RICCARDO BIANCHI
lyrics+voice
MASSIMO MAGRINI
music
"DERMA, a collaboration between Riccardo Bianchi and Massimo Magrini (also known as BAD SECTOR), embodies a sophisticated fusion of retro-futuristic electronica and poetic lyricism. originating in 1995 and revitalized in 2020, this project has become a distinctive voice in the italian synthwave scene. Their musical approach combines analog loops, diverse vocal inserts, and synthetic arrangements, blending '70s and '80s synth-electro aesthetics with modern production techniques. this unique amalgamation results in a raw yet refined auditory experience, where abrasive electronic textures intertwine with complex vocal arrangements. DERMA's lyrics, delivered in italian through singing and declamation, explore introspective decadence and everyday science fiction. drawing inspiration from krautrock, ebm, and cold wave, their music creates a nostalgic yet forward-thinking soundscape that appeals to both retro enthusiasts and contemporary audiences seeking a darker, more cerebral dance music experience. Their compositions serve as sonic time capsules, echoing the past while envisioning the future, with sharp, icy melodies set to danceable rhythms."
Stefan Alt, Ant-Zen label.
Discography
- 1995 (Cassette, Mini-Album, Ltd, Num), Luce Sia, 2018
- Signore E Signori, Buonanotte..., LP, Luce Sia, 2021
- Gran Monoplano, CD, Ant-Zen, 2025
Massimo Magrini has been active for many years in the indie electronic music scene with several projects, of which the best known is Bad Sector, with which he has recorded many albums on CD, vinyl, cassettes etc. As Bad Sector he played a lot live throughout Europe, Russia etc. becoming a cult project in the alternative electronic scene. His first album Ampos (1995) is still considered, globally, a fundamental album of the dark ambient genre.
Riccardo Bianchi he is an eclectic artist who has always ranged in different expressive fields including painting, sculpture, poetry and song. He is currently active as a singer in several Tuscan bands, including Unita' Suono di Base, Idiotoma etc.
lyrics+voice
MASSIMO MAGRINI
music
"DERMA, a collaboration between Riccardo Bianchi and Massimo Magrini (also known as BAD SECTOR), embodies a sophisticated fusion of retro-futuristic electronica and poetic lyricism. originating in 1995 and revitalized in 2020, this project has become a distinctive voice in the italian synthwave scene. Their musical approach combines analog loops, diverse vocal inserts, and synthetic arrangements, blending '70s and '80s synth-electro aesthetics with modern production techniques. this unique amalgamation results in a raw yet refined auditory experience, where abrasive electronic textures intertwine with complex vocal arrangements. DERMA's lyrics, delivered in italian through singing and declamation, explore introspective decadence and everyday science fiction. drawing inspiration from krautrock, ebm, and cold wave, their music creates a nostalgic yet forward-thinking soundscape that appeals to both retro enthusiasts and contemporary audiences seeking a darker, more cerebral dance music experience. Their compositions serve as sonic time capsules, echoing the past while envisioning the future, with sharp, icy melodies set to danceable rhythms."
Stefan Alt, Ant-Zen label.
Discography
- 1995 (Cassette, Mini-Album, Ltd, Num), Luce Sia, 2018
- Signore E Signori, Buonanotte..., LP, Luce Sia, 2021
- Gran Monoplano, CD, Ant-Zen, 2025
Massimo Magrini has been active for many years in the indie electronic music scene with several projects, of which the best known is Bad Sector, with which he has recorded many albums on CD, vinyl, cassettes etc. As Bad Sector he played a lot live throughout Europe, Russia etc. becoming a cult project in the alternative electronic scene. His first album Ampos (1995) is still considered, globally, a fundamental album of the dark ambient genre.
Riccardo Bianchi he is an eclectic artist who has always ranged in different expressive fields including painting, sculpture, poetry and song. He is currently active as a singer in several Tuscan bands, including Unita' Suono di Base, Idiotoma etc.
