Fantasy

The lost chapter of Piero Umiliani’s discography is finally being released for the very first time, over forty years after its creation, on the exact day marking the centenary of the composer’s birth. Recorded in 1983, Fantasy was intended to be the fourth title for Telesound, the last of the library labels founded by Umiliani – after Omicron, Liuto Records, SWS, Ciak, and Videovoice. However, the composer’s sudden illness put a stop to its release, and the project remained shelved and forgotten in the Sound Work Shop archives. More than thirty years later, the discovery of two original 1/4-inch stereo reels brought these masters back to light, revealing a record that perfectly captures Umiliani’s final creative phase. While three of the tracks were previously featured on the Four Flies compilations Studio Umiliani and L'uomo Elettronico, this is the very first time Fantasy can be heard in its complete, original form—presented in the exact track sequence and format intended by the composer. The album occupies a pivotal place within Umiliani’s sonic universe, blending easy listening and experimental electronic music with imagery from science and nature and a playful sensibility. It is a journey of the imagination where analogue synthesizers, light orchestrations, smooth rhythms, and futuristic soundscapes coexist with the expressive immediacy that made Umiliani a unique figure in the Italian musical landscape. Heard today, Fantasy stands as an unintended artistic testament: the last great original project completed by the Maestro before illness abruptly halted his career. More than just a historical document of extraordinary value, this release provides an essential missing piece to understanding Umiliani's output and his pioneering role in the evolution of Italian film, library, and electronic music.