Marek De Vann is the evocative solo music project of Italian musician Marco Sarracino, based in Piacenza, Italy. A versatile and deeply passionate artist, Marco has long been immersed in the rich undercurrents of underground music, most notably as a bassist and founder of the alternative band Oak’s Mary, a group celebrated for its distinctive blend of stoner rock and doom metal. His musical journey, however, stretches further back, including impactful years in the surf punk band Liquid Germs and other collaborative formations, all of which helped cultivate his dynamic musical instincts. In 2022, after more than two decades of live performances, studio sessions, and genre explorations, Marco launched Marek De Vann as a bold departure from his rock-driven roots. This new venture unveiled his long-standing passion for electronic music, with its pulsing textures, layered atmospheres, and cinematic depth. The transition allowed him to step into the role of a sonic architect, combining analog synths, sequencers, and vintage tones into emotionally charged instrumental narratives.
At the core of Marek De Vann’s music lies a profound love for retro soundtracks, particularly those from Italian crime cinema of the 1970s. Drawing on a palette inspired by legendary composers like Franco Micalizzi and Stelvio Cipriani, and merging them with the electronic trailblazing of Kraftwerk and Devo, Marek composes immersive instrumentals that often feel like scores to unseen films. His work is not merely nostalgic, it is cinematic futurism, bridging past and present with artistry and intention. Marek’s studio collaborations have further elevated his sonic storytelling, particularly his work with acclaimed Italian keyboardist Paolo Apollo Negri, a master of the Hammond organ and a defining figure in European groove and soul. Their partnership exemplifies the fusion of analog warmth and digital precision, breathing life into Marek’s vivid sonic tales. Whether working solo or alongside visionary musicians, Marek De Vann continues to push boundaries, crafting music that transcends genre and geography.
Brace yourself for a high-voltage journey into the heart of vintage Italian grit, reimagined. Released on May 14, 2025, Il Fuggiasco / A Mano Armata is a gripping two-track instrumental EP by Marek De Vann, designed as a sonic homage to the legendary Italian crime films of the 1970s. Each note, chord, and rhythm pulses like a scene from a lost Poliziotteschi classic, tense, stylish, and emotionally charged. Collaborating with Paolo Apollo Negri, one of Europe’s most respected Hammond organ players, Marek blends atmospheric analog synths with the raw edge of Hammond-driven suspense, creating an EP that doesn’t just sound cinematic, it feels cinematic. This isn’t just music; it’s a film score for the imagination, unfolding in real time. Whether you’re chasing shadows through back alleys or speeding toward resolution with sirens in the distance, Il Fuggiasco / A Mano Armata is your perfect soundtrack. Mysterious, electrifying, and soaked in retro soul, this EP marks a new pinnacle in Marek De Vann’s evolving story, a timeless collision of past inspiration and present vision.
Il Fuggiasco / A Mano Armata EP Track List:
Il Fuggiasco:
From the very first note, Il Fuggiasco grips you with the magnetic pull of a cinematic escape sequence. The track kicks off with a low, simmering synth motif that feels like headlights cutting through fog, tense, deliberate, and full of anticipation. Marek De Vann crafts a suspenseful landscape where every sonic detail matters. A steady, restrained drum groove anchors the piece, while Paolo Apollo Negri’s masterful Hammond organ lines inject soul, swagger, and a sense of relentless motion. The organ doesn’t just sit in the mix, it swells, snakes, and explodes across the sonic field with a noir elegance that harks back to the golden age of Italian poliziottesco scores. It’s more than music; it’s mood in motion.
Without a single vocal line, Il Fuggiasco relies entirely on its instrumentation to tell the story, and it does so with cinematic finesse. The interplay between Marek’s synth layers and Negri’s vintage Hammond flourishes creates an emotional dialogue: moments of tension, release, introspection, and chase. Together, they build an atmosphere that’s both retro and razor-sharp in its modernity. You feel like you’re watching a fugitive navigate a labyrinthine city under a brooding sky, each section of the song opens a new alley or unveils a new turn in the storyline. The production is pristine yet organic, allowing every element to breathe and contribute to the suspense-laden narrative. It’s a sonic film in four minutes, taut, stylish, and deeply evocative.
A Mano Armata:
Where Il Fuggiasco smolders with slow tension, A Mano Armata bursts forth with grit and urgency, an electrified homage to 1970s Italian action cinema in full throttle. The track wastes no time: it launches with a muscular rhythm section that drives like a getaway car down cobblestone alleys. Marek De Vann lays down a dense, analog-style synth bed pulsing with menace, while Paolo Apollo Negri takes the lead with explosive Hammond organ riffs that hit like bursts of gunfire. The groove is tighter, the pace more feverish, yet the arrangement retains a vintage finesse, never cluttered, always calculated. You can almost see the chase scene unfolding in grainy Super 8: trench coats flaring, tires screeching, adrenaline rising.
What elevates A Mano Armata is its command of momentum. There’s a masterful push-and-pull between the rhythm and the melodic layers, Negri’s solos swirl and scream with psychedelic intensity, yet never lose their melodic contour or narrative purpose. Marek’s production balances raw texture with studio precision, allowing the analog instruments to speak with warmth and clarity. The result is a track that doesn’t just nod to poliziottesco roots, it resurrects them with contemporary edge and cinematic flair. The absence of vocals makes space for the instruments to act as characters in their own right, each telling part of a high-stakes story. By the time the final notes fade, you’re left breathless, as though you’ve just witnessed a heist unfold in real time, charged, stylish, and undeniably thrilling.
Il Fuggiasco / A Mano Armata is a masterfully crafted sonic escapade that captures the essence of vintage Italian cinema while boldly asserting Marek De Vann’s artistic evolution. With its atmospheric storytelling, pulsating retro textures, and the haunting brilliance of Paolo Apollo Negri’s Hammond organ, the EP transcends mere nostalgia to become a living, breathing score for the imagination. Whether you’re a lover of classic film scores, a fan of analog synths, or simply seeking music that speaks without words, this EP is a must-listen. I highly recommend it to anyone drawn to cinematic soundscapes, noir aesthetics, or the seamless fusion of electronic artistry and timeless groove, Marek De Vann has crafted an experience that deserves not just to be heard, but felt.
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