Artist

AKTUALA

Walter Maioli (flute, harmonica, oboe)
Daniele Cavallanti (sax)
Antonio Cerantola (guitar)
Lino "Capra" Vaccina (percussion)
Laura Maioli (percussion)

Following the same path as Third Ear Band in England, Aktuala tried to mix together the western musical tradition with african and asian instruments, rhythms, cultures, with a result that can hardly be described as "progressive" in the classical sense of this word, and falls more in the psychedelic or avantgarde field.

The band was formed around 1972 in Milan by Walter Maioli, and signed to Bla Bla released their first album a year later. The band didn't play the usual open air concert circuit, preferring a different approach with their audience. Their sound was made with every kind of unusual instruments giving a highly original, though not always inspiring for untrained ears, result.

With second album La terra the band had some line-up changes, with Vaccina and Laura Maioli leaving, the entrance of Otto Corrado (sax, flute - from N.A.D.M.A.), Attilio Zanchi (acoustic guitar - coming from Come Le Foglie) and the dutch harpist Marjon Klok (harp, percussion), and the beginning of a collaboration with indian percussionist Trilok Gurtu. After the second LP Aktuala moved to Morocco, and the long experience produced their third album, Tappeto volante in 1976, one of the very first examples of real world music ever made in Italy.

After the band split, Walter Maioli has continued his search on the origins of musical instruments and traditions, and is still active now with "Il centro del suono" along with daughter Luce.
He released a self produced cassette in 1980 called Futuro antico (first issued on vinyl later, in 1990) along with keyboardist Riccardo Sinigaglia, still mixing eastern ragas with electronic music.
Percussionist Lino Vaccina played briefly with Mino De Martino (from I Giganti and later Albergo Intergalattico Spaziale) in Telaio Magnetico, released a solo album in 1978, Antico adagio, and has started a new recording career since 1992, always in the ethnic music field along with Claudio Rocchi and Juri Camisasca.

LP
Aktuala	Bla Bla (BBL 11054)	1973	gatefold cover
	Psych Out (PO-33030)	2012	reissue of the above - thick gatefold cover- red vinyl
	Bla Bla (BBL 11054)	2015	new reissue with the same number as the original - gatefold cover - initially on black vinyl, reissued in 2021 with red vinyl
La terra	Bla Bla (BBXL 10004)	1974	single cover
	Psych Out (PO-33031)	2012	reissue of the above - thick cover- blue vinyl
	Bla Bla (BBXL 10004)	2015	new reissue with the same number as the original - initially on black vinyl, reissued in 2021 with green vinyl
Tappeto volante	Bla Bla (BBXL 10009)	1976	single cover
	Bla Bla (BBXL 10009)	2014	reissue of the above - initially on black vinyl, reissued in 2021 with yellow vinyl
CD
La terra	Artis (ARCD 027)	1991	reissue of 1974 album - now deleted
	GDR (GDR CD 1103)	2013	new reissue with mini-LP gatefold cover and a bonus track by Walter Maioli
Aktuala	Artis (ARCD 038)	1993	reissue of 1973 album - now deleted
	GDR (GDR CD 1102)	2013	new reissue with mini-LP gatefold cover and a bonus track by Walter Maioli
Tappeto volante	Artis (ARCD 044)	1994	reissue of 1976 album - now deleted
	GDR (GDR CD 1104)	2013	new reissue with mini-LP gatefold cover and a bonus track by Walter Maioli
PROMO-ONLY AND JUKEBOX SINGLES (with blank covers)
Miña	Bla Bla/Cramps (JB56)	1974	jukebox single coupled with Area - Luglio, agosto, settembre nero - no cover

All the Aktuala albums are difficult to find, having probably been sold in small quantities, the rarest of the three being the last one, Tappeto volante.
The first LP reissue ever released for Aktuala and La terra has been released by Psych-Out in 2012, with nice thick covers and coloured vinyls.
The reissue of Tappeto volante, issued in 2014 with Bla Bla label and same catalogue number as the original, can be identified by the glossy cover with barcode on the back. Even the first two albums have been reissued on vinyl with the same artwork and catalogue numbers as the originals in 2015. The three LP's were newly reissued in 2021 with coloured vinyl.

The CD versions, hard to find for many years, were reissued again in 2013 by GDR, all with mini-LP gatefold covers and illustrated booklets and each having an unreleased bonus track by Walter Maioli.
No counterfeits exist.

Aktuala - front cover

La terra - front cover

Tappeto volante - front cover

Aktuala founder Walter Maioli has a website at http://www.soundcenter.it

Thanks to Walter Maioli for some information on the group