Ummagumma by Fzotic / Bruno Fazzolari
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8.2 / 10 60 Ratings
A popular perfume by Fzotic / Bruno Fazzolari for women and men, released in 2017. The scent is spicy-smoky. The longevity is above-average. It is still in production.
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Main accords

Spicy
Smoky
Woody
Sweet
Leathery

Fragrance Notes

ChocolateChocolate LabdanumLabdanum SandalwoodSandalwood TobaccoTobacco CedarCedar FrankincenseFrankincense LeatherLeather VanillaVanilla CarnationCarnation SaffronSaffron AmberAmber Tonka bean absoluteTonka bean absolute

Perfumer

Ratings
Scent
8.260 Ratings
Longevity
8.241 Ratings
Sillage
7.246 Ratings
Bottle
7.236 Ratings
Value for money
7.214 Ratings
Submitted by Michael, last update on 10/26/2024.

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Statements

2 short views on the fragrance
SayreBeaSayreBea 29 days ago
9
Bottle
7
Sillage
9
Longevity
9
Scent
This is a unique, beautiful fragrance. I'm going to enjoy this in the cooler months. Resinous, dark, bold, but not too heavy.
0 Comments
StaciaStacia 2 months ago
It smells like a strange animal that rolled around in chocolate and then had a cigarette . Love it!
0 Comments

Reviews

8 in-depth fragrance descriptions
jtd

484 Reviews
jtd
jtd
Top Review 7  
ummagumma
The test of a feel-good perfume is versatility. Wear a light dose or douse yourself. Keep it at wrist distance or huff it like poppers. Warm weather, cold weather. Dress it up or go casual. The better feel-good fragrances hover closer to the center of a set of olfactory dynamics rather than at the extremes. It's what makes them versatile and appealing over time. The question is how to make the middle ground interesting.

Amber perfumes have a pitfall: the resinous materials they're built from smell really good. Labdanum, olibanum, tonka, vanilla and sandalwood are considered stand-alone perfumes. The risk, the trap really, is highlighting materials at the expense of composition. Old-school oriental perfumes avoided the hazard by making complex, larger than life scents. Unfortunately, their lavish style makes them a bit rococo for modern use and their orientalist origins weigh them down even more than their dense base notes do. The costume, play-acting cheesiness of orientalism can seem both mannered and childish to the contemporary sensibility. Modern indie amber perfumes have the opposite challenge. They run the same risk as the stoner amber oils of the hippy era from which they derive: oversimplification.

Fazzolari finds a balance point somewhere between the two positions and Ummagumma avoids chinoiserie at one end and oversimplification at the other. While it's clear he looks closely at his materials---his palette---it seems that the materials don't so much drive the composition as provide the medium for Fazzolari to illustrate an idea, in this case how to integrate the classic oriental and the indie amber.

Two examples: First, the way that the creamy, vanillic tones are nested deep in resins is old-school, but by avoiding the rest of the classic oriental’s luggage—the aromatic topnotes, the warm floral bouquet, the heavily accessorized style—Ummagumma taps into the richness of vintage orientals while easily side-stepping the melodrama. Second, the perfume's chocolate is unmistakably gourmand and the note is a nod to the contemporary style of gourmand ambers, but there's a twist. Many modern amber perfumes have discovered the easy link between dessert notes and resinous materials but relying on lazy combinations gives the perfumes a passive quality. The accords might be pleasant but they just lay there. Ummagumma builds a chain of associations and makes the chocolate more than a candy treat at the center of the perfume. Chocolate suggests cocoa, which in turn hints at powder. The bitter powder fuses with the sweet resins and an unexpected dry carnation note to give a hint of animalism that that makes it seem neither traditional nor trendy.

