Calibro 35
Torino – IT
24.09.2026
21:00
Hiroshima Mon Amour
Bio
Calibro 35 return to cinematic noir: on October 9, Ellroy vs L.A., the soundtrack to Francesco Zippel’s documentary, will be released. The first single, “Riots”, is out now.
Calibro 35 pay tribute to American noir with their new album Ellroy vs L.A., due out on October 9. The record is taken from the soundtrack of Francesco Zippel’s documentary of the same name, produced by Quoiat Film. The first single, “Riots”, is available now.
Ellroy vs L.A., winner of the Silver Ribbon Award for Best Cultural Documentary of 2026, is an unconventional documentary: a dark journey into the mind of noir master James Ellroy. Through an in-depth interview and archival footage, the film intertwines James Ellroy’s personal and artistic story with his unique vision of Los Angeles, alternating his voice with images and the sound of Calibro 35, filmed in the studio while bringing the soundtrack to life.
The result is a wide — extremely wide — space for music, giving the Milanese quartet the opportunity to go beyond simply commenting on images and instead engage directly with an imaginary world — noir — that has always been incredibly close to the atmospheres that define the band.
The outcome is 12 distinctive tracks that bring Calibro 35 back to the territory of cinematic funk after their excursions into “genre” soundtracks, such as those composed by Martellotta, Gabrielli, Rondanini and Colliva for Sandokan and Blanca.
What emerges again is the sonic palette developed by Calibro 35 over nearly twenty years of musical exploration, here hybridized — also because of the documentary’s “American” subject matter — with jazz, blaxploitation influences and contemporary urban rhythms.
In the first single, “Riots”, the almost boom bap rhythm of the drums underpins the twang of electric guitars, which respond to the relentless clavinet ostinato, generating a tense climax that resolves only at the very end.
It is just one example of the atmospheres contained in Ellroy vs L.A., whose tracks range from the noir master’s Los Angeles quartet (Black Dahlia, The Big Nowhere, L.A. Confidential, White Jazz) to the many facets of a city built on stark contrasts (LSD on Sunset Blvd, Chalet Manson, Vacation and Probation, Pacific Safari). These songs echo Morricone-esque grandeur (because this is still Calibro 35 we’re talking about), but also the cinematic funk of Isaac Hayes and Lalo Schifrin, and even Kendrick Lamar and Dr. Dre (and perhaps it’s no coincidence that Calibro 35 themselves were sampled by the superstar producer for his album Compton).
With Ellroy vs L.A., Calibro 35 did not simply compose a soundtrack: they became protagonists of the documentary itself, translating mythology into rhythm, tension and groove. Between fiction and reality, they shape a city that never truly sleeps, but pulses continuously — from sunset on Sunset Boulevard to sunrise viewed from Griffith Observatory, through the entire night.
Press play, and Los Angeles comes alive through sound.
- Share
