Useless Idea is an audiovisual project that merges images, music, and video art into a cohesive expressive medium.
Inspired by the 90s sound of labels like Warp and Rephlex, what is most interesting about this project is its versatility in seamlessly transitioning from one genre to another while maintaining a distinct personality and a style that unites the past, present, and future. This has led to releases on specialized labels such as WeMe and Suction.
Acid Hologram
WeMe Records © 2018
Produced between the end of 2013 and 2017, Acid Hologram is a record that travels between past, present and future. It is a real mix of different styles, this makes it difficult to define as a genre.
Analogue incursions typical of acid and electro fuse with the melodic immediacy of trance, cohabit with cruel drum breaks and crazy IDM interventions, creating a scenario composed of different styles and nuances, bizarre as well as emotional, enveloped by an idea of euphoria typical of the underground music of the early 90s, that allowed us to rediscover a personal sound, without compromise. (WeMe Records)
Many of the songs on this album have been unexpectedly supported on important radio show as the famous NTS Radio, and I Love Acid by Posthuman.
Ifonlyuk review, for the special ACID HOUSE CORNER #16: “Out on cassette and digital, Genoa-based producer Useless Idea makes his debut for Belgian imprint WeMe. The artist is a bit of a mystery, possibly hailing from Italy and just a few appearances until now on some compilations on EVES and Touched Music…? The album is an accomplished work of prime Braindance cuts – with heavy emphasis on ‘dance’. Seventeen tracks (most clocking in under 3 minutes) exploring breaks, techno, electro, ambient, IDM, and general weirdness – with a very heavy dose of acid running through everything. Picks for 303-laden dancefloors here are ‘Bobi Song’, ‘Toytown Techno’, ‘Selector Break’ and ‘Gabber’”.
Recommended by: Solvent (Suction Records) and Mad Miran for CLONE.NL chart
Limited cassette tape work! Vivid acid track! From the popular Belgian avant-garde techno label WeMe among enthusiasts, Italy’s newcomer Useless Idea from Genoa drops a new album! That produced a deep sign that expresses an intense avant-garde musical style with vivid acid synths in continue rotation! A work that shines with the abstract sound that leads to Aphex Twin and Squarepusher! Please hurry! ! ! ! (by www.technique.co.jp)
Xa Peh
EVES Music © 2019
The influence of works such as Brian Eno’s Ambient 1: Music for Airports, and Aphex Twin’s Select Ambient Vol.02 is evident, and linking on a vast universe of authors and minimalist genres: Philip Glass, Moondog, Steve Reich, John Cage, Terry Riley, are not about clones, but experiences faced at a young age.
The influence of works such as Brian Eno’s Ambient 1: Music for Airports, and Aphex Twin’s Select Ambient Vol.02 is evident, and linking on a vast universe of authors and minimalist genres: Philip Glass, Moondog, Steve Reich, John Cage, Terry Riley, are not about clones, but experiences faced at a young age.
“My approach to composition is self-taught, I suffer from a severe form of dyslexia, which has conditioned me in learning the rules from the young age, over the years I have learned to use alternative methods to concentrate, thanks to synaesthesia, a sensory and perceptual disorder of which I am affected by, this allows me to compose music visually, which is why my works are often associated with audiovisual art. I consider this work as sound landscape that evolves progressively, bringing the listener to look further and further”.
The songs have been produced over several years and through different hardware and software configurations, techniques such as: field recording, contact microphones, tape recording and handmade instruments. Many tracks are pieces of percussion in which studies on auditory hallucination and dissonance have been applied, this elements have characterized the sound with a vaporous intensity, making the work detached way, as if coming from from nothing. If you are looking for something new, this album is not for you, “Xa Peh” is a soundtrack of 18 intense and emotional songs, a concept in contrast with today’s frenzy, where everything is consumed in a way distracted, immediately, this is its value, now take your time and enjoy the trip.
Photography by Alessandro Arcidiacono. Concept and Design by Cesare Bignotti | EVES © 2019.
Glitch in the Colors
Suction Records © 2022
With previous under-the-radar cassette album releases on WéMè Records (2018’s “Acid Hologram”) and EVES Music (2020’s “Xa Peh”), Useless Idea has been quietly recording his own brand of inventive, playful, and melodic IDM/braindance for more than 20 years.
