Cosmonauti by C.Bocci - Lyke Wake - J.C. Oberto

From an idea by Cristiano Bocci, Cosmonauti was composed, played and recorded by

Cristiano Bocci: electric basses, electronics
Lyke Wake: synthesizers
Jean-Claude Oberto: lyrics, vocals


Mixing and Mastering by Cristiano Bocci at Small Circle Studio

CD Artwork by Cristiano Bocci

The images are taken from
Karl Schütte, “Die Transformation beliebiger spärischer Koordinaten-systeme mit einer einzigen immerwährenden Hilfstafel”, veröffentlichungen der Sternwarte München, 1942.
Karl Schütte, “Il futuro è nello spazio”, Mondadori, 1959.


We want to express heartfelt thanks to Giacomo Elettrodo and his program "Prove Tecniche di Trasmissione" because it is the context that brought us together and, in parallel, also to Bruno Cossano and his "Plancton" which in some way cemented our aggregation and comparison.


ENG: Specific aspects of this collaboration have been the aesthetic suggestion inspired by Soviet cosmonautics (up to 1991) and the historical impact it has had on the imagination of Western Europe, where we live and work. Therefore, we did not intend to make any reference or take a position regarding the dramatic current events or the developments of contemporary geopolitical dynamics. Sound and verbal experimentation as tools of existential expression. The discomfort of those who find themselves in a world that is not theirs, knowing that one's own does not exist.

ITA: Oggetti specifici di questa collaborazione sono stati la suggestione estetica scaturita dalla cosmonautica sovietica (quindi fino al 1991) e l'impatto che ne è storicamente ricaduto anche sull'immaginario dell'Europa occidentale, in cui noi viviamo e lavoriamo. Non abbiamo pertanto inteso esprimere né alcun riferimento né tantomeno una presa di posizione rispetto alla drammatica attualità e agli sviluppi degli equilibri geopolitici contemporanei. Sperimentazione sonora e verbale come strumenti d'espressione esistenziale. Il disagio di chi si trova in un mondo non suo, sapendo che il proprio non esiste.


Il Cielo Visto da Quaggiù (Progenie di un Falegname) [The Sky Seen from Down Here (A Carpenter's Offspring)] - The Soviet Union held supremacy in the space race for over a decade, with records achieved between 1957 and 1963 including the first artificial Earth satellite, the first photo of the hidden side of the Moon, the first living being, the first man and finally the first woman in space. The propaganda machine rode the wave of the so-called cosmic enthusiasm for several years, after the dark years of Stalinism, producing countless posters, photographs and films that left their mark on the collective imagination of those who lived through the years of thaw and change. The reaction of the Soviet people to the first steps into space was genuinely enthusiastic. Books, films and songs with a "cosmonautical" theme multiplied. Engineers of the Soviet space agency became heroes of the fatherland. Children and adolescents were the first to experience the extraordinary fascination of that new and mysterious world.


Carillon Sovietico Spaziale [Soviet Space Music Box] - The space program developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War was one of the most advanced and ambitious in history. It officially began in the 1950s under the direction of the brilliant engineer Sergei Korolëv and included four different programs:
1. Sputnik (1957-1958): it was the first Soviet space program, famous for having launched Sputnik 1 on October 4, 1957, the first artificial satellite in history. This event marked the beginning of the space age and the space race between the USA and the USSR. Sputnik 2 followed shortly after, carrying Laika, while Sputnik 3 was an orbital laboratory for the study of the ionosphere and cosmic radiation.
2. Vostok (1960-1963): Designed to take humans into space, culminating in the flight of Yuri Gagarin on April 12, 1961, the first human to orbit the Earth. Subsequent flights, Vostok 2-6, refined orbital flight techniques, with Valentina Tereškova becoming the first woman in space aboard Vostok 6.
3. Voschod (1964-1965): successor to Vostok, the Voschod program carried out more complex missions, including Alexei Leonov's first spacewalk in 1965, and the first mission with multiple astronauts on board.
4. Soyuz (1967-present): Soyuz was designed as an advanced successor to Vostok and Voschod. The first version, Soyuz 1, met with a fatal failure, but subsequent launches, such as Soyuz 3-11, demonstrated the robustness of the structural design. Soyuz capsules became essential for transporting crews to space stations such as Salyut, Mir, and today the International Space Station.


