CD, Ambiente H, 2010
eicoolsat@ailce.it
By taking the content out of its pinkish slipcase we find a 60-page booklet with a CD hidden somewhere in the middle. Simply inside a plastic sleeve without too much stuff printed on it; nothing fancy, nothing really mind-blowing… But appearances are deceptive!
The booklet is written entirely in Italian, and my own Italian ends at pizza, grappa and sambuca. And no, I didn’t find those words in there. Obviously, because it’s a catalogue for the “Percorsi Mentali” exhibition, organized and curated by Massimo Indellicati for BN Chora and the Ambiente H association.
For this project music has been created/composed, and part of that music has been released on the accompanying CD. It is three long tracks with a playtime of just over an hour which are intriguing enough to make me doubt the choice of staying in Holland this winter. Maybe a trip to Italy would have been a better idea.
Maurizio Bianchi opens the disc with “Electrorules” – nice experimentalism as we have come to know from him. Loops and weird sounds of unknown origin. The result is what will turn out to be the most threatening part of the release.
Andrea Marutti experiments on his “Sq2148_Sq1549[scoria]_Sn1652”. Many different layers result in a sometimes very intrusive track. I have liked this style of music ever since I watched a live performance by Man is the Bastard and no, it’s not noise like they do, but the clarity of sounds and the ‘visibility’ of the layers is impressive by both.
The last track, entitled “Radiation”, is by Lost Shelter. I couldn’t find anything about him/her/them, so I can only say what the music did to me. It’s a heavy drone with certain ambient aspects, nicely layered with sounds of clocks (I think) which are treated with delays and filters. Well built and a very nice atmospheric piece.
In conclusion: I guess it’s a must to visit this exhibition if you’re in Italy, and as long as you’re there just get this catalogue as a souvenir from your trip. For other people who like the long, droney ambient pieces with transcending effects and analog experimentations, as well as loopy madness, it’s for sale through the Afe records website.
[8/10]
– Bauke van der Wal