SKE is the “solo” project of Paolo “SKE” Botta, italian keyboards player who also plays in many bands, most notably Yugen and Not a Good Sign. In 2011 the debut album “1000 Autunni” was released on AltrOck/Fading Records, and features mostly Yugen musicians.

The style can be described as 70s Symphonic Prog meets Avant/RIO and Canterbury. The album received great critical acclaim and went quickly out of print, to be eventually reprinted in 2018 as “1001 Autunni”, with an additional live CD.

The new studio album “Insolubilia” is going to be released on July 11th 2021, still produced by Marcello Marinone. It is a dense and heavily layered album, inspired by brain teasers and paradoxes.

Despite this, it has a distinctive melodic approach that should help the listener to avoid “getting lost” into the sonic labyrinth.

With echoes by bands such as Gentle Giant, Änglagård, Universe Zero or JLF Ledesma among others, the album main opus “Insolubilia” is a 5 part variation of several recurring themes, that benefits of a very extensive musical palette, provided by 25 musicians:

Paolo Botta (Not a Good Sign, Yugen) – Keyboards, Composition (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11)

Fabio Pignatelli (Goblin) – Bass (9)

Luca Calabrese (Isildurs Bane) – Pocket Trumpet (1,5,9,10)

Lars Fredrik Frøislie (Wobbler) – Harpsichord (6,8)

Keith Macksoud (Present) – Bass (11)

Tommaso Leddi (Stormy Six) – Mandolin (1,11)

Nicolas Nikolopoulos (Ciccada) – Flute (1,4,6,9)

Evangelia Kozoni (Ciccada) – Voice (4)

Vitaly Appow (Rational Diet, Five Storey Ensamble) – Bassoon (2,7,10)

Simen Ådnøy Ellingsen (Shamblemaths) – Saxophones (7)

Alessandro Cassani (Not a Good Sign) – Bass (1,5,7)

Martino Malacrida (Not a Good Sign) – Drums (1,2,4,6,7,9,11)

Francesco Zago (Yugen) – Guitars (1,2,4,6,7,9,11)

Maurizio Fasoli (Yugen) – Grand Piano (2,4,5,11)

Valerio Cipollone (Yugen) – Clarinets (2,4,6,8,9,11)

Elia Leon Mariani (Yugen) – Violin (2,4,9,10,11)

Jacopo Costa (Loomings, Yugen) – Vibraphone/Marimba/Xylophone/Glockenspiel/Cymbalum

(1,2,4,5,6,7,9,10,11)

Maria Denami (Loomings) – Voice (1,6,11)

Massimo Giuntoli (Hobo) – Harmonium (1,9)

Pierre Wawrzyniak (Camembert, Oiapok) – Bass (2,4,6)

Mélanie Gerber (Camembert, Oiapok) – Voice (10)

Guillaume Gravelin (Camembert, Oiapok) – Harp (2,4,6,11)

Pietro Bertoni (FEM) – Trombone/Euphonium (1,9,11)

Thea Ellingsen Grant (Juno) – Voice (5,6,11)

Tiziana Azzone (Il Giardino delle Muse) – Theorbo (4)

 

TRACKLIST:

1.Sudo 03:44

2.Insolubilia I

3.Tor Cia 01:38

4.Insolubilia II

5.Lo Stagno del Proverbio

6.Akumu

7.La Nona Onda

8.Scogli 4

9.Insolubilia V

10.Insolubilia IV

11.Insolubilia III