Luciano Lamanna :: In Vitro (Multiple)

Lamanna’s musical musings are far from clipped, most of his offerings are well into the seven minute mark. And this is what distinguishes his style. Tracks grow into themselves, steadily developing, morphing and mutating into beasts of cold beauty.

I’ve mentioned before the trouble I have with keeping up with Luciano Lamanna’s productivity. I’m glad to say I’m still having difficulties. The Italian artist must be glued to his machines, serving up a spread of sounds on a schedule that would suggest many a sleepless night. And the night, darkness and the dreamworld are central tenets in his first full length solo album, In Vitro.

Released on Multiple, a sub-label of Subsound, the double LP is less ferocious than much of Lamanna’s previous excursions. Instead this album focuses on the psychological, the unseen and the underneath. The mechanics of techno are ever present but the product is one of murky ambience. Skin crawling soundscapes are sculpted. “Ramallah” is a slow, intense piece. Layers are carefully positioned, a tension built as strings echo into clack and decay. Track titles give away some of their malicious contents. “Everything Shall Die in the End” is a bulging rhythm based track whereas “I Wish I Could See The Apocalypse” is a grunting and groaning piece of guttural industrial gore. Yet there are more understated moments on the album. “In Vitro” gently drones, small shifts and mild movements running to a close.

Lamanna’s musical musings are far from clipped, most of his offerings are well into the seven minute mark. And this is what distinguishes his style. Tracks grow into themselves, steadily developing, morphing and mutating into beasts of cold beauty. A sharper edge is always there, lurking, but the blade is never fully drawn. An album that shows another side to this able artist.

In Vitro is available on Multiple.