Bruno Sanfilippo
SUBLIMINAL PULSE (Spotted Peccary Music, SPM-1901)
While many electronic artists today tend to explore the dark, more rampant possibilities of sound, Bruno Sanfilippo is going in the opposite direction with his new album "Subliminal Pulse". He tames the instruments, gently drawing a sonic topography that is slowly emerging into articulate awareness. The arrangements speaks to the mind with an inherent eloquence that is subtle and emotional. From the first pulse to the last vibration, the music linger in the air as if carried on a luminous breeze that takes away the shadows of thoughts and the intrinsic fluctuations. This is music that cannot be expressed into words, yet cannot remain silent. Bruno perform all the pieces using his improvisational talent in developing intuitive harmonies, refining and dissolving the elements like an alchemist in search of spiritual gold. In a way that comes close to being magisterial, Sanfilippo weaves the strands of our boundless reality into a tapestry that "for those who have ears to listen", is truly beautiful and liberating. "Subliminal Pulse" is a profound work, an important and much-needed achievement in ambient music. I highly recommend it !
Ian Boddy
PEARL (DiN 36)
It's easy to admire Ian Boddy's carrear brilliantly resumed in "Pearl". Inside the beautiful and expressive double disc package, you get some of his earliest tapes (The Climb, Living in a Ritual), cuts from recent solo and collaborative projects (w/ Robert Rich, Mark Shreeve, Markus Reuter etc), plus a few library works commissioned by DeWolfe company. While the selection is generous and diverse, the aspect I like most about "Pearl" is the flow of music. The two continuous mixes enhance the audition with fluency that allows deeper levels of interaction with the sound. All the discrepances in style and technologies, inevitable when dealing with tracks from different decades, are intelligently smoothed to provide a polished sonic design. "Pearl" is not a "best of Ian Boddy" CD, but rather a fine personal collection by Ian Boddy containing everything electronic, from ambient sound fields, pulsating rhythm-based sequences, sweeping melodic themes and layered structures, which despite their different approaches, fit together to create an unforgettable listening experience. Don't miss it, the album is available as a limited edition of 1000 copies !Amongst Myselves
FRAGMENTS (Amongst Projects, SG-15)
Put your headphones and let Australian Steve Roberts blow your mind to Fragments. After the ingenious release from 2006 "Auburn Silhouette", this new one brings you fresh perspectives on the ever-evolving ambient project Amongst Myselves. Be prepared for a rich and unpredictable sonic excursion to myriads of vistas, from the depths of the oceans to the dark heights of the universe. The heterogeneous character of the album succeeds in keeping the attention in tension, always open to feel the intuitive interplay of balance and contrast. Now you are surrounded by ghostly pianos, then you are elevated by soaring guitars, after a while environmental recordings feed your senses until some electronic spasms push your imagination into cosmic fields. Despite the textural variety of the music, the listener can perceive a deeper dimension that connects a wide range of natural and abstract audible phenomenons."Fragments" is a little-known gem for those who crave for something daring and sustaining in contemporary electronic music.
