Vinyl - Malutempu - Mala Tempora Currunt - Hand numbered edition

Calabria is explored through its history, bridging its roots with the evolving traditions over time and their journey into modernity. Malutempu, the artistic name of Antonio Olivo, is the storyteller of this journey, in which his Mala Tempora Currunt is a summary of the millennia-old history of Calabria and the numerous peoples who have inhabited it throughout the centuries.

The album opens with the only sung track of the work, Vestigia Homnis: the sung part is taken from the song Simu arrivati, and the sound is a highly rhythmic blend of Mediterranean sounds with classical traditional instruments. The track is part of Voxteca, a scientific research project by the University for Foreigners of Perugia. Elements of tradition are reflected in Fest’ and Malutìampu, which precedes a track that revisits Calabria’s Greek origins: Hera Lacinia merges Greek musical sounds with more contemporary folk, and is a tribute to the Greek temple of the same name in Crotone and Calabria's cultural richness.

Folk and Mediterranean music elements are found in Sciarada, reinterpreted with sounds closer to our present-day. The return to Greek origins is prominent in Askòs, which pays tribute to the ornamental vase of Ancient Greece with a sound that blends styles from different eras. Immediately after comes a very light track, where guitar and violin accompany each other, A Luna. Sounds similar to those sung by the violin are found in Rosa dì Fest’, which resembles a typical Irish ballad, with a lively giga to spice up the melody. This song recalls the influence of the Normans in Calabria, a people known to have come from Northern Europe and been linked to the Celts.

The album closes with Kroton, a tribute, as can be seen in the final notes, to the city of Crotone, where Mediterranean sounds merge with the traditions of Crotone. The song's atmosphere initially carries solemnity and strength, before reaching a glorious tone in the final part.

Mala Tempora Currunt by Malutempu is a segment of Calabria's history because the album blends origins with modernity, exploring all the Mediterranean and European areas that over the centuries have influenced Calabrian culture, giving it a strong sense of uniqueness. The album retraces the roots of Calabria, since they were first planted, and invites one to admire the trees that have grown from their encounter with the passage of time, the peoples who settled in the region, and the strength born from their union, which is evident in our modern-day reality.