As part of our fifteen year anniversary we are releasing a series of mixtapes from the Home Normal catalogue. These are digital only and on a pay-what-you-like basis as a thank you for your kind support all these years.
The mixes have been carefully curated by selected Home Normal artists and friends. The cover artwork for the releases represents a sense of 'home' and is local to the curator of the mix. Each mix is presented as one longform track with links to each album below.
The fourteenth Home Normal Mixtape is by the dearly loved and celebrated Sardinian composer, educator and engineer, Stefano Guzzetti. Stefano and I first got in touch when he sent a demo to us in the summer of 2012. I was at home visiting family in the UK from Japan, spending time with my mother, sister and wife in a challenging way after the sudden loss of my father the winter before. Ben had left the label due to exhaustion of the constant work, costs and attention, and navigating that myself alongside never-ending emails and demos took a huge toll.
And then on one sunny afternoon I got a lovely email with a demo from Stefano. This was at a time when the label received between 20 up to 100 demos per day, and each would be written in the same generic manner. In Stefano's case though it was genuine, personal and written in a way that resonated instantly, much like the man himself for those lucky enough to have spent time with him. And the demo I listened to that day was to become the first in his now revered 'Piano Book' series.
Three solo albums, a collaborative EP, a number of compilations, millions of plays, a few tours and trips to the UK, Poland, Italy and Japan, and nearly twelve years later, Stefano is one of my closest friends and a constant collaborator. When I personally suffered a complete mental break due to ongoing health issues as a result of the stress of the label, Stefano was there every day to keep me entertained, making sure the 'responsibilities' of the label never impacted me. He is the rarest of friends and people - a genuinely remarkable human, and a source of constant support and inspiration. We write to each other every day with positivity and love, and he highlights the very nature of what Home Normal should be about with a direct channel to the soul and heart. He is the very antithesis of the streaming-obsessed buzzword-titling neo-classical scene which regurgitates the same tired cliches time and time again, instead being a true inspiration to many rather than wearing the soul down.
He runs a wonderful label in Stella Recordings and now 2020 Editions for his own work and collaborations. He works with the publishing house Mute Song but in his own uniquely independent way. He writes music for films and documentaries, teaches music technology, DJ's regularly at our favourite bar in Cagliari, performs concerts in all sorts of venues (most recently at a hospital), and still has time for his family and friends. It is Stefano's world, and we're just lucky to be a part of it. :)
Please check out Stefano's music here:
stefanoguzzetti.com
His 2020 Editions label here:
www.2020editions.com
Here's a list of Stefano's solo and collaborative releases on Home Normal, alongside compilation tracks:
Solo:
* Stefano Guzzetti 'At Home - Piano Book Volume One'
homenormal.bandcamp.com/album/at-home-piano-book-volume-one
* Stefano Guzzetti 'Short Stories - Piano Book Volume Two'
homenormal.bandcamp.com/album/short-stories-piano-book-volume-two
* Stefano Guzzetti 'Letters from Nowhere - Piano Book Volume Three'
homenormal.bandcamp.com/album/letters-from-nowhere-piano-book-volume-three
Collaboration:
* Stefano Guzzetti & Ian Hawgood 'Here'
homenormal.bandcamp.com/album/here
Compilation:
* Album: Home Normal 2023 Sampler / Artist: Stefano Guzzetti / Track: Letters from Nowhere (Piano Book Volume Three)
homenormal.bandcamp.com/album/home-normal-2023-sampler
* Album: Places for Peace / Artist: Stefano Guzzetti / Track: Beatitude (III)
homenormal.bandcamp.com/album/places-for-peace
* Album: Thank You / Artist: Stefano Guzzetti / Track: Aurora
homenormal.bandcamp.com/album/thank-you
* Album: Home to Wander / Artist: Stefano Guzzetti Ensemble / Track: Piggy in the clouds (string arrangement)
homenormal.bandcamp.com/album/home-to-wander
* Album: 050316 / Artist: Stefano Guzzetti / Track: A promise (full piano version)
homenormal.bandcamp.com/album/050316
* Album: 050316 / Artist: Stefano Guzzetti / Track: Piggy in the clouds (string arrangement)
homenormal.bandcamp.com/album/050316