Words by David C. Obenour
Music is a shared experience. At its genesis, the experience is one shared internally from the creator – bringing together a myriad of influencers in art and beyond. The experience expands to include other musicians, each bringing their own perspectives and approaches in how they play. Ripples reach out further and further and before the experience reaches listeners, other artists still are involved in shaping the whole for what will become an album.
For Infinite Cosmos Calling You You You, Vol. 1, drummer Federico Ughi shared his expansive and experimental musical explorations into the cosmic with Leo Genovese on keys and Brandon Lopez on upright bass. The resulting collection of songs are wild and probing, collecting sounds from analog and electronic instruments that propel thoughts and emotions into far out reaches.
Fronting this album is an illustration from Irish visual artist and musician, Robert Ickis Mirolo. The piece threads in influences to the music that are simultaneously separate, like Bealtaine and May Day, and connected, like new beginnings and possibilities, all presented together now in bright yellow packaging that radiates from record crates and shelves.
Off Shelf: How did you become aware of Robert’s art?
Federico Ughi: Robert has been collaborating with 577 Records for a few years now. I love Robert’s illustrations. We saw them online, contacted Robert, and started working together right away!
Robert Ickis Mirolo: I have a bit of a weird arrangement with 577. I basically sell them artwork ahead of time and they allow the artists to choose a cover that they feel resonates with them and their music. I thought it was a bit of an unusual set up at first but I find that the outcome is usually as successful, if not more successful than a lot of covers that I do which are workshopped from the ground up.
They first contacted me back in 2019, I think asking if they could use one of my older artworks on Instagram for an album cover. The one in question was already taken by somebody so I said, “What about any of these?” showing them options, and the label liked several of them so I added some text when the time came and we went from there!
OS: What about Robert’s style spoke to you? On its own and in relation to the music you?
FU: I was looking for something special to connect to my music. ‘Infinite Cosmos Calling You You You, Vol. 1’ is my first album in five years and I wanted to reflect the special nature of this music. It took me a long time to complete the music and I needed something outstanding to go with the sound. Robert offered this piece and I connected with it immediately. Yellow has always been my favorite color since I was a little kid.
OS: As mentioned before, the illustration was one you had previously created. Robert, can you talk about some of your initial inspiration behind it?
RIM: I think the genesis of that piece was a celebration of Bealtaine, the Gaelic May Day festival. It’s a simple piece of sun and fertility worship. It relates to a tradition of Irish anti-colonialism. May Day wasn’t celebrated in pre-christian Ireland but it’s been embraced by many in recent years. I think the imagery is all pretty self explanatory.
OS: How do you view the difference in initial inspiration for your art and Federico’s music?
RIM: I’ll often listen to the music afterwards and it will make perfect sense. I listened to Infinite Cosmos just last night and I had a really good time, it’s a beautiful record. Usually I’m trying to represent the music with the artwork but here I like that both the music and the artwork were created in isolation and then combined to be more than the sum of their parts. I never got to hear the record before the artwork, but I can confidently say that their music made the artwork feel more special.
OS: The work chosen for the cover is abstract but with familiar elements. What do you see in it?
FU: Possibilities.
RIM: That makes sense. It’s a celebration of both the beginning of the Irish summer and also the passage of time, much of the hard work of spring has been done, plants are abundant, time stretches on before the work of the harvest begins, the summer weather hasn’t yet informed you how the yield will be. Anything is possible!
OS: A musician themselves, do you think that plays into the art and composition of their work? Was that important or relevant to you in working with Robert?
FU: Is Robert a musician? Wonderful! I didn’t know that but I’m not surprised at all. There is a real flow in his art. It looks like sound.
RIM: I’m a big improviser with both things and while the outcomes are really different, the success is usually dependent on my ability to not let my ego get in the way. Practice turning emotion into form in private, and then when it comes time to share, try and get out of the way so that something bigger can come through. While they’re both coming from the same source, I think music makes it out more intact, more true, I think due to its ephemeral nature. Artworks are time frozen, music – like life – is passing always. Sometimes it works, many times it doesn’t. It’s all part of the fun though.
OS: Do you think of the illustration any differently now that it’s associated with Federico‘s album? Does the music give it a different life?
RIM: In the case of Infinite Cosmos the music made me appreciate the piece more, it gave it more meaning. I think often the artist chooses a piece that is maybe coming from a similar place or impulse than the music. In the case of cosmic jazz, we’re definitely reading off the same hymn sheet. I’m totally inspired by a lot of that 70s cosmic and spiritual movement. I think there was a lot of New Age schlock and grift but you cannot argue with the likes of Sun Ra and Alice Coltrane. There was totally this rich cosmic seam being mined around then which created some beautiful transcendent music. Like with everything there’s a lot of trash and there’s the few people who really embody the zeitgeist’s best parts.
OS: The press release for Infinite Cosmos references your artistic enterprise extending beyond the music, to the connection of your fellow players and the audience. How do you feel Robert’s art adds to that experience?
FU: Robert’s piece spoke to me and shows this idea of a cosmic opening. It seems perfect for the message I want to deliver. The visual is so important. I am a musician and I work with sound. Robert works with images. The combination of the two helps clarifying what I have in mind.