Ummagumma is new territory for Fazzolari. (sort of *) It's a gourmand amber and it's unlike anything else in his line. Most of Fazzolari’s perfumes play with their genres, often using volatile and aromatic topnotes to situate themselves in their genres and then fucking with your expectations once you start to get settled. Fazzolari is able to hold seeming contradictions in place without easy resolutions. He takes advantage of the vibrancy that come from contrasting dynamics, but leaves the debate open, giving the perfumes a touch of friction that makes them so interesting over time. Ummagumma stands between the classic oriental and the indie amber without conceding to either. It's the sort of nuance that distinguishes Fazzolari's work from many of his indie contemporaries and keeps me coming back to his perfumes.
* Ummagumma has definite ties to Cadavre Exquis, a perfume created by Fazzolari and Antonio Gardoni. They used gourmand and resinous accords to create jarring effects. In tone, Cadavre Exquis is miles from the mellow Ummagumma. Comparing the two brings up a question for another day: What happens when you use a similar set of notes to express completely different ideas?

(from scenthurdle.com)
0 Comments
6
Pricing
6
Bottle
6
Sillage
6
Longevity
6.5
Scent
Quarterback

21 Reviews
Quarterback
Quarterback
2  
Fall joy
Ummagumma by Fzotic / Bruno Fazzolari is a testament to the art of olfaction, a symphony of spicy-smoky notes that was introduced to the world in 2017. This perfume is a seamless blend of contrasts, much like the transformation from summer’s warmth to autumn’s cool embrace.

The spicy kick of saffron dances with the sweet allure of chocolate, reminiscent of that first sip of hot cocoa on a chilly evening. The smoky tones of tobacco and labdanum intertwine with the woody backdrop of cedar and sandalwood, invoking the image of a crackling fireplace. Gentle whispers of vanilla and tonka bean absolute bring forth the sweetness of autumnal desserts, while leather and frankincense lend a deep, rich warmth that wraps around you like a soft blanket. And just as fall carries with it the delicate bloom of carnations, Ummagumma does not shy away from floral notes, adding a touch of elegance to its robust character.

While my fragrance preferences may have evolved, Ummagumma’s enduring blend of spicy, smoky, woody, sweet, and leathery notes beckon me back every fall. It’s not just a perfume; it’s an olfactory journey through the nuances of a season in flux.
0 Comments
9
Sillage
9
Longevity
8
Scent
Ostara

61 Reviews
Ostara
Ostara
2  
A Gooey, Glowing Ember
Ummagumma opens with a cocoa labdanum accord that is fantastic: resinous, glowing and a bit buttery. As it wears the cocoa dissipates, and the saffron and tobacco roar forward. Eventually it ends with a complex spicy, incensey dry down spiked with a bit of salty leather. It never strikes me as particularly woody. The overall tone is dark and unctuous. For me it's one of the more wearable offerings from the line.
0 Comments
Perfumisto

14 Reviews
Perfumisto
Perfumisto
1  
Cocoa booz masterpiece
In the forefront it smells of dark chocolate or cocoa, the side gives a light gourmand with a boozy side, here the wonderful scent will amaze you.
Behind it is a floral side with carnation flower with a very light touch of saffron. , sandalwood, vanilla and tonka bean, which play an important role in the main accord and smoothness of the fragrance
Behind all that, tobacco, frankincense or leather give a leathery touch (smoke) to the depth of the fragrance.
The accord is a symphony, but the flagship of the fragrance is dark chocolate mixed with carnation flower, which gives a special compatibility and the other ingredients revolve around it, wonderful work by perfumer Bruno Fazzolari, elegance and softness.
In terms of performance, sometimes I find the performance of the perfume average and sometimes I smell it after the second day of use
0 Comments
10
Pricing
6
Bottle
7
Sillage
10
Longevity
10
Scent
Laceyastra

8 Reviews
Laceyastra
Laceyastra
1  
Dark Chocolate & Labdanum stunner
Ummagumma is a swoon worthy, dark and dreamy concoction.
Predominantly dark chocolate and the most wonderful labdanum. Sure, there's cedar, subtle vanilla and Tonka rounding out the blend, but it's a warm cloak of chocolate and labdanum from start to finish. Excellent longevity and moderate sillage.
I often put on before bed.
Completely unisex. Suitable for night/day, anytime but a hot sunny day or summer.
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