The term »Library Music« hardly sounds like something designed to induce euphoria. Worse still is its German equivalent, Produktionsmusik. Yet the dry designation simply denotes music composed to be kept on file, ready for deployment across all manner of film contexts – from cinema to advertising. How it ultimately sounded depended on its intended use. The Modern Sound Quartet from Milan specialised in precisely the kind of material that required a tight, reliable groove.
Their fusion cuts – instrumental jazz-funk built around synthesiser, guitar, bass and drums, occasionally augmented by saxophone or flute – land with unerring precision. Italian Library Breaks gathers eleven tracks from the 1970s, all marked by an unapologetically sleek surface that nonetheless benefits from a meticulously clear production. Somewhere between ecstasy and cheesiness, the studio musicians around pianist and composer Oscar Rocchi consistently strike the right balance, rendering these pieces as club-ready as they are functional. That their utilitarian wares often bear titles borrowed from botany – »Aglio« (garlic), »Melissa«, »Bucaneve« (snowdrop) – adds its own quiet charm, even if it leaves one guessing at their original brief.
