A synesthesia is the expressive association between two words relevant to two different sensory spheres. It is natural to use this rhetorical figure to describe Nu Genea‘s music as fresh and smelling of the sea. Unique in their genre, they are among the few Italian musical projects that manage to achieve this, sounding as international but still remaining tied to their distinctly Neapolitan roots.
On May 13 their new album “Bar Mediterraneo” was released by NG Records under Carosello license, in which they prove once again that they are a crossroads of different but perfectly coherent sounds, defeating any kind of geographical barrier with music.
Collater.al for this reason decided to interview them. Let’s find out who is behind the most acclaimed funk disco duo in Italy.

Hi guys, “Bar Mediterraneo” is finally out. How is this release going? Tell me a little bit about it.

Very, very good! The reception has been very good. We started playing the record incognito some time ago, but being able to do it now that the album is out is another story. The audience involvement and participation is giving us great satisfaction. It will continue to go beyond any borders of language or nationality, as only music can do.

The concept of “BAR MEDITERRANEO” is blatant. It is about a common place where people can meet and merge, a clear reference to the soul of being from Naples. What weight does an artistically vibrant city like Naples have in your music?

In our experience, Naples is the only place where you can live for years without ever doing the same thing twice. Historically, it has definitely been a crossroads of different cultures. It is surprisingly alive, colorful, theatrical. We are obviously very close to it, even artistically, and we are great supporters of the Neapolitan language, which enjoys a musicality that is rare compared to other languages. We are very proud to bring the vitality and culture of Naples to the world through our music.

“Marechià” was definitely the soundtrack of last summer. After the success of that song, what has changed in you and your music?

We are always the same: inextricably linked to Naples but citizens of the world, lovers of disco, funk and contamination, etc. For us, music remains in the first place. Perhaps the audience is little wider than it used to be because now it is possible to hear us on air even on the big radio networks. Those who already knew us have stayed and are looking forward to dancing with us on the tracks of “Bar Mediterraneo” and so on.

In each song of “Bar Mediterraneo” you can hear numerous different musical influences, making this album different and unique. What are you usually inspired by? What stimulates you?

We can’t do an exhaustive list, we might run out of time. We need to be concise: for this album we calibrated the presence of string and wind instruments by mixing our funk matrix with contaminations from folk and the whole Mediterranean area, also drawing from the Magreb repertoire.

Last but never least. Your sound palette is broad and most interesting. Recommend to readers 3 projects that have musically shaped you during your lifetime.

There are many, including Wally Badarou and Azymuth, while among the “new” artists, we would say Anderson .Paak and Thundercat.