyms, names of non-existent studio bands, and even figureheads. But despite its enigmatic nature, today the label’s small catalogue reveals its extraordinary potential: it’s utterly iconic in the way it captures the sound of Italian music in the early ’80s, and not only in the library genre.

For instance, we find the youthful, lighthearted cheerfulness and playful silliness characterizing early-80s Italian light comedies (Zavallone had been involved in his comedian friend Ezio Greggio’s film debut). But there’s also a certain type of action music driven by aerobic-sporty boogie-funk, perfect for dance scenes. Not to mention plenty of slowed-down disco, often with elements of fusion (“Bengala”), as well as the ever-present action-packed funk, used in many early-80s Italian films to create a sense of urgency and evoke a detective-genre vibe (“Police”, “Questura”, “Africa Dance”). And, of course, electronic music, here in the form of krautrock-influenced tracks built solely on layered synths, and which seem created specifically to score TV investigations, political debates and current affairs features (“Teulada”, “Cronaca Nera”, “Telespazio”).

What is particularly surprising is the modernity of tracks like “Green” or “Atmosfere”: they’re like pristine nuggets of groove, ready to be sampled by the shrewdest producers, and prefigure some elements that will be developed later by genres such as house or acid-jazz.

In retrospect, Zavallone’s library music can also be regarded as a tribute to a certain Bolognese music scene, characterized by small provincial studios and, most importantly, by young, talented session musicians like Rudy Trevisi on sax and percussion, Davide Romani on bass, Lele Melotti on drums, and Paolo Gianolio on guitar (together with Malavasi, who played synths, they were basically the rhythm section of Vasco Rossi’s records in 1983-1984). Like in the case of fellow Bolognese composer Enzo Minuti, this music scene offered a unique alternative to the dominance of Rome and Milan in the library music industry.

For many insiders, these tracks were simply sottofondi, or backgrounds, meaning incidental musicintended solely to provide a certain mood or atmosphere for a film sequence, news feature, or television show, and created to fulfill a specific function rather than for artistic expression.And yet,so many years later it’s impossible not to see that the essence of this music has become more defined, that this sound has acquired its distinctive identity. A touch of ’80s nostalgia,but with a timeless quality that resonates with listeners today.

Out on vinyl LP and digital formats on 28 February 2025, courtesy of Four Flies Records.

Paloma Supersound, set for release on 28 February 2025 on vinyl and digital formats via Four Flies Records, kicks off a project to digitize and release the entire Paloma Records catalogue. Four Flies will distribute the catalogue throughout 2025.