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Tired of his troubled marriage and his profession, an overly tense Italian businessman's life changes dramatically after he learns that an aunt has left him property in Istanbul. Francesco Alessandro Gassman(the son of internationally renowned actor Vittorio Gassman) arrives to the Turkish city hoping that he can take care of the matter swiftly and return to Italy. He is surprised to discover that the property is actually one of the last traditional hamams (old-fashioned bath houses) in Turkey. The lawyer in charge of the inheritance seems to dawdle and this frustrates Francesco who is not used to the slow pace of the neighborhood where the bath is located. But then the family that has been running the Turkish bath for his aunt, takes him in and Francesco gradually rediscovers a long-missing sense of family as he accustoms himself to Turkish culture. Matters become complicated though when the couple's daughter Fusun falls for Francesco, who discovers himself increasingly and disconcertingly interested in her darkly handsome brother Mehmet. The Italian decides to remain in Istanbul for a while to help restore the baths. The situation comes to a head when Francesco's wife arrives to make an announcement. The ensuing conflicts cause Francesco great upheaval, but they also lead him to grow in unexpected ways. Having spent two decades in Italy, Turkish-born filmmaker Ferzan Ozpetek brings a sense of realism in observing the cultural differences between Francesco and his adopted family.

The compositions in STEAM are strongly influenced by traditional melodies of Sufi dervish trance ceremonies from the Konya region as well as Turkish music of the early 1900s, cutting edge Middle Eastern productions, and groove-oriented ambient/trance music.
Several groups signed to the Italian record company CNI (Compagnia Nuove Indye) participated in making the score: TRANCENDENTAL, AGRICANTUS and SECRET. Outstanding performances were contributed by Rosie Wiederkehrthe voice in the main theme song of Steamand Faisal Taher (vocals), Massimo Silanus on violin, percussion by Zahir Xager, and Bob Callero on stick bass.

Trancendental is comprised of two Genoese composers, ALDO DE SCALZI and PIVIO. Their goal is to create a new kind of trance music, incorporating the musical traditions of the Mediterranean and creative film composing in a strongly spiritual context.

As a founding member of the new-wave group Scortilla, PIVIO released EPs with them between 1980 and 1984. He was one of the first in Italy to make computer music, collaborating with the Department of Musical I.T. of the University of Genoa. He wrote and produced the soundtrack for the film Cold Ground by G. Santi and produced tracks for the albums Tuareg and Darmadar by the group Agricantus.

ALDO DE SCALZI is the founding member of the progressive group Picchio Dal Pozzo, with whom he released two albums between 1975 and 1979 (Picchio Dal Pozzo and Abbiamo tutti i sui problemi). He was a longtime member and writer with the New Trolls, founded by his brother Vittorio. He has worked with Demetrio Stratos, Fred Frith and the Art Bears, among others.
TRANSCENDENTAL also composed the score for the film I Giardini dell Eden, directed by Alessandro D'Alatri, again with the collaboration of Agricantus. Both of Trancendental's soundtracks include contributions by Giovanni Lo Cascio (percussion) of Novalia, Paolo Modugno (lutes and percussion) of BROtheRS, and Maurizio Borzone (string instruments).
AGRICANTUS is a uniquely talented group from Palermo, Sicily. They aim for nothing less than to help preserve our human musical heritage, by blending different cultures and archaic and electronic sounds. Starting with the ethnic folk traditions and rites of their native southern Italy, they mix in modern techniques and a vast geographical range. Their 1996 album Tuareg, was recorded in the desert of Mali, with nomad musicians and their instruments. It won the Club Tenco prize for Best World Music Album. On Steam, ROSIE WIEDERKEHR's outstanding vocals are accompanied by Mario Crispi on ney, kawwal and monotsapuno, and Toni Acquaviva on derbouka and qraqeb. The Romanian all-female 'ethnorock' group, SECRET, renders their unique blend of exotic vocals on the track "Tavla."
The director, FERZAN OZPETEK, contributed to writing the lyrics for the title track "Istanbul Uyurken," for which he also directed the video. The trance version of this track hints at the style of Trancendental's 1998 album release, Rinascimento. "Istanbul Uyurken (Hamam Trance Version)" is included in the Steam soundtrack CD as a bonus track.
TRANCENDENTAL DISCOGRAPHY ON CNI RECORDS (Italy)