Valentina Magaletti & upsammy

The collaboration between drummer Valentina Magaletti and DJ/producer upsammy explores movement, change, and variation. The two find common ground in sounds of digital and acoustic mallet instruments. Their first collaborative album Seismo features a fascinating palette of sounds, from mischievous vocal snippets to disorienting rhythms and collapsing sonic architectures.

Seismo originated from a commission from Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum and was created on the basis of recordings made in the museum rooms. Amsterdam-based DJ/producer upsammy had previously worked with her own field recordings. Her tracks were picked up by established DJs such as Ben UFO and Four Tet, and she has performed at festivals such as Dekmantel. Valentina Magaletti is known for her critical approach to drumming, for example on her solo record A Queer Anthology of Drums. The London-based Italian drummer was part of Moin, Vanishing Twin and many other ensembles. She has collaborated countless musicians such as Mica Levi, Nicolas Jaar and Thurston Moore.

‘This collaboration between the Amsterdam-based producer and the UK’s busiest drummer opens up dazzling worlds of percussive sound’ (The Quietus).