Valentina Magaletti is an Italian-born, UK-based drummer, percussionist and composer. Her restless output over the last decade has pushed her CV to include a staggering whoʼs who of contemporary, rock, pop, jazz, electronic and experimental projects.

While the world stood still in 2020, Londonʼs Café OTO offered Valentina the chance to record a solo project for their digital-only Takuroku imprint, and A Queer Anthology of Drums was born. Sales went through the roof and in 2021 the Chinese bié label acquired vinyl rights for a limited pressing. Only a handful of that pressing left Asia and now theyʼre selling for silly prices. Now Permanent Draft, the all-female label run by Valentina with Fanny Chiarello, is making this monumental document available worldwide.

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Originally released in 2021, »A Queer Anthology of Drums« sees Valentina Magaletti stepping out alone for the first time with a confidence that only a CV like hers could afford an artist. Valentina ʼs bold and broad approach to composition is immediately apparent. Her use of fi eld recordings, samples, and piano augment the arsenal of drums and percussion resulting in a deftly crafted suite that transcends what most of us would expect from a solo-drummer. Carefully weighted, and free from macho bombast, »A Queer Anthology of Drums« weaves its story through a range of influences and styles yet remains concise and almost understated.

Keen ears may alight on comparisons to Milford Graves, Harry Partch, or Stomu Yamashta, but this record really feels like itʼs the beginning of a new language weʼre hearing for the first time.