User:Joseph2701/To The Ansaphone

Beginnings
To The Ansaphone is a post-punk, new wave group from Florence, Italy. The band began in January 2000 when Marco Paltrinieri (guitar) and Mirko Smerdel (singer, synthesizer)&mdash;at the time playing together in an indie band&mdash;decided to start a different kind of musical group with influences from the San Diego post-punk scene and punk bands such as Acme. Mirko came up with the name of the band from the lyrics of a song by the band Pulp.

After having previously tried out as a drummer for their now-defunct indie band, Tommaso Tanini (drums) ended up joining the newly-formed group. Joe DeVeaugh-Geiss played bass temporarily with the band until summer 2000. With this lineup the group's first concert was in the spring of 2000 at a club called "Baraonda" near Viareggio, Italy. After the bassist's departure, Federico Seghi (bass) of Nativist&mdash;highly-regarded by the others for his immense musical knowledge&mdash;joined on bass, thus establishing the core members of the group. With this lineup, the band performed around Italy and on two European tours from 2000–2004.

In 2007, Bruno Zamborlin (live electronics, remixing)&mdash;regarded as inspiring the rebirth of the group after a 3-year hiatus &mdash;played and recorded with the band and is featured as a new member on the 2007 release. The studio time for this recording was described as long-sessions lasting entire days and featured improvisation on acoustic instruments, sensors, and self-programmed software. The recordings were remixed post hoc. No known tour was made with this constellation.

Recordings
The group released their first 7-inch record in 2001 on Heroine Records. While some of the early lyrics were written in Italian, most lyrics to their songs are in English. The reason for this is because the band felt English was better suited to the music they were playing. Nonetheless, the lyrics did not play a crucial role to the band's aesthetic, and the opaque lyrics on the 7-inch recording were intentionally left open for the listener to interpret. Given the underemphasis on the textual aspects of their music, along with the space limitations of a 7-inch record, the lyrics were not included with their first release.

Their second release, in 2003, was a limited-edition, self-titled full-length on Heartfelt Music. The album is noted for its incisive and dry drumming, the metronomic dub-like drive of the bass, a more refined guitar style, and the use of keyboards and other electronic instruments. In one review, the feel of the album was described as being like the soundtrack for a film set on a desperate, morose night, and in a summary of Italian rock music this album was regarded as evoking 1970's no wave such as DNA, Pop Group, and Contortions. In 2003, the band also released a 3-inch mini cd together with the Italian indie bands Sprinzi and Red Worm's Farm. Their track was noted for the electronic instrumentation and forceful electric attacks.

After a three-year hiatus, a limited-edition 10-inch record (305 albums were pressed )  was released on Holidays Records. At the time of the 2007 release, however, the band members had been living in different locations and were pursuing other projects.

Albums were notable for their high-quality graphic design, for which Mirko was responsible.

Live Performance
In an interview from 2002, the interviewer remarked on the band's minimal interaction with the audience: when playing live, the band was said to arrive, set up, play, and exit without saying a word. In response, Marco explained that they are not a political group with a particular message for their audience.

In 2001, their first bassist returned to Italy and briefly reinserted himself into the group as part of their live show. This included dancing with the crowd and staging a light performance while the band played. Simone Donati later took on the role of light technician, interacting with the music via the on-stage light show during the band's performance. Simone accompanied the group in this capacity on their second European tour.

The band toured Europe with bands such as Sightnings, Tristeza, the Seconds, and Young People.

Since 2004 the band has ceased to tour.

Album Track Listings
s/t 10-inch (2007)

s/t full length (2003)

s/t 7-inch (2001)