Dispatch from: Naples, Italy

The historic area of old Naples is a UNESCO World Heritage site where history and art intertwine in a vibrant, complex urban tapestry that thrives despite the contradictory pressures of over-saturated tourism. One of the best examples of this can be found at Via Enrico De Marinis. There at #4, behind a glass and wrought-iron gate, lies Auditorium Novecento, a sanctuary for pulsating live music, serving as both a recording studio and a dynamic venue.

The building sings of a rich musical past. Originally a stable, it was converted into recording studios by Raffaele Esposito in the early 1900s. Esposito, a saddle and horse harness maker with a love for opera, was among the first Neapolitans to own and then sell gramophones and phonographs, quickly transitioning from a dealer to a record manufacturer. He began his record company, Società Fonografica Napoletana, in a nearby workshop before relocating to the stables-cum-studios. Many articles list the company as founded in 1901, making Esposito’s business the oldest record company in Italy, though this date is impossible to confirm, with another company in Milan vying for the same honour. What we do know is that in 1911 he rebranded the label as Phonotype Record, beginning a more consistent level of production.

Insiders’ lore, confirmed by many artists, says that the studio’s design inspired London’s Abbey Road, which sought to replicate Phonotype’s interiors and acoustics. Over the years, the studios and adjoining factory became a single wider block providing extensive employment. The list of performers and composers who have graced the studios is wide-ranging, from opera singers and celebrated tenor Enrico Caruso to Neapolitan icons of the early era like Gilda Mignonette, and later, renowned singers such as Sergio Bruni and Roberto Murolo.

It is reported that when WWII broke out, Raffaele and his son Americo disobeyed Mussolini’s order to donate copper to the Fatherland, burying their main copper masters beneath the ground in a small room in a yard. They forgot, however, to tell their children. The treasure was only rediscovered in 1961. After Raffaele died in 1929, his son Americo took the lead, assisted by his eldest son Raffaele. Later, Americo’s other sons ran the business following the death of their father.

During its peak, Phonotype matched contemporary US studios in recording standards. They continued to produce Neapolitan music but also expanded the repertoire to include other genres, releasing vinyl, cassettes and later CDs.

However, by the new millennium, the studios had fallen silent. That is, until 2018 when a company of music professionals converted the premises into a music venue. In addition, after difficult negotiations, they have been able to purchase the Phonotype Record brand. Fabrizio Piccolo, a sound engineer who is one of the entrepreneurs involved, says that the previous owner Fernando Esposito, the last heir of the dynasty, called the studio Auditorio, leading to the current name they’ve chosen, Auditorium Novecento. There’s a sacred quality in walking around the place. You sense the aura of the great artists who once performed there. The main hall (Sala 1) is around 130 square metres wide by six metres high and can contain a 100-piece orchestra. “Anyone who comes, whether as a listener, musician or recording artist, is always enthralled,” Piccolo says. “Even foreign artists and producers say it’s the best place they’ve recorded or played.”

Auditorium Novecento aims to be an arts and culture hub, promoting music in all its forms and expressions, incentivising and supporting new generations and hosting regular shows covering rock, experimental, jazz and traditional music in its main studio, now an intimate venue. Today’s top-notch Neapolitan artists, such as Suonno d’Ajere, Ars Nova Napoli and Daniele Sepe have enthusiastically recorded their music there.

All things considered, Phonotype has never been just a recording studio. Its history and legacy are palpable in every corner, from the well-worn wooden reverberation panels to the vintage analogue equipment. In the basement, a smaller studio and some rooms await restoration, while the archives displayed on the corridor shelves are filled with tapes and masters – possibly containing treasures yet to be discovered – that need to be relocated and digitised to guarantee preservation. Those that have been digitised already, can be found on Spotify.

Auditorium Novecento’s establishment and the resurgence of its affiliated label symbolise Naples’ pursuit of innovation, connecting past with future. A musical history still being written.