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Get to know Cucina Povera

With the 17th edition of Rewire x Korzo on 2nd October fast approaching, dive into the enchanting sound-world of Finnish-born sound artist and vocalist Cucina Povera. Throughout numerous releases and radio shows as Cucina Povera, Maria Rossi utilises everyday encounters and field recordings to create poignant “found soundscapes”, her dreamy, hymnal vocals finding a perfect mix with the synth experiments in her productions. Get familiar with her work below before we welcome her to The Hague. A limited number of additional tickets have been released for this event, get them soon to avoid missing out.

The versatility of her creative approach can be seen across her three excellent albums for Glasow label Night School records, as she shifts seamlessly between the DIY minimalism of 2019’s ‘Zoom’- recorded entirely using her own voice, a Tascam Zoom recorder and a loop pedal- to the studio-based synth work of her 2020 album ‘Tyyni’ . She caught wide attention through her immersive 2018 album ‘Hilja’, also released on Night School, which found itself amongst the top of quite a few ‘Best of 2018’ lists. Stream her three albums for Night School in their entirety here:

Hilja (2018):

Listen on bandcamp

Zoom (2019):

Listen on bandcamp

Tyyni (2020):

Listen on bandcamp

2020 has also seen the artist come into her own as a highly effective collaborator, with two different releases on which she recorded music alongside another artist. The first of these collaborations came in the form of her joint-release on The Hague-based label BAKK, alongside experimental Dutch producer Haron, for the sixth edition of their Plafond series. The release brings together the folkloric and the futurist, with the cinematic long-form piece ‘Riffittelyä’ a particular highlight. Check out this stunning release here:

‘Plafond 6’ on BAKK w/ Haron:

Listen on bandcamp

In May, Cucina Povera released another collaboration, this time with British producer ELS, on the Austrian institution Editions Mego. ‘Oystercatcher’ is a fragile interplay between Rossi’s drifting vocals and the ominous churn of ELS’s modular synth. Each sonic element takes a turn at leading the way. Listen here:

‘Oystercatcher’ on Editions Mego w/ ELS:

Listen on bandcamp

Parallel to her prolific work as a recording artist, Cucina Povera is equally adept as a radio DJ, regularly exhibiting music that influences her work on the likes on NTS, Clyde Built Radio and more. In March she was invited by Bleep to provide an entry to their longstanding mix series. In this mix, we see her select various works from artists operating in much the same vein as the sound she explored on ‘Tyyni’. Tracks from artists such as Pan Sonic and Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith blend beautifully with some of her own productions. Listen here:

→ https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/789798004&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true

Last year she also offered up a stunning audio study of ‘The Pool’ for Melbourne artist Laila Sakini’s experimental mix series ‘Careful’. In this sound-art piece she maintains her minimalist approach to production combining field recordings of water with her own spoken words and sparse, baroque-style delicate synth. Listen below:

→ https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/578811660&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true

Finally, she recently joined Ransom Note for an interview in which she talks about some of her influences, and provided another breezy, meditative mix:

→ https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/853018657&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true

Read the interview with Ransom Note here.

Cucina Povera joins Stephanie Pan & Ensemble Klang to perform at Rewire x Korzo on Friday 2nd October. A few additional tickets have been released for this event, you can reserve tickets with your We Are Public-pass via wearepublic.nl or purchase them online via https://korzo.nl/nl/agenda/rewire-x-korzo/