Craig Leon's Nommos Live with Le Cameriste Ambrosiane at Bagni Misteriosi

On the evening of the Summer Solstice, Craig Leon performed his iconic 1981 album Nommos live at the Bagni Misteriosi in Milan, accompanied by Le Cameriste Ambrosiane. The event was part of Tranceparenti, curated by Teatro Franco Parenti, Terraforma, and Basemental, marking the reopening of the venue. Leon, known for producing Ramones, Blondie, and Suicide, presented a partially orchestral version of the album, which blends punk, minimalism, and New Age. The album's title was originally Anthology Of Interplanetary Folk Music, inspired by Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music. Nommos draws on the Dogon myth of amphibious alien beings from Sirius, which Leon encountered at a 1973 Brooklyn Museum exhibition on Dogon sculpture. He created a five-note scale using synths and drum machines, aiming for a 'subaquatic' sound. The performance on a floating platform in the pool emphasized the water element, with metallic loops, drones, and polyrhythms creating an immersive, techno-afro-futurist atmosphere. Leon's ongoing orchestral reworking of Nommos includes a fourth piece inspired by George Antheil's Ballet Mécanique.