“Glitch in the Colors” is the debut full-length vinyl release by Useless Idea, aka Italian artist and producer, Cesare Bignotti. Useless Idea debuted on Suction Records in 2021, with a limited-to-300 12-inch sampler (alongside Bignotti’s alter-ego Seven Nights Alone), which Bleep.com named as their “EP of the Week” upon release, writing “Useless Idea’s widescreen array of hazy synthesized atmospheres, intricate samples and processed recordings … conjure thoughts of a fictional past in another dimension.”
With previous under-the-radar cassette album releases on WéMè Records (2018’s “Acid Hologram”) and EVES Music (2020’s “Xa Peh”), Useless Idea has been quietly recording his own brand of inventive, playful, and melodic IDM/braindance for more than 20 years. We’ve been slowly compiling Glitch in the Colors for several years now, and the result is a varied, yet cohesive, collection of instrumental electronic beat-scapes recorded over the span of 13 years, with influences ranging from the classic braindance sound of Aphex Twin and Cylob, to the hazy hip-hop electronica of Boards Of Canada, but with a depth of programming and sound design that is all his own. From the melancholy, orchestral hip hop of the title track, to the videogame symphonics of “Yster Know”, to the delicate piano-house reductionism of “Moon Dog”, the scope and variety found on Glitch in the Colors is a revelation. 2×12” vinyl LP is limited to 500 copies, and adorned with the artist’s own original artwork, Bignotti is an accomplished, and highly sought-after, visual artist. (Words by Suction Records).
Having released a handful of lowkey limited tapes prior, multidisciplinary artist and producer Cesare Bignotti has found a new path with his output on Suction Records. His work has remained mostly undercover for 20 years, until it would begin to see the light of day with the diligently compiled Acid Hologram and Xa Peh for WeMe and EVES. Two of his aliases were introduced to Suction with a split sampler EP earlier in the year, and his Useless Idea project receives its debut full-length vinyl treatment with Glitch In The Colors.
With this album, Useless Idea curates a series of careful braindance susurrations, containing synths washed in cathedral-scale ambience and beats crashing humbly along with them. The material was recorded over a 13 year timespan, evident in the jumps it makes from the ambling hiphop shuffles of the title track, complete with quaintly sparkling melodies, to the solemn, whispering vespers of the penultimate ‘Bright’. Even with the heavier ricocheting beats and turbulent breaks of the opening ‘Remember This’, there is a breezy attitude in its murmuring, crystalline synths, forecasting the idyllic microbeat worlds that Glitch In The Colors explores.
The blossoming piano cuts of ‘Moon Dog’ form a kind of “happy softcore” beat with blissfully chugging house rhythms and peacefully echoing vocals, meanwhile tracks like ‘Maat (Version)’ carry a darker, more mysterious mood, with its submerged thunking and breathy atmosphere evoking ancient night rituals, or perhaps an alien transmission. All of this is testament to Useless Idea’s versatility as a producer, as Glitch In The Colors makes for an enraptured mix between braindance-inspired beats and worldbuilding melodies. (Words by Bleep).
Hot on the heels of a split 12″ with himself as Seven Nights Alone, Canada’s excellent Suction Records present ‘A Glitch in the Colors’, the vinyl album debut from Italian producer Cesare Bignotti as Useless Idea. The artis has previously appeared on WéMè Records which like Suction does a fair amount of Rephlex worshipping. Melodic electronica is the order of the day, clearly inspired by Aphex Twin, Boards of Canada et al. but with Bignotti’s own musical voice shining through the influences. Features ace artwork by the multi-talented man himself. (Words by Norman Records).
released November 11, 2022. Artists: Useless Idea. Title: Glitch in the Colors. Label / CAT#: Suction Records / suction057. Format: Vinyl 2×12”/Digital LP. Release date: November 11, 2022. Digital Master by Cesare Bignotti ® 2022 © Acid Hologram Studios.
BUY on Suction: www.suctionrecords.com#/releases/uselessidea-glitchinthecolours/
Suction Bandcamp: uselessideasevennightsalone.bandcamp.com/album/split
Split
Suction Records © 2022
A record signed by both of the most influential stage names of Cesare Bignotti, in the role of music producer. Useless Idea, the heir to the legendary 90s English IDM scene inspired by Aphex Twin, showcases his unruly intuitive genius, while Seven Nights Alone, the mysterious moniker under which the producer has created unreleased music for over 20 years, explores more relaxed and psychedelic soundscapes.