Ero Solo un Cane [I Was Just a Dog] - Laika, a stray dog found on the streets of Moscow, became famous as the first living being to orbit the Earth. On November 3, 1957, she was launched aboard Sputnik 2 during one of the first Soviet space missions. Selected for her endurance and adaptability, Laika was trained to withstand the extreme conditions of space flight. The Sputnik 2 capsule was equipped for life support, but did not provide for reentry, so Laika's fate was sealed from the start of the mission. The capsule was also equipped with sensors to monitor her vital signs. In October 2002, the results of a new research by Dmitrij Malashenkov were made public: they revealed that Laika survived only for a period of between 5 and 7 hours after takeoff, due to temperature changes. According to a 1998 interview, Oleg Gazenko, head of the mission, expressed regret over the animal's death, believing that launching Laika would have been a useless sacrifice.


Motocross per Jurij Gagarin [Motocross for Yuri Gagarin] - The passion for motocross in the Soviet Union was one of the many expressions of the enthusiasm for sport and technology that permeated Soviet society during the Cold War. In a context where ideology promoted the cult of physical strength and competition, motocross quickly became popular, especially among young people. Motocross races also reflected national pride in the country's technological and sporting achievements. A distinctive aspect of Soviet motorcycling culture was the dedication of some races to national heroes, including Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space, who became a symbol of progress and victory and whose name was associated with numerous sporting events, including motocross. The races named after Gagarin not only celebrated the cosmonaut's success, but also the ideal of a bold people, ready to overcome any limit. This link between sport and ideology embodied the spirit of the era, where every activity, including sport, was seen as a form of contribution to collective progress and national glory.


In Ascolto da Torino (SOS a Tutto il Mondo) [Listening from Turin (SOS to the Whole World)] - Achille and Giovanni Battista Judica Cordiglia, two brothers from Turin, became prominent figures in the history of space telecommunications thanks to their passion for radio and space exploration. In the 1960s, the two young pioneers, self-taught and driven by an insatiable curiosity, transformed their home studio, on Via Accademia Albertina in Turin, into an amateur radio listening station. From there, they began to pick up signals from space, quickly becoming famous for their alleged recordings of space missions, especially Soviet ones, many of which were not officially recognized. Their work further developed with the construction of the “Torre Bert”, an abandoned structure outside Turin, transformed into a radio observatory where, with equipment of their own construction, they claimed to have intercepted communications of Soviet cosmonauts in dramatic situations. Among the most controversial, there is the recording of a female cosmonaut who seemed to die during a failed reentry. Although their claims have raised doubts and criticisms, especially for the lack of official confirmation, the Judica Cordiglia brothers represent a fascinating chapter in the history of space exploration. Their story testifies to the incredible potential of individual passion and amateur technology, capable of challenging the boundaries of knowledge and interacting with the great events of their time.


Passeggia Libero [He Walks Freely] - Alexei Leonov was a Soviet cosmonaut known for being the first man to perform a spacewalk. On March 18, 1965, during the Voshod 2 mission, Leonov exited the spacecraft for a walk of about 12 minutes, remaining attached to a safety cable. However, his reentry was complicated: the spacesuit had inflated, making it difficult to return to the module. Despite the difficulties, Leonov managed to re-enter and the mission was completed successfully. His feat marked a milestone in the history of space exploration.


L’Ultimo Volo [The Last Flight] - The last flight of Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space, marked a tragic chapter in the history of Soviet space exploration. On March 27, 1968, Gagarin died during a training flight aboard a MiG-15UTI fighter, less than seven years after his historic spaceflight. The crash occurred near the village of Novoselovo, about 100 kilometers from Moscow, leaving the world in mourning for the loss of a hero who embodied the scientific progress of the era.
Gagarin, after his spaceflight in 1961, had become an iconic figure not only in the Soviet Union but globally, so the Soviet government limited his subsequent space missions to preserve his unmatched symbolic importance. Despite this, Gagarin remained active as a pilot, dedicating himself to flying, one of his greatest passions.
The exact cause of the accident remained shrouded in mystery for a long time, with various theories ranging from human error to adverse weather conditions.
Gagarin's final flight not only ended the life of a space pioneer, but also marked the end of an era of heroic exploration, leaving a void in the collective Soviet and world consciousness. The Soviet Union erected numerous monuments in memory of Gagarin, one of the most significant being the titanium and granite statue in Moscow. This sober and imposing statue depicts Gagarin in a solemn pose, gazing up at the sky he had first explored.


La Terra Vista da Quassù [The Earth Seen from Up Here] - We end our journey with a final note on the logbook, which unites past and present, memory and vision. From sound fragments that intertwine like echoes of an interior and exterior journey, the cosmonaut emerges as a witness to a humanity observed from the distance of space, where the planet appears undivided, pure and immersed in a blue silence. Poised between Icarus and Prometheus, the cosmonaut becomes a universal voice: from the sidereal distance, he invites us to rethink the meaning of progress, unity and fragility. An act of gratitude for the gift of knowledge, but also a warning to a humanity that risks consuming itself in its own fires.