MAURO PICOTTO - KOMODO
THE UNAUTHORIZED AND NEVER RELEASED FIRST VERSION
THE SENSATIONAL REVELATION AND THE RECOVERY 25 YEARS LATER
The following interview and its contents are granted by Bolle di Musica
THE STORY BEHIND AND INSIDE KOMODO
It's not every day that we learn about some “behind the scenes” of the magnitude of what we are about to report.
Considering the worldwide fame of the track in question, this news will surely cause a stir among trance music lovers,
electronic music lovers in general and all those who over the years have had the opportunity to appreciate this record.
Here below the interview with Giovanni Erata, a former insider who has chosen to make public the story
that has remained unknown until now and advocate of a prodigious recovery.
Bolle di Musica = BdM Giovanni Erata = G
BdM: “Hello. Before proceeding, we would like an introduction from you.”
G: “Hello. I am 44 years old and since 1992 i have been following with great interest all shades of dance music, at national and international level.
I am a great music lover and I collect records. I have been producing digital music at Casa Mia Studio since 1999.
For a few years of my life through Ravenergy i have been an independent promoter of foreign dance events on Italian soil
while for several years through Astralis Music i have been general manager for some top-tier national deejays.”
BdM: “Okay. Let's start with the topic of this interview. Tell us in the way that best suits you what you want to talk about.”
G: “I thought of all the people, like me, who particularly love that record, Komodo. If i were in any of them's shoes,
i am sure that i would want to know every nuance and every backstory related to that record. In any of them's shoes,
if today i found out that there was a first version of that record and never released, i would certainly want to know more.
When you love something, that’s how it is. You want everything about it. Even more so if what you’re missing from it is the icing on the cake.”
BdM: “Really?”
G: “Absolutely. Just imagine being 19 and accidentally hearing a record. A beautiful, unique, incredible record. A record that makes you dream
from the first listen. A record that you like so much that you end up having multiple copies and in different editions, all the possible ones.
Then imagine discovering some day, by chance, that there is a version of that record that has never been on sale. A beta version that has never been released.
A version, that version, that remains the first one made. The most beautiful and unique. My favourite.
In 2000 i had the opportunity to hear a couple of live sets by Mario Più and Mauro Picotto in which they played that version.”
BdM: “Okay. So what happened?”
G: “From that moment on, the hunt for that version began. Over the years i have conducted a research and, thanks to several testimonies of
former insiders who directly made that record, i have obtained confirmation of the existence of that version and also some additional informations
that led me to learn about a circumstance unknown to practically everyone.”
BdM: “Okay. Explain to us what it is.”
G: “In 1999 the first version of the track Komodo (initially titled Komodo Dragon) was made which included the presence of a tribal choir in it,
inserted in the central pause of the track. This choir, sung in the Baegu language, was taken from the song Sweet Lullaby by Deep Forest,
in turn taken from the ethnic song Rorogwela by Afunakwa, a woman belonging to a tribe of Malaita (Solomon Islands).
Deep Forest, as copyright holders of the tribal choir, have not granted authorization for its use for commercial purposes.
As a result, Picotto and his staff were forced to fall back on an alternative that was then Save A Soul, namely the chorus sung in English
which took the place of the previous one. This is how we got to Komodo [Save A Soul]. But that's not all. The first version of Komodo, in addition to the tribal chorus,
was characterized by a double flute solo, also with a tribal flavour, placed right at the end of the chorus and before the melodic restart.
Well, that element was also removed from the song and later reintroduced, although in a much smaller size, only in the Alternative Mix version.”
BdM: “Okay. And after that?”
G: “According to the information gathered, i learned that the first version made, after the lack of authorization for the use of the tribal chorus,
was destined to be thrown away. However, before its deletion, very few copies of this version were burned privately on cd and vinyl acetate,
copies that over the years have all been lost, thrown away or unusable due to wear, according to the testimonies of those who had copies.
The research conducted led me to consult all the interested parties: from the authors of the song to some of the record company employees,
to reach the individual recipients of those copies. All in vain.”
BdM: “Too bad, really. And then what did you do?”
G: “I didn't give up. The only remaining possibility of having that version was to reproduce it.
So I went to the studio with the will to reconstruct that now lost version.
I got to work using all my skills, giving life to the faithful reconstruction of the first version of Komodo. And I did it.
Komodo [Rorogwela] (Giovanni Erata Special Reconstruction).”
BdM: “A story with a happy ending. Very beautiful. It must have been a great satisfaction.”
G: “So much. Now i am very happy to share this work of mine with everyone, i am sure it will be appreciated. Music belongs to everyone and must reach everyone.
My reconstruction of the first version of Komodo is available for listening on my YouTube channel and i will be happy to provide it to anyone who requests it.”
BdM: “Interesting. But is it allowed to do this? Is it legal?”
G: “Yes. Contrary to popular belief, it is legally possible, behind certain conditions, to use existing works to create a new work, as stated in the matter by
The Copyright Modernization Act (Section 29.21). And not only that: in the case in question, the publication of a mash-up on YouTube for non-commercial purposes is absolutely legal,
as disclosed by Mount Saint Vincent University through their information archive and established by Law according to the aforementioned rule.”
BdM: “Excellent. We want to thank you for the time you dedicated to us.”
G: “Thank you very much for the space and for share all this.”