“Over a year on from their last release (a 2020 reissue of Solvent’s RDJCS5ep), Toronto-based Suction Records return with a split EP from Useless Idea and Seven Nights Alone. Both are actually aliases of Italian producer Cesare Bignotti, who knows how to separate his talents well. The two halves of this EP present detailed and unique sonic worldbuilding as if each alias were its own fully fledged artist. Useless Idea’s widescreen array of hazy synthesised atmospheres, intricate samples and processed recordings in the same vein as Hit+Run’s Contact Field Orchestra conjure thoughts of a fictional past in another dimension. On the other side, Seven Nights Alone’s darker hip hop infused beats propel prismatic synths and explorative structures as if lifted from an obscure RPG soundtrack. Serving as an intriguing and impressive introduction to two of Cesare Bignotti’s projects, this [split] EP has us completely engrossed”. (Words of Bleep.com)
“This one’s been a long time in the making, and is the first new Suction Records label release since Dec 2020, mostly on account of the vinyl manufacturing backlogs. Anyway, this is the 1st release in what I see as a refocusing of the label’s direction — from now on Suction will focus on modern electronics; IDM, electro, etc — our roots! For several years I was trying to broaden Suction’s scope to include other kinds of music that I’m passionate about, but personally I’ve always preferred the idea of labels with a strict, cohesive sound and aesthetic. So… Useless Idea and Seven Nights Alone are 2 aliases of Italian producer Cesare Bignotti, and this is some of the most evocative and accomplished IDM/electronica being produced today. Cylob and Boards Of Canada are the 2 closest references I can think of, though it really doesn’t sound all that much like either of them. This 12″ split is a sampler for 2 forthcoming releases under these 2 aliases, both sure to become future IDM classics”. (Words of Jason Solvent)
“It’s been more than a year since our last release on Suction Records, and we’re excited to be back with the introduction of a new artist to the label’s roster. In fact, this split 12” serves as an introduction to both Useless Idea, and Seven Nights Alone, two aliases from the same Italian artist and producer, Cesare Bignotti. The split also serves as a taster for two forthcoming Suction Records full-length LPs, coming soon from both aliases. Useless Idea, with previous under-the-radar cassette album releases on WéMè Records (2018’s “Acid Hologram”) and EVES Music (2020’s “Xa Peh”), has been quietly recording his own brand of inventive, playful, and melodic IDM/braindance for more than 20 years. We’ve been slowly compiling Useless Idea’s debut vinyl full-length for several years now, and the resulting “Glitch In The Colors” will be released later this year on 2LP vinyl, covering the span of his 20+ years of recording. From “Glitch…” we’ve included standout cut “Mello Tron” alongside two tracks that are exclusive to this split 12”. Seven Nights Alone is a more recent alias, and outside of 1 track released on a compilation, this marks the new alias’ debut release. There is an undeniable Boards Of Canada influence here, but this is a unique and sophisticated take on BOC’s woozy and melancholy electronica. Both “Soft Where” (a menacing, futuristic instrumental hip hop killer) and “Walkman” (like a BoC “Campfire Headphase” outtake but on an optimistic tip) are taken from Seven Nights Alone’s debut 2LP vinyl full-length “Another Place”, to be released on Suction Records in 2023, alongside a 3rd track that’s exclusive to this split 12”. (Words of Suction Records)
Produced mixed and recorded by Cesare Bignotti. Published by Suction Records © 2022 — Suction054 — Limited Edition. Vinyl Mastering by Rude 66 — Digital Mastering by William Blakeney — Arts by Cesare Bignotti — Layout by David Borean — Compiled by Solvent.
Release date: April 22, 2022. Format: Vinyl 12-inch/Digital EP. Vinyl is limited to 200 copies with half of the pressing available directly in limited-edition Translucent-Pink-vinyl.
BUY on Suction: www.suctionrecords.com#/releases/ui7na-split-ep/
Suction Bandcamp: uselessideasevennightsalone.bandcamp.com/album/split