- Paroliamo
- Chi Ama Brucia
- Test
- Roma Secondo Estratto
- Gran Monoplano
- Automa
- Gigolo
- Ditalia
- Buonanotte
- Campioni dei Mondi
"The witty lyrical-apocalyptic lyrics, between decadent introspection and everyday science fiction - with the addition of vintage radio and television samples on the mafia, terrorism and popular songs - are in fact sung and recited with a hoarse voice on synthetic arrangements that revisit canonical synth situations with ironic verve. pop and cold wave more '80s than '70s. Melodic pieces, which we could normally imagine in an acoustic or orchestral guise, are here dressed in tight synthetic and very elegant monophonic synth rhythms, between kraut rock references (Doppio al cubo) and frenetic almost EBM sequences (Automa), in a quotationism creative in which everyone can have fun tracking down plausible allusions, from Kraftwerk to the Human League, from Battiato to Krisma. It doesn't hurt that the work is presented on tempting white vinyl, with Bianchi's mocking wooden sculptures on the gatefold cover. "(8)
Vittore Baroni (Rumore)
"Putting the record on the turntable I had the a strange feeling: something we could call retro-futurism, perhaps? Musically we have good 70s/80s electro synth tracks with, sonically, some modern insights: some distorted parts, like IDM beats or some lead synths plus filtered metallic vocals. The effect created is interesting and, as already mentioned, it is like a mix of old and new: something old that looks to the future or something that comes from the future and takes inspiration from the past. It's not an easy thing to explain because if I said they were inspired by early Depeche Mode and John Foxx it would be right and wrong at the same time. Take songs like "Test" or "Gesti", they are melodic and catchy but at the same time minimal, cold and experimental. The lyrics are in Italian (the insert translated them into English) and the vocal parts are a mix of singing and declamation that fits well with the text. Check out songs like "Ditalia," which talks about Italy's darkest times. In short, things like the case of Ustica or the Red Brigades, etc. The only weak point is that the inner sheet only has the English translation. In any case, for me they are probably the best Italian electronic project of today."
Maurizio Pustianaz (Chain DLK)
"Retro music, but at the same time modern: blades of ice on dance tempos as if the best Litfiba had never disgraced themselves and still remained Heroes in the Wind. Amazing that Massimo Magrini (Bad Sector), after more than thirty years, still hasn't gotten tired of the arid cultural basin that is not inclined to experiments and unorthodox melanges. A record that undoubtedly looks to the past, but fascinating and elegant: as majestic as an equestrian monument that resists bad weather and overwhelming traffic. We like it. A job for those who are obsessed with dungeon synth and for those who have only ever danced with Das Ich and Clock Dva."
Marco Giorcella (SodaPop Magazine)
"After the debut "1995" which resurrected a recording from the same year made up of brutal sound loops, comes this white LP limited to 240 copies and download code, which resets the stylistic coordinates, paying homage to the Italian synthwave of the 70s/80s: pulsating rhythms retro passes through the air in a pace that is at times overwhelming (Doppio al Cubo, Automa), at times more dreamy (Splendor, Gesti) or even punctuated by breakbeats (Gigolo), all characterized by Bianchi's dark and surreal lyrics, which add a further variable to a decidedly unusual and excellently crafted album."
M/B (Rosa Selvaggia)
Vittore Baroni (Rumore)
"Putting the record on the turntable I had the a strange feeling: something we could call retro-futurism, perhaps? Musically we have good 70s/80s electro synth tracks with, sonically, some modern insights: some distorted parts, like IDM beats or some lead synths plus filtered metallic vocals. The effect created is interesting and, as already mentioned, it is like a mix of old and new: something old that looks to the future or something that comes from the future and takes inspiration from the past. It's not an easy thing to explain because if I said they were inspired by early Depeche Mode and John Foxx it would be right and wrong at the same time. Take songs like "Test" or "Gesti", they are melodic and catchy but at the same time minimal, cold and experimental. The lyrics are in Italian (the insert translated them into English) and the vocal parts are a mix of singing and declamation that fits well with the text. Check out songs like "Ditalia," which talks about Italy's darkest times. In short, things like the case of Ustica or the Red Brigades, etc. The only weak point is that the inner sheet only has the English translation. In any case, for me they are probably the best Italian electronic project of today."
Maurizio Pustianaz (Chain DLK)
"Retro music, but at the same time modern: blades of ice on dance tempos as if the best Litfiba had never disgraced themselves and still remained Heroes in the Wind. Amazing that Massimo Magrini (Bad Sector), after more than thirty years, still hasn't gotten tired of the arid cultural basin that is not inclined to experiments and unorthodox melanges. A record that undoubtedly looks to the past, but fascinating and elegant: as majestic as an equestrian monument that resists bad weather and overwhelming traffic. We like it. A job for those who are obsessed with dungeon synth and for those who have only ever danced with Das Ich and Clock Dva."
Marco Giorcella (SodaPop Magazine)
"After the debut "1995" which resurrected a recording from the same year made up of brutal sound loops, comes this white LP limited to 240 copies and download code, which resets the stylistic coordinates, paying homage to the Italian synthwave of the 70s/80s: pulsating rhythms retro passes through the air in a pace that is at times overwhelming (Doppio al Cubo, Automa), at times more dreamy (Splendor, Gesti) or even punctuated by breakbeats (Gigolo), all characterized by Bianchi's dark and surreal lyrics, which add a further variable to a decidedly unusual and excellently crafted album."
M/B (Rosa Selvaggia)
