This CD is aim to be an introduction to the most important collection of music in the ICTUS Records history, a 12 CD’s Box Set, a celebration for the 30th anniversary of the birth of one of the first independent labels of the 70’.

At that time for a young musician like me, the recording scene was fairly discouraging especially in my country of origin, Italy. Record companies were not interested in producing “avant-garde music”, and this music found its way out through few small musicians - owned labels. In order to have the music that I loved recorded, I had to create my own label: Ictus Records, the first Italian label to solely distribute music on the cutting edge of improvisation.

Ictus was born to be a forum for musicians that the institutionalized market refused, and, also by design, was a hands on operation; one that encouraged the artist to express himself freely, without restrictions, and to have control over all the phases of production of the record. All this was possible due to the dedicated work of my wife Carla Lugli, who saw to the daily operation of the record label. Ictus was born not as a commercial but as a cultural operation. Distribution of the records was carried out through certain music magazines, and by mail order at a strictly recovering-cost price. Musicians joined the innovative Ictus with enthusiasm most willing to record for the pleasure of making music together; and most of the times even co-producing the albums, sharing costs with us....