Telling the story of the outskirts through music, to avoid prejudice. This is the aim of Folco Orselli with the project “Blues in Mi – quartieri identità di Milano”.
Redeeming and "illuminating" the outskirts, to restore dignity to the places and the people who live there, setting aside every form of prejudice: this is the aim of Milanese singer-songwriter Folco Orselli through the project "Blues in Mi – quartieri identità di Milano", presented at a press conference at Palazzo Marino on 14 January.
After two years in the making, the initiative has finally taken shape: through blues music – but not only – Orselli will seek to tell the story of the places and the dreams of those who live far from the city centre. Because, as the singer-songwriter writes on his website, "The outskirts of cities, if not adequately 'illuminated', can become the outskirts of the soul, the place where everything is upended and transforms into a dull, frustrating and dangerous mutation".
The project features five major events in as many neighbourhoods, which will be captured in five short films released on a quarterly basis between 2020 and 2021. "Through a filmed journey of events, performances and concerts, we will 'illuminate' all the districts of Milan's outskirts," says Folco Orselli. "We will bring together the different cultures that inhabit Milan through the blues, which is not just a musical genre born as an emancipation from slavery but a kind of esperanto of the soul, a thread that connects, from the ice of Norway to the sands of African deserts; a language born out of the urgency to express, through music and words, people's inner lives and their desire for freedom."
The first episode will be entitled "Blues Contest: Hip Hop, Rap, Trap": it will be made with three young people from the western outskirts of Milan – the Giambellino, Bonola, QT8 and Baggio areas – and will also feature a live performance, in March, at the Magazzini Generali, alongside rapper Ernia, who will be the evening's testimonial.
This is an important project not only for the city of Milan, but also for LifeGate, as Enea Roveda, the company's Chief Executive Officer, recalls. "It was 2003 when we met and we both had long hair. We were at Nidaba and there was this young man telling stories about Milan. It had been a long time since I'd heard things like that live. So I said to him: 'Let's make a record.' I'm here now to offer him my congratulations. For twenty years at LifeGate we have been working on social and environmental issues, so we can only appreciate and support an initiative like Blues in Mi."
The project, under the patronage of the City of Milan, is made possible thanks to the participation of several partners: BRW Filmland will handle video production, Anteo Palazzo del Cinema will host the previews, and Corriere della Sera and LifeGate will be media partners. Ringo Pavesi will sponsor the first episode. All the video material for the five episodes will be directed by Il Terzo Segreto di Satira.